7 digital wallet functions for travel

Mobile wallets are quietly reshaping how people experience travel. With 72% of Europeans already using them, some banks have spotted an opportunity that goes beyond simply replacing physical cards. Some banks are already turning their wallets into travel tools, helping customers stay connected abroad, buy tickets on the go and access essential services without the hassle.

As a bank, you've already got much of what you need to make this happen. Your customers trust you, you’ve got the infrastructure in place and you understand their spending patterns better than anyone. The challenge is leveraging these advantages to design services that genuinely make their travel easier.

In this article, we’ll look at what's working in the market right now and explore how your bank could bring similar experiences to your customers.

Mobile wallets can instantly activate local eSIMs for travellers, eliminating the need for physical SIM cards or roaming charges.

Remember the last time you landed in a foreign country and had to choose between expensive roaming charges or searching for a local SIM card? Some banks have eliminated that frustration by letting customers activate eSIMs straight from their digital wallet, without a separate registration process, scanning passports at a shop counter or installing extra apps. Instead, customers are connected instantly.

Revolut (UK) already offers local eSIMs in over 100 countries through partnerships with providers like Airalo. Because Revolut has already completed identity verification during the account setup, travellers can activate their eSIM in seconds. This helps travellers skip airport queues and provides them with local data rates from the moment they land. And for Revolut, this not only adds a new revenue stream through eSIM sales but also increases customer engagement by tying travel connectivity to their financial ecosystem.

eSIM adoption is growing in Europe, which captures over 30% of the global market - worth $8.1 billion annually. This is a major opportunity for European banks which can activate eSIMs so seamlessly that even telcos struggle to match the experience.

Mobile wallets can store and manage travel tickets, allowing users to buy, save and use them with a simple tap of their phone.

Nobody enjoys juggling multiple transport apps, keeping track of paper tickets or carrying around various fare cards. Some mobile wallets now solve this by letting users purchase tickets, store them securely and then tap their phone to board a bus or train, or unlock a bike share.

Twint (Switzerland) has become the go-to payment method for millions of people in Zurich, many of whom use it for public transport instead of handling paper tickets or plastic passes. Users can buy tickets directly in the app, save different journey types, tap their phone to board and even collect loyalty points on their travel spending.

For customers, integrating travel services into mobile wallets reduces clutter - both by reducing the number of apps needed on their phone and the number of tickets in their wallet. And for banks, adding transport functionality creates a daily point of interaction, helping keep their brand top of mind.

Mobile wallets can securely store and verify official documents like passports, boarding passes and driving licences, streamlining identity verification for travel and other services.

The EU Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI) is set to enable users to store official documents like passports, boarding passes and driving licences digitally by 2026. Banks are ideally positioned to become the primary providers of this infrastructure - after all, they already manage identities securely as part of their core business. And customers (in the US, at least) tend to trust banks more than technology companies overall.

Some banks are already testing digital ID features. Revolut (UK) lets users verify their identity for services without re-uploading documents - an early step toward the EUDI vision. By 2026, this could expand to passports, boarding passes and more.

Digital identity wallets could help banks own the identity verification layer of travel itself, giving them greater control over the customer experience and many more opportunities to serve them throughout their journey. For example, imagine a customer checking in for a flight, verifying their age at a restaurant abroad or picking up a rental car, all handled seamlessly through their wallet app. If banks become the trusted digital identity provider, customers should open their banking app multiple times per day while travelling, creating regular touchpoints to deliver additional services and strengthen the customer-bank relationship.

Mobile wallets can enable fast, low-cost cross-border payments and multi-currency transactions, making international spending and transfers even easier.

High foreign exchange fees and slow transfer speeds have long frustrated travellers. Some modern wallets are tackling this head-on by offering fast, low-cost payments that work in real time across borders - whether customers are sending money home, paying merchants abroad or splitting bills with international friends.

Bunq (Netherlands) offers multi-currency accounts allowing users to hold, spend and send money in multiple currencies with a transparent fee structure. Customers receive the real exchange rate plus a 0.5% network fee on currency conversion and can make international transfers without expensive hidden charges. The app supports payments in up to 39 currencies.

Nine banks including ING, Danske Bank and UniCredit are also exploring offering stablecoins to reduce transaction costs and speed up transactions. The consortium’s initiative complies with the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR) which aims to harmonise rules for crypto-assets like stablecoins across Europe. By linking a digital currency to a traditional asset like the euro, banks can reduce reliance on traditional correspondent banking networks which are slow, costly and operate during limited hours.

Integrating cross-border payments into digital wallets helps customers avoid the notoriously poor exchange rates typically found at airport currency desks. Banks that integrate similar capabilities could then bypass traditional remittance fee structures, leading to stronger margins while also providing customers with better value - a win-win situation. And as cross-border payments become increasingly common (not just for travel but for remote work and international shopping), offering competitive rates helps keep customers loyal and using their main bank’s wallet as their primary financial tool.

Many banks are successfully transforming wallets into comprehensive travel tools by building on advantages they already possess:

• Existing KYC infrastructure, which allows features like eSIMs, insurance and digital IDs without requiring customers to complete extra sign‑up processes
• High levels of customer trust (72% of Europeans already use mobile wallets and feel comfortable with them)
• Supportive regulation through frameworks such as EUDI and PSD3, which actively encourage these innovations

The result is a single app that can replace multiple physical items, including SIM cards, transport passes, insurance documents and loyalty cards.

By partnering with third-party technology providers such as G+D Netcetera, you could launch a mobile wallet solution with these capabilities relatively quickly, without needing to build everything from the ground up.

Want to discuss how G+D Netcetera could help your bank turn these ideas into reality? Contact us