Why do ATMs and shops in Lebanon just keep declining my wise card. It worked fine in other countries
Wise was a complete no-go for me across Lebanon. ATMs in Saida, Beirut, and even at the airport didn’t recognize it at all. Same issue at restaurants and hotel terminals-constant decline messages. I spoke to a bank rep at Bank of Beirut, and they said their systems are not connected to certain card issuers anymore. I ended up sending myself a Western Union from Wise and collecting the cash locally in USD.
Surprisingly, my Wise card worked at the Credit Libanais ATM in Hamra-but only when I withdrew in USD and used chip+PIN. I had already switched my Wise balance to USD before arriving. It didn’t work at stores, though-even big names like Spinneys and ABC Mall declined it. Seems like it’s ATM-or-nothing when it comes to Wise in Lebanon. Still, that one working ATM saved my trip.
I was in Byblos and Tripoli last month-couldn’t withdraw or pay anywhere with my Wise Visa. Even the ATM at Blom Bank gave me an error saying ‘card not supported’. People at my hotel told me most ATMs haven’t accepted prepaid or fintech cards since 2020. Wise had worked for me in Jordan just before, so this came as a shock. Bring crisp $100 bills-black market exchange gives a much better rate than official ones.
Just got back from Beirut, and my Wise Mastercard was declined everywhere. Tried Fransabank, Bank Audi, and SGBL ATMs-all either froze mid-transaction or showed ‘issuer not available’. Same story at cafes around Gemmayzeh and Hamra. A local friend said many Lebanese banks have disabled most foreign card processing since the financial collapse. I brought USD as backup, and honestly, that was the only thing that worked.