Before I took the plunge into my digital nomad lifestyle, I had only ever traveled with my family. I’d never had to think about the changing currencies and payment options of international travel before. I didn’t know how complicated and frustrating it could be…until I was struggling to get paid while in a remote Costa Rican village.
I was working with TopTal, an amazing network of the top 3% of talented freelancers. My business was thriving and I’d never had problems getting paid in USD to my Canadian bank account before.
However, I learned – while already deep in Central America – that my bank in Canada gave me very few options for paying in USD while traveling. After processing delays and currency exchange catastrophes started to freeze my usable income, I started looking for alternatives.
How Payoneer empowers freelancers abroad
I was running out of money and my Canadian bank said there was nothing they could do. I was desperately searching for anything that could hold me over while I figured out how I was going to make my freelance business work with my dreams of travel.
I started searching for prepaid MasterCard options, but found that most of those were only available in USD. That’s what led me to the Payoneer card (as they are backed by MasterCard) and discovered all the additional benefits that Payoneer offered.
Payoneer ended up completely fueling my first trip abroad. I was even able to set it up while in Costa Rica, never needing to step foot in a physical location. It was one of the first companies I found that helped me create a truly borderless business.
Since then, Payoneer has never stopped working for me, my clients, and my freelancers, even in complicated situations.
Payoneer accounts are truly international
I’ve always loved taking the road less traveled. Thankfully, I’ve always been able to take Payoneer with me. With my Payoneer account, I can accept payments in seven currencies and withdraw them in the local currency wherever I am.
Even as I visit new countries, I can add the national currency to my account and get local bank details. It makes it easy to get paid – and access my money – even in some of the most remote parts of the world.
When I visited Buenos Aires in 2017, I met a Spanish teacher who had just started offering one-on-one lessons on the side of her Spanish academy job.
She was having trouble getting paid digitally. She collected cash from her students but would have preferred receiving it directly to her account. However, whenever she received an international transfer, her bank charged a huge fee to process it.
I recommended Payoneer and she was able to set up a bank account with American bank details. She was able to start receiving transfers almost immediately! She was also eligible for the prepaid Payoneer card and she could access her money via ATM anywhere.
Payoneer saved her hundreds of dollars in bank fees per month. Not only that, but it empowered her to start taking on more international students – and eventually, quit her full-time job.
Payoneer offers amazing 24-hour support
Not only does Payoneer help people access their money all over the world, they also offer amazing client support should any sticky situations arise. Believe me, there are always at least one or two surprises in the travels of a digital nomad!
Payoneer’s 24-hour customer support phone line definitely comes in handy. While traveling in Guatemala, I used a local ATM to withdraw cash. Within a few hours, I received 3 notifications of strange charges on my account.
I was super nervous; I had never dealt with fraud before. Trying to file a claim and get my money back while overseas seemed like a big, stressful headache.
Thankfully, Payoneer provided the easiest and quickest support I’ve ever experienced. After talking to a representative, the stolen amounts were instantly credited back to my account. I sent in my filled-out claim electronically and Payoneer mailed me a new prepaid card. It was amazing to feel so trusted and taken care of by a company – especially during my unpredictable travels.
Send and receive money easily and instantly
As a freelance designer, I rely on a lot of digital tools and software. An online bank account is definitely a must for freelance operations, but a Payoneer account goes above and beyond the basics.
With my Payoneer account, I can create, send, receive, and even pay invoices to fellow freelancers or clients. I’m even able to customize which party will cover the minimal fees, which makes my account tailor-made to my business.
The organization of their billing service is great, but the speed of their transactions makes Payoneer perfect for freelancers. Instead of using a traditional bank account to receive, exchange, and send money, I save time and money by using Payoneer. I can collect money and send it off the same day for free.
It’s so much faster and cheaper than a traditional bank, which would charge me 5% more and take an extra 5-10 business days for the same operation!
Earn more with Payoneer’s affiliate program
Payoneer has already earned its place in my freelance toolbox. I’ve been recommending it to digital nomads even before I learned about their amazing affiliate program! Becoming an affiliate just makes their service even sweeter.
If you’re interested in signing up for a Payoneer account, you can earn $30 by using the Freelance Travel Network code. Yes, seriously – you’ll get $30 just by signing up!
Once you’re registered, you can keep earning by recommending Payoneer to your friends and colleagues. If someone from your network signs up with your Payoneer code, you’ll BOTH earn another $25. Payoneer is like an accountant, a bank, and a partner all-in-one!
Payoneer Review Wrap-up:
The simplest way to wrap-up my Payoneer review is to tell you simply: it works for me. I love the speed and reliability of their transfers. I love their low (and sometimes no) costs. Not only does Payoneer work for me but they work with me as well, allowing me to earn money on the side!
After losing countless money and time using old-fashioned banking options, I’m grateful to have found Payoneer. They provide the most reliable, quick, and low-cost solutions that I can customize to fit my business.
I never have to worry about running into money problems while traveling – which makes my digital nomad life more fun and flexible than ever. That’s not to say there aren’t other struggles that come with freelancing. Learn how to create a successful freelance career for yourself and travel the world, check out my FTN flagship course!
So much advertising.
Payoneer sucks, can’t transfer money to other people’s accounts (no sending money to relatives, for example).
Also they budged as soon as the Russian government issued new laws for card emission for their citizens, instead of offering an alternative, cards were just cancelled.
I didn’t know that! That’s for letting me know 🙂 what’s your preferred way to transfer money? I use to use payoneer at the start of my career but now I’m on transferwise.