Freelancers are independent workers, who work from the comfort of their homes, not as employees of a company. Freelancers make direct contact with clients to discuss hiring terms and service rates. Freelancers as independent contractors can be hired by companies for a short period or a specific project.
Freelance Payment methods in Pakistan
The payment for freelancers over all the online freelance earning platforms is in US dollars which can later be converted into Pakistani currency at any VISA ATM.
Starting out in the world of freelancing, one of the most important things to do is to figure out how exactly you should go about collecting payment. Choosing the right method can save a ton of stress—and cash.
Each method has advantages and disadvantages varying with home currency and location. Choosing the wrong payment method can potentially result in unnecessary fees, an increased risk of not being paid for your work, and lengthy delays before being able to receive your money.
Here we highlight the best freelance payment methods, so you can choose whichever of these suits you best according to your circumstances.
Payoneer
Payoneer is one of the best payment methods for freelancers working from Pakistan. It has proved to be a growth promoter for freelancers. Payoneer has a contract with Jazzcash now, so it’s facilitation for freelancers in Pakistan to get their payments exchanged or withdrawn directly through jazzcash,
Payoneer has business agreements with companies working globally like, Amazon, Fiverr, People per hour, Upwork. So, the freelancers working on the aforementioned platforms may consider opting out Payoneer as their method of payment, which will be hassle-free for them as it’s all in one place. Super convenient and easy for freelancers to get started on making money.
2Checkout
2Checkout is basically and alternative for Paypal as the service is not available in Pakistan, so the platforms that have Paypal as the withdrawal method may allow you to receive payments through 2checkout if you link it with your Mastercard, VISA or American Express, it has verified payment method for freelancers
Skrill
Skrill has been a great option to make transactions. Skrill is available in Pakistan for freelance payment, previously known as MoneyBookers. The payment account of skrill as a limit, payments above $2000 are restricted, so that’s the only issue that the freelancers might face other than that Skrill is convenient in many ways.
As you can make credit card transactions, and email transactions, the account of skill is for free and all data remains in one place. Skrill takes three days to approve the payment and one day to transfer it to your account. The limit is between $135 and $25,000 per month one cannot withdraw more or less than this.
Bank Transfer
A conventional method of transaction is a bank transfer. One needs to fill out forms in banks and deposit cash through their respective banks. This method is the safest of all in Pakistan. Users can also do online banking by filling out bank transfer details on their banking portal.
Wire Transfer
This is one of the electronic methods for transferring payments. The payments are transferred from one bank to another with a SWIFT code. This method is also safe as the one described previously. Wire transfers in comparison to bank transfers are costly. The standard time that transfers take is over one day to five days, and like bank transfers, you can do it online.
The only thing to keep in mind is that one should have enough funds to cover the transaction fee and amount that one wants to send. The wire transfer payment method is best for freelancers as this is secure and is available in Pakistan. The option is available on Freelancer as a withdrawal method.
Online freelance platforms and the payment methods
Now let’s look at the freelance platforms that support these payment methods, so you have a better idea of which payment method you should choose.
Fiverr
The well-known freelance platform Fiverr connects businesses with on-demand freelancers in the simplest way possible.
The affordable price is one thing that stands out about Fiverr. And if you are willing to spend more you can also get experienced freelancers with sparkling reviews.
Another thing about Fiverr is that it is easy to determine if a freelancer is qualified or not. While all freelance sites provide reviews, Fiverr’s are easier to search. And if you don’t hear back within 24 hours after the project starts, you can cancel the project at no charge to you.
There are following possible ways to withdraw the balance, choose the one that suits you best: (Source: Fiverr)
Fiverr Revenue Card- If the Payoneer account is set up from the Fiverr’s Earning tab. You will be able to receive your revenue card and can get your transactions done through it. The payment method is available in Pakistan
Paypal (Not available in Pakistan)
Note: Only if you have money available in your balance, will you see the options to withdraw.
Payoneer
Bank Transfer: Powered by Payoneer
Direct Deposit: Powered by Payoneer
Withdraw funds in your local currency
You can withdraw revenue in:
- USD ($)
- Euro (€)
- British Pound (£)
- Australian Dollar (A$)
- Canadian Dollar (C$)
- Israeli Shekel (₪)
Keep in mind that you will be charged with additional cost when you get your payment exchanged for your home currency. If you withdraw in other than US$, the conversion fees will be included in the final withdrawal.
Upwork
Upwork connects businesses with independent professionals and agencies around the globe. In short, Upwork is an outsourcing website reaching out to individual talents in various fields with tasks or jobs publicly posted to receive offers from said talents.
The payment methods available for Upwork are the following;
- Paypal
- Payoneer (outside the U.S.)
- M-Pesa (Kenya Only)
Freelancer.com
Freelancer.com is the world’s largest freelancing and crowdsourcing marketplace by a number of users and projects. Freelancer is connecting millions of employers and freelancers globally from over 247 countries, regions, and territories.
Through the marketplace, employers can hire freelancers to do work in areas such as software development, writing, data entry, and design right through to engineering, the sciences, sales and marketing, accounting, and legal services.
Withdrawal Fees
Fees may be optionally levied depending on the method of withdrawal. Additional fees may be levied by the third party offering the withdrawal method.
- Express Withdrawal FREE
- PayPal FREE
- Skrill (Moneybookers) FREE
- Payoneer Debit Card FREE
- International Wire $25.00 USD
Payment methods
- (Bank) Express Withdrawal
- (Bank) Wire Transfer: minimum of $500 USD
- PayPal: requires PayPal verification
- Skrill: only supports EUR and GBP
Guru
Guru is a freelance job board that companies can use to hire freelance writers, designers, programmers, developers, and more. Employers can choose from a range of payment terms and only pay once the work has been done.
Payment Methods
The available payment methods in Pakistan are:
- U.S. Bank Account (eCheck)
- PayPal
- Credit Card
The above-mentioned methods for payment are acceptable and working in Pakistan, so the freelancers can benefit from any of those according to their needs and convenience.
Selecting the one that fits you better to get the payment in a timely manner is necessarily important. Once you receive your payment in a cost-effective and healthy way, you will get to understand how it is so worth it to take the time to choose what is best for you before getting right into it.
Being a freelancer and working for oneself according to the will is what everyone wishes for in their life. A decent method of payment will lead your experience to the next level and save you from stressing yourself out.
Saqib Hanif
Hey! I'm Saqib a Software engineer and Freelancer. Providing multiple services as a Virtual Assistant i.e SEO, Video Editing, and Blog Management. This is my Blog Site where I create relevant and engaging content for a young, inquisitive, opinionated, empathetic, and bold audience.
