Tim Liggins

A faultless transaction, and much impressed

Account closures without warning — customers beware

Until recently, I would have given Wise a five-star review. Unfortunately, Wise has now closed our accounts without prior warning and without providing us with a meaningful explanation.

We held two business accounts and one personal account. The closure has resulted in customer payments being returned, Direct Debits being unpaid, and funds in the closed accounts still being withheld. At the time this happened, we did not have an alternative banking arrangement immediately available, which has caused serious disruption.

I fully understand that financial institutions have legal and regulatory responsibilities. However, closing accounts without notice, giving no clear reason, and continuing to withhold funds leaves customers and small businesses in an extremely difficult position.

We have submitted complaints and escalated the matter, but at present we remain without access to funds that were held in the closed accounts.

This is a customer-beware warning to anyone relying on Wise as their main personal or business account. If it can happen to us without warning or explanation, it could happen to others too.

RESPONSE TO WISE...

Thank you for your response, Wise.

However, your reply does not address the key issue.

You state that account closure is “typically” only taken where there has been a breach of your Terms of Use Agreement. That wording is concerning, because it appears to imply that we have breached your terms, while still giving us no specific allegation, no evidence, no proper explanation, and no prior warning.

We held two business accounts and one personal account. The accounts were closed without notice, customer payments have been returned, Direct Debits have failed, and funds in the closed accounts are still being withheld.

We fully understand that Wise has regulatory obligations and may be limited in what it can disclose. However, that does not explain why we have not been given a clear route and timescale for the return of our own funds, nor why the accounts were closed without any prior warning.

We have already raised this matter with the Financial Ombudsman Service. We will also be asking whether Wise’s actions are consistent with the new UK account termination rules introduced in April 2026, including the requirement in relevant cases to give proper written notice and reasons before terminating payment services.

Please confirm publicly, without disclosing sensitive details, whether Wise is alleging that we breached your Terms of Use, or whether this was a risk/compliance decision where you are unable to provide details.

Please also confirm when the funds held in the closed accounts will be returned.

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