ACCOUNTS
Banking that works across borders.
Lists of the “best accounts for living abroad” are everywhere — Wise, Payoneer, Revolut, Mercury. What they rarely tell you: how these accounts actually behave when things get serious. With larger amounts, frozen funds, or support that doesn’t respond.
“Everything here is something we’ve actually experienced — with real money, real freezes, and real support tickets.”
Payoneer
Stay Away
When an amount of ours got frozen, an odyssey began: documents were requested and apparently reviewed by automated systems — one error message followed the next, and no human was reachable. It took over a year until a document was finally accepted and just over 100 euros were released again. Luckily it was only a small amount — imagine if it had been more.
On top of that: if you want to close the account, you have to transfer out the balance yourself first — otherwise it’s gone. Our clear recommendation: don’t use it, far too risky.
Wise
Fine Day-to-Day — Not for Larger Amounts
Support works noticeably better, and day-to-day almost everything ran smoothly. But starting at amounts of around 1,000 to 3,000 euros, source-of-funds questions begin. In one case, even the invoice to our client wasn’t enough — we also had to request and provide the client’s date of birth.
After several rounds of questioning, the account was eventually blocked entirely — presumably because transactions around 10,000 euros were too large for Wise. Not an unusual amount for entrepreneurs. Despite a good day-to-day experience, we suddenly had no account again. How things went from there and what we learned — we tell that story in detail in the Journal.
Revolut Business
Reliable — Your Company’s Location Is What Matters
The business account has fees, but has worked reliably for us so far. The catch is in the details: your account is based wherever your company is registered. If your company is based outside the EU — say, in the US — you get a US account number instead of a European IBAN. Every transfer outside the US then counts as an international transfer, with fees on every transaction.
If your company is based in the EU, on the other hand, there shouldn’t be major problems.
Mercury
Our Pick for a US Account
No fees, sign-up is simple and straightforward — an invoice with a US address is enough as proof of company address, for example. No challenges so far.
But: it’s a purely US-based account. You can receive foreign currencies, but they’re automatically converted into US dollars. Transfers always go out in USD — and anything outside the US counts as an international transfer with corresponding fees.
One account is rarely enough.
Depending on your personal situation, you’ll likely need several business and personal accounts. That’s exactly where real experience is worth its weight in gold — so you don’t have to try out every option yourself and run into nasty surprises.
The links to Mercury and the Revolut personal account are referral links: if you open an account through them, we may receive a small commission — that doesn’t change our assessment, which is based on our own actual use. Experience report, as of July 2026 — not financial or legal advice.
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