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Agency's payment portal requires me to pay yearly
Thread poster: A Zafar
Kay-Viktor Stegemann
Kay-Viktor Stegemann
Germany
Local time: 22:17
English to German
In memoriam
If it's Payoneer, there is nothing wrong with it Feb 19, 2021

In that case, this is not the "agency's payment portal" but a separate account, and Payoneer is not bad for international payments. Many agencies use it and the fees and exchange rates are actually quite okay, compared with other options. Of course, this does not say anything about this agency itself, except that it seems rather "rigid" with their onboarding process.

Dalia Nour
 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 22:17
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Well, $30 banking fee is not nothing Feb 19, 2021

Kay-Viktor Stegemann wrote:
Payoneer is not bad for international payments. Many agencies use it and the fees and exchange rates are actually quite okay, compared with other options.


True, but since last year, Payoneer charges an annual fee of $30 for anyone who does not do any other transactions within that year. If you don't have enough money to pay the annual fee, they just wait and wait, and then take the fee(s) out of your next received payments. But $30 is not nothing. I'm unsure if you still have to pay the $30 fee if you don't get a Payoneer card.


 
Kay-Viktor Stegemann
Kay-Viktor Stegemann
Germany
Local time: 22:17
English to German
In memoriam
Of course it makes no sense if you don't use it Feb 19, 2021

Samuel Murray wrote:
True, but since last year, Payoneer charges an annual fee of $30 for anyone who does not do any other transactions within that year. If you don't have enough money to pay the annual fee, they just wait and wait, and then take the fee(s) out of your next received payments. But $30 is not nothing. I'm unsure if you still have to pay the $30 fee if you don't get a Payoneer card.


If you don't have any transactions in a year, you don't need it, that should be obvious.


 
Lingua 5B
Lingua 5B  Identity Verified
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 22:17
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
The onboarding process seems weird, yes. Feb 19, 2021

Usually there are separate “financial” tabs during onboarding process that are not really relevant before your actual 1st invoice (why would they be?).

Aside from that, no agency pays you automatically after completion of a job, so in case of a job completion, you’ll have at least 15-30 days to set up a Payoneer account. Also, you’ll decide whether you’ll accept a job in the first place, that’s not automatic either. If they offer you a $2k+ job, it make sense to set up P
... See more
Usually there are separate “financial” tabs during onboarding process that are not really relevant before your actual 1st invoice (why would they be?).

Aside from that, no agency pays you automatically after completion of a job, so in case of a job completion, you’ll have at least 15-30 days to set up a Payoneer account. Also, you’ll decide whether you’ll accept a job in the first place, that’s not automatic either. If they offer you a $2k+ job, it make sense to set up Payoneer, in case of a $15 job it doesn’t.

Also, as far as I can remember, you can still open Payoneer account without the fee, you just can’t get their card without the fee (or something like that).

@Samuel, then don’t go back to Payoneer if your Payoneer project flow isn’t big enough to cover the fee many times over. I haven’t used it in a while. I would but most of my clients don’t use it, and both sides need to use it for transactions to take place.

@OP Have you tried expressing your concerns to PM? I really don’t enjoy giving out payment details to agencies that may never use my services, and always communicate it to them and they are OK with me leaving it out untill my 1st invoice to them, after which they can keep my details.


[Edited at 2021-02-19 20:47 GMT]
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Elías Sauza
Elías Sauza  Identity Verified
Mexico
Local time: 15:17
Member (2002)
English to Spanish
+ ...
Just fire them before they hire you Feb 19, 2021

I know translation agencies have thousands of profiles in their database. Just multiply those $30 by XK and you get a great business for nothing.

Tom in London
Adieu
 
Baran Keki
Baran Keki  Identity Verified
Türkiye
Local time: 00:17
Member
English to Turkish
@Lingua 5B Feb 20, 2021

Lingua 5B wrote:

but also because Payoneer withdrawal and conversion fees are a lot lower than PayPal fees.


Are you able to receive USD payments via Transferwise? If so, which one do you think charges less, Transferwise or Payoneer (for USD payments)?


 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 22:17
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Just got a reply from Payoneer customer service Feb 24, 2021

I just got clarification from Payoneer's customer service. The $30 annual fee applies regardless of what kind of an account you have. Even if you do not have a card, you'll be charged $30 if your account is inactive for 12 months.

Dalia Nour
 
Lingua 5B
Lingua 5B  Identity Verified
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 22:17
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
Customer service not always accurate. Feb 24, 2021

My Payoneer card expired several years ago, but I still have several Payoneer accounts in different currencies for direct deposits (they work without the card), and 1) I received some money in one of them last year I think 2) the money is still in that account, been sitting in it for quite a while 3) nobody took $30 or any charge off of it so far. So yes, $30 applies for Payoneer card only. Many clients will in fact insist on Payoneer CARD payment, rather than direct deposits, in which case the ... See more
My Payoneer card expired several years ago, but I still have several Payoneer accounts in different currencies for direct deposits (they work without the card), and 1) I received some money in one of them last year I think 2) the money is still in that account, been sitting in it for quite a while 3) nobody took $30 or any charge off of it so far. So yes, $30 applies for Payoneer card only. Many clients will in fact insist on Payoneer CARD payment, rather than direct deposits, in which case the annual fee applies.

@Baran, I never used Transferwise so unfortunately can’t provide that information. But generally if one service charges less for one aspect, they may charge more for another aspect of the process, so try to check all aspects before making your decision.

[Edited at 2021-02-24 14:16 GMT]
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Baran Keki
Baran Keki  Identity Verified
Türkiye
Local time: 00:17
Member
English to Turkish
Thanks for the reply Feb 24, 2021

Lingua 5B wrote:
@Baran, I never used Transferwise so unfortunately can’t provide that information. But generally if one service charges less for one aspect, they may charge more for another aspect of the process, so try to check all aspects before making your decision.

[Edited at 2021-02-24 14:16 GMT]


The reason I asked that question is that I'm unable to use a Transferwise USD account in Turkey. I'm very happy with Transferwise for other currencies as it charges a very minimal rate. I'm forced to use Payoneer for USD payments, and I feel that it charges quite a lot.


 
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Agency's payment portal requires me to pay yearly







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