“WHICH digital payment tool is the best?”

It is one of the questions I get asked most often whenever I talk about digital payments, fintech and international banking.

Wise?

PayPal?
Payoneer?
Sendana?
Wam? Your local bank?

My answer is that there is no single “best” digital payment tool. You need a payment stack.

My payment stack has evolved alongside my business and my life. I operate a digital business with international clients, earn in different currencies, live in Thailand, send money to family overseas, and travel regularly. No single financial institution can efficiently handle everything I need.

The objective is not to collect financial apps. It is to build an interconnected financial infrastructure where money can be received through one platform, moved to another, and accessed wherever I need it.

Wise: The Centre of My Stack

Wise is currently the most important financial tool I use.

It allows me to receive and hold multiple currencies, convert money, and send it internationally. I use
Wise to pay my landlord in Thailand and send money to my daughter in Canada. Friends and family in my circles also use Wise, allowing us to transfer money between each other instantly.

It has effectively become my international financial hub.

DeepPocket: Going Cashless in Thailand

DeepPocket recently jumped straight to number two because it solved one of my biggest remaining problems in Thailand.

Thailand operates heavily on QR payments, but foreigners without Thai bank accounts have traditionally had difficulty accessing the same system.

DeepPocket allows me to scan personal and business PromptPay QR codes. It also provides a Visa card that I can add to Google Wallet.

This means I no longer need to rely on ATMs or cash for everyday life. I am now effectively 100 per cent cashless in Thailand.

PayPal: Powering My Website Sales

PayPal remains critical because it is the payment processor connected to my website.

When someone purchases through my website the money enters PayPal and I then deposit those funds into Wise. For me, that transfer generally takes about 12 hours.

So while Wise is my financial hub, PayPal is an important part of my online commerce infrastructure.

Payoneer: Marketplaces and Client Payments

Payoneer gives me another international receiving option and integrates with online marketplaces.

My Amazon affiliate revenue, for example, can flow through Payoneer. It also provides another digital invoicing platform that I can use with clients.

This is important because I never want my business dependent on one method of getting paid.

Bank of America and Charles Schwab: US Banking and Redundancy

Bank of America gives me traditional US banking infrastructure and access to Zelle, which is extremely useful when dealing with people in the United States. Charles Schwab provides another international banking and investment relationship. But both also demonstrate something people often overlook when building a payment stack: redundancy.

I have lost a Wise card before. I have also had my Bank of America account compromised and needed a replacement debit card shipped to Thailand.

Things happen.

Having multiple accounts means I can move money elsewhere and continue accessing it. A good payment stack should never have a single point of failure.

Alipay and WeChat Pay: My China Payment Layer

When I am in China, Alipay and WeChat Pay are essential.

I connect international cards, including Wise and Bank of America, to these platforms and use them to access China’s local payment ecosystem. Both also have major acceptance elsewhere in Asia.

Again, my international cards provide the funding, while local platforms give me access to the payment systems people actually use.

Sendana and Wam: Caribbean Alternatives

Sendana gives you a US banking account and a virtual/physical Visa debit card. I think everyone in the Caribbean should have this account set up.

Wam is another Caribbean fintech option I have used to convert TTD to USD/Euro/GBP, or you can receive funds from abroad and then deposit those funds into your local TT bank account.

These may rank lower in my personal stack but could rank much higher for somebody whose financial life is primarily based in the Caribbean.

Moreta Pay: QR Payments While Travelling

Moreta Pay previously helped solve some of my QR payment challenges in Thailand but DeepPocket now provides a better solution for my daily life here.

However, Moreta remains useful because its QR payment network extends into several other countries across Asia and Latin America.

When travelling, it gives me another way to connect to local QR payment systems without opening bank accounts in every country I visit.

Republic Bank: My TTD Collection Point

Republic Bank sits at the bottom of my stack.

These days, if nobody pays me in TTD, I can go long periods without touching the account.

When I do receive TTD, my priority is generally moving that money into my international financial infrastructure because I no longer live in Trinidad. Keeping my money exclusively in a Trinidad account limits what I can do with it outside the country.

This also highlights a wider challenge. Our local banking system remains heavily focused on operating within our borders while careers, businesses and customers are becoming increasingly global.

We still have significant catching up to do.

Build the Stack Around Your Life

My payment stack should not necessarily be your payment stack.

Someone living in Trinidad may rank Wam or Sendana much higher. A freelancer working through marketplaces may rely heavily on Payoneer. Someone living in Thailand may suddenly find DeepPocket indispensable.

Start by mapping how you receive money, which currencies you need, where you need to hold it, how you move it, and where you need to spend it. Then select the tools that solve those individual problems and, importantly, can connect with each other.

If your business, career and life are becoming global, your financial infrastructure needs to become global too.

Stop asking which digital payment tool is the best. Build the payment stack that is best for you.

Keron Rose is a Caribbean digital strategist and digital nomad based in Thailand. He helps entrepreneurs build, monetise, and scale their digital presence while accessing global opportunities. Visit keronrose.com to learn more about the digital world.