Key Takeaways
- Airwallex is a leading payments platform aimed at business users.
- It’s a viable choice if you need cross-border payments, multi-currency accounts, and foreign exchange (FX) services for your company.
- However, Airwallex is strongest at its most expensive service tiers and when you have a dev team to leverage its advanced API features.
- At Payset, we aim to provide balanced, easy-to-use payment services. To read how Payset compares to more of the major payment service providers, read here.
Airwallex is an international payments and financial platform that now serves more than 150,000 companies around the world.
Its roots date back to 2015, when CEO Jack Zhang and three others opened a coffee shop in Melbourne, Australia. They experienced challenges around forex and cross-border payments, prompting them to establish Airwallex.
Airwallex has since expanded beyond its humble origins in Australia. The company now holds licenses in several international markets, and its global headquarters were based in Singapore as of 2023.
Today, it ranks among the most popular digital financial services. Here’s why you might choose Airwallex — or a competing service — as your payments provider.
Why Choose Airwallex?
Airwallex is an appealing choice for businesses that need basic international payments and foreign exchange (FX) and additional services.
Secondary services include spending management tools, payment utilities, and employee cards. Airwallex also has a partial focus on APIs and embedded finance, meaning that you may be able to leverage integration and automation benefits if you have a dev team that can work with those features.
The company is highly trusted, serving hundreds of thousands of users and processing more than $220 billion in global payments each year.
However, those benefits may come alongside trade-offs. It’s important to look at Airwallex’s exact offerings to see if the service is right for you.
Core Products and Offerings
Airwallex’s core products span several categories, including:
- Business accounts: Airwallex offers multi-currency business accounts, FX services, and cross-border money transfers.
- Spending tools: Airwallex provides tools for managing corporate spending, such as payment cards for your company’s employees, plus expense management, bill payment, and purchase order tools.
- Payment utilities: Airwallex offers checkout and payment plugins, which are useful for all companies that accept payments from customers.
- Billing tools, including invoicing and subscription management.
- API and embedded finance: Airwallex allows developers to automate and connect various activities through a suite of APIs.
Note that Airwallex’s services vary between different regions. Its borderless cards and payment plugins are broadly available but are subject to certain conditions in the UK, EU, and Canada. See this page for more details.
Monthly Fees and Other Costs
Airwallex operates under a tiered fee structure, meaning that choosing the least expensive option may prevent you from accessing certain features.
Currently, there are three plans on offer:
- “Explore”: For £0-£19 per month, this tier offers many features but lacks certain spending, billing, integration, and enterprise tools. Some regions, including the UK, require minimum use to qualify for zero monthly fees.
- “Grow”: For £49 per month, this plan adds advanced features — and in some non-UK regions, it adds enterprise capabilities.
- “Accelerate”: From £999 per month, this plan adds more enterprise capabilities and extra features, including dedicated account managers.
Aside from monthly fees, Airwallex also charges additional fees on FX, transfers, and payments, driving additional costs for users under all plans.
Note that the above rates and descriptions are primarily based on UK pricing as of late 2025. Visit Airwallex’s site and you will be automatically directed to your regional page, where you can see current prices in your local currency.
Target Audiences and Use Cases
Airwallex’s target audience includes virtually all businesses in need of global payment services. We’ll look at a few major sectors below.
Software and Technology
Software companies that need to handle B2B/B2C payments alongside other standard transactions are a key target market for Airwallex.
One notable client in this category is Adaria, a Canadian vending company. Adaria needed to scale operations as it expanded into the U.S. market, and it has reportedly achieved faster and cheaper global transfers, rapid card issuance, and improved spending control by adopting Airwallex as its payment platform.
eCommerce and Retail
Airwallex also has a significant focus on merchant customer and supplier payments. Airwallex names Dalstrong, a kitchen knife and cookware company, as a notable e-retailer that saves 2.5% on FX costs by using its services.
Travel and Hospitality
Airwallex also helps travel companies pay suppliers and accept payments. One client of note in this area is Authentic Vacations, a travel agency that is said to save $10,000 per month on FX fees by using Airwallex.
Other notable sectors served by Airwallex include wholesale and trade, goods and services marketplaces, software-as-a-service (SaaS) platforms, banks and fintech, professional services, and the digital creator economy.
Global Compliance and Deposit Protections
Airwallex is licensed to operate in several areas, including but not limited to Australia, the EU, the Netherlands, the UK, Singapore, and the US.
It says that this approach, which involves working with local regulators, offers “multiple layers of compliance requirements and consumer protections.”
Often, this involves Airwallex isolating customer funds from operating funds in line with local regulations, which helps customers recover funds in case of failure.
For example, Airwallex safeguards customer funds in line with Electronic Money Institution (EMI) obligations in the UK, and it makes use of FDIC-insured partner accounts in the US. Similar protections apply in many other countries.
What Are Airwallex’s Biggest Limitations?
Airwallex is a reasonable choice for business users that need cross-border payment solutions. However, there are a few limitations:
- Fee variations and transparency: Airwallex pricing may vary, especially around FX rates, SWIFT fees, and monthly fees. The company maintains a pricing page, but not all fees are immediately apparent.
- Tiered plans: Certain advanced features are limited to higher tiers, especially spending, integration, and enterprise features.
- Business users only: Airwallex does not offer personal accounts and is strictly aimed at business users in permitted industries.
- Transaction limits: Airwallex imposes transaction limits based on factors including the currency used, payment channels, and account capabilities. There are generally no limits on deposited and collected funds.
- Customer concerns: Airwallex has acknowledged Trustpilot reviews that complain of account freezes, support delays, and steep learning curves.
- Significant API features: Airwallex’s API features are powerful but most useful when leveraged by your company’s in-house dev team. It may be challenging to use API features if your business is lightly staffed.
How Does Airwallex Compare to Payset?
| Payset | Airwallex |
| Web and mobile access | Web and mobile access plus API tools |
| Business accounts: £29/month | Business accounts: £0-£19/month, £49/month, and £999/month and up |
| Personal accounts: £9/month | No personal accounts |
| Multi-currency accounts offer support for 34 currencies | Create global accounts in 20+ currencies |
| Broad support for bulk payments and scheduled payments (see details) | Batch payments in “Explore” tier, but some features are limited to higher tiers |
| Team access for all business users (see details) | Team management from dashboard |
| No transfer limits once compliance requirements are met (see details) | Various transfer limits, but generally no deposit limits |
| Regulated in the UK as an EMI, with licenses and/or services offered globally | Regulated and licensed in various locations worldwide |
| Support for 180+ countries | Global accounts in 10+ countries, card issuance in 50+ countries |
| Account opening in 1-3 business days | Account opening in 1-3 business days |
| Dedicated account manager available as paid add-on | Included in highest tier only |
| No sign-up fee | No sign-up fee |
The Bottom Line
Airwallex is a strong option for companies that need international payments and a digital alternative to traditional banking. Its core features are its global business accounts, which are on par with most competing services.
However, Airwallex is ultimately ideal for companies that are willing to spend time on its most advanced features in order to extract maximum value.
For a simple alternative, consider Payset. Our features are highly competitive in most areas, and we aim to provide all-around, straightforward functionality, with support for 180+ countries and 38 currencies overall.
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Disclaimer: Pricing, features, and details on this page are based on competing websites at the time of writing (November 2025). Details may change over time, vary by region, and do not cover all service options offered by competitors. Users should verify details with competitors. Payset does not endorse or represent any competitor, nor have competitors endorsed the above content. Payset and related parties disclaim liability for any errors or actions taken based on this content. Information is for general purposes only and offered at the user’s own risk.
