Payoneer account in Pakistan: Your full guide

If you are a freelancer or digital business in Pakistan, Payoneer can help you get payments from abroad. Payoneer deposits money into your local PKR bank account, and has a partnership with HBL in Pakistan to make transfers fast.

Payoneer makes payments easy but there are fees when using the service. Learn more about Payoneer, how it works and its costs. If you want cheap ways to get money in Pakistan from customers, check out the alternatives to Payoneer below.

Is Payoneer available in Pakistan?

Yes, Payoneer is available in Pakistan. Payoneer has been helping Pakistani freelancers and businesses with payments for over 10 years. Pakistanis can invoice clients and customers abroad and receive money in their local bank account.

Payoneer offers two main services in Pakistan:

1. Get payments from abroad to send to a Pakistani bank account
2. A multi-currency account for global online businesses.

Direct payments to Pakistani bank accounts

Payoneer lets clients from many countries around the world pay for services or merchandise from freelancers or businesses in Pakistan. Payoneer collects the payment online and adds it to your Payoneer account. You can then withdraw the funds to your local Pakistani bank account from Payoneer.

Payoneer is one of the payment methods on freelancer websites like Upwork and Fiverr. Payoneer allows payments in Euros, British pounds, and US dollars to Pakistan. This method of payment from Payoneer is helpful to freelancers, small businesses, and those getting started.

Payoneer also has recently partnered with the bank HBL to make payments to bank accounts fast and conveniently through the HBL mobile app.

Account for businesses

The multi-currency account is a Payoneer account for registered businesses in Pakistan. With Payoneer’s multi-currency account, Pakistani businesses can send and receive money quickly around the world. You can bill clients in over 150 countries and send money to close to 200 countries. You can also hold multiple currencies at once.

This type of Payoneer account is helpful for registered businesses that also have suppliers, advertisers and vendors globally.

How to create Payoneer account in Pakistan

It is easy to open a Payoneer account in Pakistan. Here are the steps to find the right account for you and how to register for free:

1. Go to the Payoneer website
2. Click on Register in the top right corner
3. Select the type of account you are looking for
4. Select how you would like to use the account
5. Choose the option that meets your monthly payment volume
6. Review the recommended account option and select Register
7. Sign up as an individual or registered company
8. Complete personal and security details
9. Submit registration

Complete your sign-up and confirm your email address and details to start using the account. Make sure you include your local Pakistani bank account details in your account. If you are a freelancer, once you have opened your account you can link it to the freelancer platforms you use. If you are a registered business, make sure you have provided your business registration details.

How to withdraw money from Payoneer in Pakistan

One of the easiest ways to withdraw money from Payoneer is to have a bank account with HBL. The convenient HBL bank has a mobile app that connects to your Payoneer account. You can withdraw funds instantly at any day or time. You will need to log in to your Payoneer account from the HBL mobile app to sign up.

If you use a bank that is not HBL, here are the steps to withdraw money from your Payoneer account to your local Pakistani bank account:

1. Go to your Payoneer dashboard
2. Click on Settings and choose Bank Accounts
3. Select Your Accounts
4. Select the bank account where the funds should go
5. Click on Withdraw
6. Follow the steps to complete the withdrawal

Payoneer allows up to 30 withdrawals every day, with a maximum of the currency equivalent of $5,000 per day. But there are fees on withdrawals.

Payoneer fees in Pakistan

Payoneer has fees on withdrawals to a local bank account and transaction fees on certain payments. There is also an exchange rate fee on the money converted from Euros, British pounds or US dollars to Pakistani Rupees. The fees are paid to Payoneer from your transactions and account, and are not paid by your clients. Let’s break down each one.

Payoneer makes payments easy but there is a fee when you want to move the payments to a local account:

• A fee of up to 2% on the transaction when moving a EUR, GBP or USD payment to a local PKR account.

So for example, if you receive a payment for making a video for $200 US dollars, $4 will be taken as a withdrawal fee to get the funds into your Pakistani bank account.

There is also a transaction fee that depends on how your client has paid you. Here is how the transaction fees work:

• 3% transaction fee when clients pay you using a credit card directly through Payoneer
• 1% transaction fee when clients pay you using a bank account transfer directly through Payoneer
• No fee from Payments from another Payoneer user on the platform

Each freelancer platform or marketplace will have their own fees and deduct it before getting paid into Payoneer.

One fee that is not easily seen is the currency conversion fee. The currency conversion fee is put on every exchange from a foreign currency into Pakistani rupees for payment. This fee is hidden in the exchange rate you get from Payoneer.

Payoneer does not state what the currency conversion fee is, but it is on top of the market exchange rate you get. And while the fee can seem small, it does add up as your payments increase in size and volume.

Compare your Payoneer exchange rate with the mid-market rate on Google to see how much the fee is costing you.

Payoneer alternatives in Pakistan

If you are looking for ways to save money or other options to give to clients to make payments, here are alternatives to consider:

• Wise
• PayPal
• Bank transfers
• Payment gateways

Wise

Wise is a fast and easy way for clients to send money to a bank account in Pakistan. On popular routes, money can be in a Pakistani bank account in a little over 30 minutes. Wise is used by over 13 million people around the world to transfer money.

Wise always uses the mid-market exchange rate and has no hidden fees. And with an easy-to-use mobile app, you can track transfers any time of day wherever you are. It is easy to sign up for Wise from the website or by downloading the mobile app on Android or iOS .

Try Wise 🚀

• Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up-to-date pricing and fee information.
• The speed of transaction claim depends on funds availability, approval by Wise’s proprietary verification system and systems availability of our partners’ banking system, and may not be available for all transactions

PayPal

PayPal is a globally popular name for international payments and its marketplace. But the bad news is that PayPal is not available to individuals, freelancers or businesses in Pakistan.

Clients outside of Pakistan can use PayPal or Xoom to send money to a local Pakistani bank account, but not to a Pakistani PayPal wallet. But PayPal has high fees compared to other transfer providers, so you may receive less than you thought.

Bank transfers

International bank transfers are when someone uses a bank to send the transfer directly to your bank account in Pakistan. This method can often take longer than other online transfer providers and can sometimes cost more. Sometimes called a wire or SWIFT transfer, your bank in Pakistan must have a SWIFT or IFSC code to give to your client along with your bank account details.

Both Pakistani banks UBL and HBL offer international money transfers to Pakistan, especially for Non-Resident Pakistanis. The banks also offer a direct deposit into a bank account or a cash pick-up at a local branch. But always check the fees to know the transaction fee and any exchange rate fees.

Payment gateways

Payment gateways are online programs that clients see when they are online shopping or sometimes when invoiced directly. It is an online interface where clients can choose from different options to make payment. Depending on the payment gateway, the options can be for credit/debit card, bank transfer or EMI for example.

Similar to Payoneer, a payment gateway will take a cut of the transaction. For example, 2checkout is a payment gateway and allows for payments between the US and Pakistan. But there is a fee of 3.5% and a fee of $.035 on every transaction.

Payment gateways can be a good idea when your business is scaling or you are reaching a large volume of customers.