Wise Resurrection#
There are many examples on Google of Wise being resurrected using the same passport and being used stably for a long time. After two years, the blogger registered for Wise again, using a different email, a different phone number (Serbian number), the same passport, and selected a mainland China address. The account was suspended within half an hour after registration.
N26 Registration#
Invitation link: https://n26.com
Registering for N26 was very smooth, using a German address, Serbian network, and number, and then it switched to manual video verification. The first operator was a young white woman. Because the blogger was in a youth hostel with other roommates chatting nearby, the operator ended the call due to not being in a solitary environment.
The second operator was a patient white elderly lady, speaking clearly and quickly in English. She asked about the identity of the blogger's hostel roommate (the blogger answered "friend"), and then began the verification process. The verification process took less than ten minutes, and two to three minutes after the video call ended, the blogger received an email confirming successful registration with N26.
Opening the N26 app, the blogger chose the Standard free plan, which provided a virtual card, skipped the German tax number, and filled in the Chinese tax number (ID number).
Deposit#
The blogger used the Zen card through Apple Pay to deposit 20 euros into N26, activating the N26 virtual card. Note that the first deposit via Apple Pay is free of charge; thereafter, each transaction incurs a 3% fee, so it's recommended to deposit more money during the first Apple Pay transaction.
Change Address#
The blogger was confused during the N26 registration and used a German forwarding address, which is rumored to carry a risk of account suspension. Subsequently, the blogger changed the Home address to any residential address from Google Maps in Germany, while keeping the Delivery address as the forwarding address. Changing the address required uploading proof of address, and the blogger uploaded a Zen statement edited with an online PDF editor (with rich transaction records), which was approved within half an hour.
User Experience#
The blogger's Zen balance is in euros, while the Zen card settles in pounds. Using the card automatically converts euros to pounds for local currency payments, with slight conversion losses, but the payment exchange rate is excellent (sometimes higher than the real-time rate). Additionally, there is a 10-20 second delay on the merchant's POS machine during each transaction, which is speculated to be the waiting time for euro to pound conversion.
The next day, the blogger used the N26 virtual card for Apple Pay transactions all day. N26 settles in euros, and NFC payments are very smooth, but the payment exchange rate is average. The blogger plans to use the Zen card as a withdrawal card and the N26 card as a spending card for the upcoming trip, as it is rumored that frequent spending with N26 can establish German credit and enable overdraft features.
Withdrawal Fees#
ATM withdrawal fees are divided into two parts: one is the local bank service fee; some countries' ATMs charge a service fee, for example, all local ATM withdrawals in Thailand (except for Bank of China ATMs) incur a fee of 250 Thai Baht per transaction.
The second is the bank card service fee; when withdrawing abroad, the issuing bank usually charges a certain fee. For example, most domestic bank cards charge 25-35 RMB per transaction, while most foreign bank cards charge 1.8-3% of the withdrawal amount per transaction.
To withdraw cash from foreign ATMs without fees, you must first find an ATM that corresponds to the payment system of the bank card (UnionPay, Mastercard, VISA, etc.), and the ATM must also be fee-free. Finally, the current bank card must have the function of free withdrawals abroad, such as the Zen Mastercard (200 euros free withdrawal limit per month), Charles Schwab VISA card (global free withdrawals), and Monzo Mastercard (200 pounds free withdrawal limit per month).
Card Issues#
It is best to link cards to Apple Pay for NFC payments abroad to avoid card cloning and fraud. In many countries, you also need to use Visa/Mastercard NFC to enter and exit the subway. It is important to note that domestic cards without the UnionPay logo cannot be linked to the Apple Pay system. Cards with both UnionPay and Visa or Mastercard logos will become UnionPay-only cards when linked to Apple Pay, and after leaving Asia, POS machines supporting UnionPay are very rare.
This means that domestic cards are difficult to use for NFC payments abroad, making it particularly important to have a foreign-issued Visa or Mastercard linked to Apple Pay.