Top 5 Revolut alternatives in Malaysia

Is Revolut available in Malaysia?

Revolut accounts cannot be opened in Malaysia. While Revolut is rolling out services to new countries all the time, at the time of writing you can only open a Revolut account if you have a residential address in their supported countries and regions, which include the European Economic Area (EEA), Australia, Singapore, Switzerland, Japan, the UK, and the US.

Does Revolut work in Malaysia?

So, you can’t open a Revolut account if you’re a resident in Malaysia. But what about if you’re not a Malaysian resident and you’re simply travelling there and want to use a Revolut card in Malaysia, or looking to send a payment to someone in Malaysia with Revolut?

Revolut services are available in Malaysia for people who have Revolut accounts based in supported countries. So if you already have a Revolut account from elsewhere you can still use your Revolut card to spend and withdraw as normal in Malaysia, and you can also make Revolut international money transfers to Malaysia if you ever need to.

We’ll touch more on how to use your Revolut card in Malaysia including the Revolut exchange rate, and how to use Revolut for ringgit spending, later.

Why you should consider a Revolut alternative

Revolut is a popular financial app, which offers a great range of services for its customers. As we’ve seen, it’s not available yet in Malaysia - so until Revolut Malaysia arrives you’ll need an alternative.

If you already have a Revolut account and card, you can use it to spend in MYR when you’re in Malaysia. However, it’s good to know in advance that holding an MYR balance isn’t possible in Revolut, and you won’t get MYR account details with your Revolut account.

That said, even once Revolut launches in Malaysia, it’s worth comparing several similar apps to Revolut, to see which suits you best. We’ll walk through some great Revolut alternatives in this guide - but if you’re looking for multi-currency holding accounts, an app like Wise could be a good fit, as there are no monthly fees to pay, and currency exchange uses the mid-market rate. On the other hand if you want money transfer services like Revolut, but you need a cash payout option, you may want to investigate WorldRemit which has fast payments to many countries, that can be collected in cash.

We’ll explore all these options and more in just a moment.

Alternatives to Revolut comparison 

Let’s walk through 5 international money transfer providers that compare to Revolut. Not all companies like Revolut offer all the same services that Revolut covers. However, we’ve picked out some good alternatives based on different features, looking at money transfer, multi-currency account holding, debit card availability and exchange rates. You can then use our comparison of services like Revolut to see which best suits your specific needs.

Here’s a quick look at the services we’ve picked out:

To sum up:

• Wise is a good Revolut alternative because it offers the mid-market rate on all international transfers and 45% of its transfers get to the recipient instantly*

• BigPay is a good Revolut alternative because you’ll get a widely accepted debit card and budgeting tools you can use from your phone

• WorldRemit is a good Revolut alternative because you can send payments online and from your phone, with an excellent range of pay out methods

• PayPal is a good Revolut alternative because PayPal transfers are fast and convenient, and many people already have PayPal accounts

• OFX is a good Revolut alternative because customers can send payments online and by phone, with competitive exchange rates and fast delivery times

1. Wise

4. PayPal

PayPal is a long established digital payment platform and was one of the pioneers of secure online transactions. It’s got a huge user base, who enjoy services like:

• Local and international payments to other PayPal accounts

• Secure online shopping with PayPal protection

• Ways to continue to earn bank card rewards when paying with PayPal

• Receive payments to your PayPal account from others

• Personal and business services available

Best PayPal features 

PayPal can be a convenient Revolut alternative for local transactions and also offers great ways to shop securely online. It’s a very popular platform which has a huge user base - so sending an instant payment to another PayPal user can be handy. However it’s important to note that PayPal’s international fees can be high. And unlike the other providers we’ve looked at as services similar to Revolut, PayPal transfers are deposited in other PayPal accounts - not a bank account. Withdrawals from PayPal to a bank may take extra time or incur fees.

5. OFX

OFX is a currency specialist which offers international payments and currency risk management services, plus handy extras for business owners. Here’s what you can get with OFX:

• International payments for personal and business customers

• Competitive exchange rates

• Currency risk management services like forward contracts

• 24/7 phone, online and in app service

• Multi currency accounts for online sellers and businesses

Best OFX features 

OFX could be a good Revolut alternative if you’re a business owner looking for a multi currency account, or if you prefer to have access to extra services like 24/7 phone coverage and currency risk management tools. OFX has a reputation for great customer support - making it worth checking out if it covers the services you need.

Currently, OFX doesn’t support transfers from Malaysia, but you can send international transfers from abroad to Malaysia with OFX.

Malaysian Ringgit in Revolut

One other important point on using Revolut in Malaysia.

If you already have a Revolut account and card, you can use it to spend in MYR when you’re in Malaysia. However, it’s good to know in advance that holding an MYR balance isn’t possible in Revolut, and you won’t get MYR account details with your Revolut account.

Instead, the Revolut card will simply convert the balance from whichever of their supported currencies you do hold, to MYR, at the point of purchase. Depending on the account tier you hold, and how you use your account you may pay a currency conversion or fair usage fee for this.

While Revolut accounts come with some no fee conversion which uses the Revolut rate, some plan types have caps on the amount you can convert before fair usage fees apply. Caps vary depending on the country you’re in, and the account tier you have.

Not all services work like this. With Wise, for example, you can open a MYR balance, and spend from there for free (as long as you hold enough balance to cover the transaction), using your Wise card. You can either top up directly in MYR, or you can add funds in a different currency and convert to MYR with the mid-market rate and low fees - no caps apply to the value of mid-market rate exchange you can get in a month.

If you’re a Malaysian resident, you can also get local account details for MYR to receive payments to Wise by local bank transfer. This has the advantage that you can choose to receive MYR to your account from others, and you can convert funds to MYR in advance if you want to, as you’ll be able to hold a ringgit balance. If you see a good exchange rate, for example, you can switch over to MYR for use in future. More on how Wise can act as a good Revolut alternative, coming up next.

Wise vs Revolut

Wise offers many similar services compared to Revolut and is available for personal and business purposes in Malaysia. Wise stands out against Revolut also because Wise accounts can hold and exchange a balance in ringgit, and also come with MYR bank details for Malaysian residents.

BigPay vs Revolut

BigPay overlaps with Revolut in that it offers digital wallet services including budget management and analytics, as well as a debit card. BigPay is available in Malaysia and designed to hold MYR - you’ll also be able to get local bill pay services and split bills with others.

WorldRemit vs Revolut

If you want a money transfer service like Revolut, WorldRemit could help, with payments available online and in app. WorldRemit is available in Malaysia and also has a better selection of pay out options compared to Revolut. Depending on the destination you could pick cash collection or mobile money payments for example.

PayPal vs Revolut

Compared to Revolut, PayPal’s main point of difference is probably its global reach and options for secure online shopping. PayPal is a good pick for local payments and transactions but the PayPal international fees can be pretty high.

OFX vs Revolut

OFX is similar to Revolut in that it offers global payments and some multi currency accounts - although OFX holding accounts are only available to businesses and online sellers. Where OFX stands out is probably in its reputation for great customer support and its 24/7 phone service.

Revolut alternatives conclusion

Although existing Revolut customers can use their Revolut card to pay in MYR, and to send money to others in Malaysia, Malaysian residents can’t open a Revolut account themselves.

If you’re looking for alternatives to Revolut, the best service for you will depend on exactly what you want to do. Other services like Revolut include Wise if you want a holding account and card that can receive, send and spend MYR - or WorldRemit if you’re interested in sending payments with flexible pay out options. You may also consider Revolut alternatives like OFX for business and online seller services, or PayPal for convenient local payments.