Why do ATMs and shops in Lithuania just keep declining my wise card. It worked fine in other countries
Wise completely failed me in Vilnius airport-couldn’t use it at the ATM or at a duty-free shop. Same problem repeated at a few local stores in Šiauliai. I was told by a local that certain older POS terminals don’t accept prepaid cards, especially ones from non-EU issuers. I ended up withdrawing euros using my home bank card instead. If you're relying on Wise, don't-not in Lithuania.
I actually had no issues at all using my Wise Visa in Klaipėda. It worked perfectly at a Luminor ATM near the ferry terminal. I made sure to select EUR, decline conversion, and use chip+PIN-not contactless. Also used the card for groceries at Maxima and a cafe on Tiltų street-both accepted it without trouble. Maybe the issue is with specific banks or terminals. Just make sure international payments are enabled in the Wise app.
Just spent a weekend in Kaunas and couldn’t use my Wise Mastercard for contactless or chip payments at Iki or Rimi supermarkets. The POS machines would start processing, then fail silently. The ATM inside Akropolis Mall gave me a straight-up ‘transaction failed’ error. I called Wise support and they said the merchant systems might be rejecting fintech cards. Used cash for the rest of the trip, but it was annoying.
I was in Vilnius last month and had a frustrating time with my Wise Visa. Tried to withdraw cash at SEB and Swedbank ATMs near Cathedral Square-both declined the transaction. Even got turned down at a few restaurants in Užupis. Staff at my hostel said some local terminals block prepaid cards or flag them as risky. Switched to my Revolut card, and that worked like a charm. Definitely have a backup if you're traveling here.