Why do ATMs and shops in Egypt just keep declining my wise card. It worked fine in other countries
Honestly, Wise was a disaster for me in Egypt. I tried it at the airport, in Sharm El-Sheikh, and even inside banks-nothing worked. The ATMs just wouldn’t process the request. Ended up using my Revolut Visa, which worked at HSBC ATM outside SOHO Square. Best advice? Bring a backup card and keep cash USD or EUR handy to exchange. You can’t rely on Wise alone here.
I had better luck in Hurghada than others are reporting. My Wise card worked at the CIB ATM inside Senzo Mall, but only when I withdrew in EGP, declined conversion, and used chip+PIN. I also made sure to enable ‘international use’ and EGP as the withdrawal currency in the Wise app. Still couldn’t pay in shops though-even hotel cafes wouldn’t accept it. So use ATMs for cash, and pay in Egyptian pounds where possible.
In Luxor and Aswan, my Wise Mastercard wouldn’t work at all. ATMs at CIB (Commercial International Bank) and HSBC Egypt either froze mid-process or just said ‘issuer not available.’ Even POS terminals in hotel lobbies declined it. I asked at my hotel (Steigenberger), and they said foreign debit cards, especially from fintechs, often don’t connect properly to the Egyptian clearing network. Thankfully, I had a Visa credit card from my home bank-worked without a hitch.
I had a rough time using my Wise Visa in Cairo-tried ATMs from Banque Misr, National Bank of Egypt (NBE), and QNB Al Ahli, and all declined the card with either a timeout or a generic error. Even at bigger chains like Carrefour or restaurants in Zamalek, the card was rejected. A local banker told me many Egyptian ATMs block prepaid and digital cards, especially after recent currency instability. I switched to cash USD and exchanged it in Downtown Cairo for better rates.