VA Concerns: 7 PayPal Alternatives with Low Fees

PayPal Alternative

Filipino VA’s or Freelancers are happy to hear that the dollar value went up, but recently PayPal fees increased.

Even though the dollar value has gone up to $53 still in the PayPal exchange rate, it’s roughly around $51 but not equal or above $52 or depends on the current value now.

Clients or employers are even thinking of shifting to other reliable payment methods.

Although this is a great opportunity for VA’s to have a little boost when receiving our money but the common concerns with both parties are— which reliable PayPal alternative payment method to use?

Clients or Employer’s Concerns

  • Which payment method to use for VA’s in the Philippines and in other countries.
  • Which has the lowest fees and is the least hassle.
  • Reliable and no frequent issues.

VA or Freelancer’s Concerns

  • Don’t know or looking for other PayPal alternatives or payment methods to use that the client or employer agrees.
  • Issues with Government valid ID’s.
  • Less experience with other PayPal alternatives or payment methods.
  • Which payment method has the least fees, high conversion rate, and fast transaction (1-2 days)

If think there is no other way, you can always ask to send or receive PayPal payment.

Here are the five PayPal Alternatives that you might want to know.

1. Western Union

western union

This is the most common payment alternative in which you can receive money. The exchange rate is good, and you will get your money by presenting a valid ID’s.

Pros

  • Reliable and fast

Cons

  • Different conversion rates on each Western Union branch
  • Problems with valid ID if you have complications in your name like a special character
  • Need to travel to the nearest branch

Fees

Transferring international money varies with the method you use. You can just check with their price estimator to get an idea.

If there’s no other way, you can opt this method.

2. Transferwise

Transferwise

A popular or one of the best PayPal alternatives where you can get the exact conversion rate exactly what shows in Google. Their fees are much lower like for example $400 is $7.05, $450 is $7.49, and $500 is $7.94. 

Pros

  • Low Fees
  • Can transfer from PayPal to Tranferwise ( I’m not sure when it comes to fees for the transfer. but probably it will be free when you create a virtual bank in the US. When you create an account (borderless account) and when you transfer using US virtual bank in Transferwise you can transfer it to your Debit card (for a fee of $1.50) or bank (Transferwise didn’t state the total fees at will differ per bank)
  • Has Mastercard which is accepted internationally
  • Able to set up your business account

Cons

  • 1-2 days transfer similar to PayPal (recently PayPal transfers money to the bank 1 day)

Fees

  • A conversion fee of 0.35%-2.5% to your Mastercard and free for £200 a month when you withdraw in an ATM. More than that will be 2%.

Check out this link for the Transferwise guide

Register Here

 

 

 

3. Payoneer

Payoneer

One of the known alternative payment methods here in the Philippines. If you don’t have an account yet, sign up to get $25 when you receive either payment or salary amounting to $1000.

Pros

  • Reliable
  • Add funds from your bank using your debit card or credit card
  • Low-cost fees
  • You can transfer money to your card like below $50
  • Higher exchange rate
  • Good for Upwork (transfer rate is $2)
  • Creating your business account

Cons

  • Usually transfers money 2-3 days
  • Has yearly fee on the card
  • It’s not ideal for direct clients

Fees

  • Annual activation of the card is $29.95
  • For a replacement card, it’s $12.95
  • ATM withdrawal is $3.15
  • Direct payments 3%
  • Global payment service is 1%

4. Remitly

Remitly

One of the best online money transfers with competitive rates and the registration is easy. You can register here if you don’t have an account yet.

Pros

  • Express transfers are real-time
  • Receive a text message when your money has arrived in your bank (example BPI) or ML Kwarta Padala

Cons

  • Economy transfers are 4-5 business days

Fees

  • Express is $3.99
  • On the Economy, it’s $0
  • Credit card is 3%

5. Xoom

Xoom

It’s good for receiving money if your client or employers agree to it.

Pros

  • You can get your salary/money as fast as 10-20 minutes as long as you have the tracking number sent by email or in a form of text
  • Can get it through BDO, Cebuana, ML, and more. 
  • You can receive even on weekends (Saturday and Sunday)
  • Lower fees compared to Western Union

Cons

  • It violates terms of employers or clients (can’t be used for business purposes)

Fees

  • A fixed processing fee of $4.99

6. WorldRemit

WorldRemit is a service provider of international money transfer suitable for moderate fund transfers in regions like South America, Asian and Africa. About two million users claim that they are able to send funds quickly and conveniently through its intuitive platform. There are also different payment options available to help you send, manage and receive money at affordable transfer fees.

WorldRemit focuses in smaller money transfers amounting between $1 and $10,000 which seems practical for quick and personal transfers. This money transfer provider has recently merged with UnionPay, a prominent debit card company in China, allowing clients to transfer funds to over 14 Chinese banks at lower service fees. For you to transfer smaller funds at a reasonable cost, WorldRemit appears to be one of the best or great choice, especially if your recipients prefer cash pickup over standard bank transfer. Check out the WorldRemit guide.

Pros

  • Easy to set up an account
  • Funds can be sent to 140 countries
  • Available payment options include bank transfer, mobile wallet, debit card and credit card
  • Delivery options include remittance service, airtime pop-up, mobile wallet loading, and direct bank-to-bank transfer
  • Fast transfer speed, particularly mobile fund transfers
  • Online platforms, both website, and mobile apps, are easy to use and quickly set up an account.
  • Maximum transfer size is set at $10,000 and even lower for other popular currencies
  • Competitive rates that range between $3.99 and $24.99 depending on transfer destination, currency and delivery option
  • No minimum amount required to transfer
  • Round-the-clock customer service accessible in over 20 countries
  • Free quote for the entire transfer service using its online calculator, allowing you to view the exact transfer fee and exchange rate upfront
  • On the first 3 transfers are free upon signing up.
  • Fund storage and client data are secured.

Cons

  • Transfer fees may change between currencies (which is often influenced by market fluctuation and exchange rate)
  • No other financial services aside from remittance and fund management
  • Available transfer methods vary by country

7. Skrill

Established by Moneybookers in 2001, Skrill has been around in the service industry for a while, offering a diverse range of financial services to millions of users, including international money transfer and payment channeling. This ever-growing digital payment platform is now serving more than 100,000 merchants utilizing the service platform for personal and business use. Skrill also features an intuitive international money transfer and digital wallet platforms that allow users to send and receive funds from different supported countries.

Corresponding fees may vary according to the type of Skrill account you use. If you wish to transfer money to another country using a Skrill account, you may be charged higher than using Skrill Money Transfer services, but the difference between the two options will probably be in excess of five percent only. The service fee that Skrill charges to users for every transaction varies based on the source destination of the sender and recipient.

The registration process is straightforward which may require you to fill up an online form with your complete details and upload a valid identification card. A Skrill account will allow you to receive funds for free, spend money in numerous online platforms and withdraw funds to your local bank account.

Skrill accepts the following methods of deposit:

  • Bank transfer (local and international accounts)
  • Debit or credit card
  • Bitcoin and bitcoin cash
  • Neteller
  • Trustly
  • Klarna
  • Paysafecard

Pros:

  • Offers different types of account depending on user purpose and personal preference
  • Offers easy registration process, but be sure to provide a valid government-issued identification
  • Offers Skrill debit card that allows for secure fund storage and withdrawal
  • Supports over 90 currencies and territories
  • Provides flexible transfer options to help both parties save money

Cons:

  • Withdrawal fee of 1.75% of the amount for every transaction when you use a debit card
  • Payment fee of 1.45% of the amount to be sent for every transaction (Skrill account)
  • International money transfer charges (1.45% of the amount as transfer fee plus 3.99% for mid-market FOREX rate between two currencies)
  • Prohibits transferring of large sum of money
  • Individual service fees to be charged for the deposit, sending and withdrawal transactions
  • Takes five business days to deliver the money to your bank account
  • Receiving options are just limited to bank and digital wallet transfers.

For choosing a PayPal alternative, it’s both important that both parties will communicate which works for both of you.

If you want to know other PayPal alternatives or if you have more information, let me know in the comment section for me to update it

Dale Basilla

Owner at Be Visible Media
Dale Basilla is a content writer for various niches, SEO (Off-page & On-Page), and lives in a location where there are lots of beaches in the Philippines. He loves to watch anime, TV series (mystery and solving crimes), and movies. In his spare time, he plays chess, plays the guitar, and spend time with his ever busy girlfriend.

Leave a Reply