If you’re sending money to France from the US (or the other way around), this video is my “learn from my expensive mistakes” guide. I’ve been living in France since 2008, and for years I did what most people do: I used traditional bank transfers and assumed the fees were just… the fees. The reality is that the biggest hit often comes from the exchange rate markup and hidden costs. I estimate I lost around $750–900 just paying my master’s degree tuition through international wire transfers. In this video I explain why I now use Wise as the cheapest, simplest way to move money internationally. When my husband and I needed to pay $3,100 for our kids’ summer camp in the US, using Wise instead of our French bank saved us over €100—because Wise uses the real mid-market exchange rate and shows you the fees up front. I also walk through why Wise is so useful when you’re planning a move to France: you can hold multiple currencies, convert when rates look good, get a multi-currency card with no foreign transaction fees, and even get a European IBAN to pay French bills—without monthly fees or the immediate pressure of opening a French bank account.