Primarily a rail for people outside Algeria to send USD or EUR into Algerian bank accounts by SWIFT. Algerian residents cannot legitimately open or hold a Wise account or card themselves.
The figures below describe Wise as a product — but as of today, an Algerian cannot open or use it.
Status
| StatusWhether an Algerian can open it and whether it works. Not how many features it has. | Broken |
|---|
Account details
| EUR IBANAn address for receiving euros from within the EEA, in your own name. | Yes |
|---|---|
| GBP accountAn account number and sort code for receiving British pounds from within the UK. | Yes |
| USD ACHAccount and routing numbers for receiving dollars sent from inside the United States. The cheap everyday rail — but the sender must be in the US. | Yes |
| USD wireDetails for receiving dollars sent from outside the United States. Works from almost anywhere, but costs more and takes longer than ACH. | Yes |
| StablecoinAn address for receiving stablecoins such as USDT or USDC. | No |
What it costs
| Compared across banks | |
|---|---|
| OpeningA one-off charge to open the account. | Free |
| MonthlyWhat the account costs every month on the cheapest usable plan. | Free |
| Foreign spendCharged when the card currency differs from the merchant currency. | Not known No rate is published — you pay the exchange-rate spread instead. |
| ATMWhat it costs to withdraw cash at an ATM. | 2.69% after €250.00/month There is a free allowance first, in the EEA, from May 2026. |
| Virtual cardA one-off charge to issue a card that exists only in the app. | Free |
| Physical cardA one-off charge to issue a plastic card posted to you. | €7.00 |
| What else Wise charges | |
| Minimum first deposit | 20 EUR Required to unlock the full account and its receiving details. Not a fee — it stays in the account as usable balance. |
| Receive EUR (SEPA) | 0 EUR For EUR received from within SEPA countries. |
| Receive EUR (SWIFT) | 2.39 EUR flat For EUR received by SWIFT from outside Europe. |
| Receive USD (ACH) | $0 |
| Send USD abroad (wire/SWIFT) | $6.11 flat The same fee whether the transfer goes by wire or by SWIFT. |
Card
| TypeWhether the card is virtual, physical, or both. | Virtual + Physical |
|---|---|
| NetworkWhich network the card runs on — this decides where it is accepted. |
Opening an account
| Sign-upWhich identity documents you need to open the account. | National ID OK |
|---|
| PayingWhether you can use it to pay with PayPal. | Yes |
|---|---|
| WithdrawingWhether you can move money from PayPal into it. | Yes |
Bank account — Works through Wise's USD ACH details, not a local Algerian account — confirmed in practice by an Algerian user. Currencies: USD Card — Card linking works fully wherever the Wise card itself is available — both paying and withdrawing. Currencies: USD, EUR, GBP An Algerian PayPal account can only link a US bank account. PayPal charges a flat $5 for an on-demand card withdrawal, and nothing for a scheduled monthly payout. This applies to every card, not just this one. | |
Wise in particular
| Why it is red | Residency in a supported country Not usable for Algerians residing in Algeria — Wise requires legal residence in a supported country to hold an account. |
|---|---|
| Faking a foreign address | Works until it doesn't Faking a foreign residence can work temporarily, but Wise typically requests proof of residency once a meaningful balance builds up, and will restrict or close the account if it can't be provided. |
| Exchange rate | Mid-market, no markup No markup on the mid-market FX rate. ATM withdrawals are free up to 250 EUR per month. |