How to save on New Zealand to Korea money transfer fees Save $3 more by paying ‘this way' instead of Wise POLi

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I was talking to a coworker today about sending money overseas and realized that I was using WISE to send money from New Zealand to South Korea incorrectly. I thought I knew WISE well, but apparently not - she was using a cheaper WISE that was even cheaper. Here's what I learned from my coworker and how to save a ton of money on WISE transfer fees.

  • This is a WISE affiliate marketing post, which means that I will receive a financial benefit if you sign up for WISE through my link.
  • When you sign up through my link, your first transfer (up to NZD $900) is fee-free, or there are no fees when issuing a Wise physical card.
  • Last updated January 2026


The cheapest ways to send money from New Zealand to South Korea

The way I sent money from New Zealand to Korea was to move it from my bank account with New Zealand dollars to my Wise New Zealand dollar account, and then to my Korean account. In a nutshell.

How to send money to New Zealand Dollars using traditional

  • Local bank account with New Zealand dollars -> New Zealand currency account created in Wise
  • New Zealand currency account created in Wise -> Korean passbook

But my method can be useful too. Specifically, when traveling around the world and using a Wise card, this step is absolutely necessary. Issuing a WISE card and how to use it, please see the post below.

The whole process of applying for a WISE card, just follow these steps!


Here's how she did it

  • Local bank account with New Zealand dollars -> Korean passbook

In the meantime, why did I transfer to the New Zealand currency account I created in Wise in the first place?

Looking back, I don't think I really thought about it. I thought this is how it's supposed to be done. If I follow her instructions, I'll be able to use the Saves time by eliminating unnecessary stepswas present.

Her method was to use the WISE appsand scroll down to the bottom. You should see a graph of the exchange rate and a send button, as shown below.

Send money to New Zealand South Korea with Wise

I'm just using the send button here to send money from my local bank account in New Zealand directly to my Korean bank account.

I was paying a fee to move money from my local bank account in New Zealand to my Wise New Zealand account. Sure, a bank transfer would have cost me $0, but it would have taken about a day.

That's why I mostly used the POLi method, which takes only a minute to transfer. For a fee of 2-3 dollars. I usually send NZD $1000-$2000, so that's about it, and it goes up the higher the amount. I didn't have to pay those fees.


How to save on Wise fees

1) Wise fees for sending NZ$1000 to South Korea

Here are her tips on how to save on WISE fees when sending money from New Zealand to Korea. When you send money, WISE uses Multiple payment methodsfor the payment method. The main one I use is the POLi payment method.

Wise Bank Transfer fees comparison (NZ$1000)

The solution is to pay the fee by bank transfer. The picture above shows the process of sending $1000 from New Zealand to South Korea. The exchange rate is the same.

Paying with ArrivesTotal fees
Banker TransferBy Monday8.41 USD
POLiin 3 minutes11.04 USD

With Banker Transfer, the time it takes to complete a transfer is 3-4 hours during the week. However, the fees are lower than with POLi.

In conclusion, her wise advice on the best way to send money from New Zealand to South Korea without incurring fees is to use Banker Transfer, which cuts out unnecessary steps and sends directly from your New Zealand bank account to your South Korean bank account.

This is not to say that POLi is bad. If you need to send money to South Korea quickly, I personally believe that POLi is a better option, even if you pay more in fees.

Also, the By Monday above is because it's Saturday at the time of writing, so if you want to send New Zealand dollars without incurring wise fees, it's best to do it during the week.

Sign up for wise, the #1 app for international money transfers


2) Save $10.57 by bank transfer instead of POLi when sending $5000

Wise Bank Transfer fee comparison (NZ$5000)

When I sent $1000 to New Zealand, the difference in fees between bank transfer and POLi was still only $3.

But what about $5000 in New Zealand?

In this case, the bank transfer cost $29.53 and POLi cost $40.10, and the difference in fees increases as the amount increases.

Send amountPOLi feesBank Transfer
Fees		Amount saved
$1,000$11.04$8.41$2.63
$5,000$40.10$29.53$10.57


If you're curious about the difference in fees between WISE and other international money transfer apps, check out our post below.

WISE vs. other money transfer apps fees in a nutshell


Finalize

Today we talked about how to save money on New Zealand to Korea money transfers. wisefor a long time, and I've been using it without realizing it.

Still, I'm glad I found out about this method late in the game. I hope this helps anyone thinking about sending money from New Zealand to Korea. I'm sure I could have saved a few coffees on those fees.

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