In countries where there is no possible/legal way to get PayPal account verified, Payoneer provides a convenient alternative, although it is slightly pricier in terms of fees (Read about Payoneer VS other withdrawal options).  After signing up for Payoneer account you will be able to transfer earnings from popular freelance websites like Elance, Upwork(Odesk), Freelancer and many other US based companies like Amazon, Paypal, Commission Junction, Infolinks etc. to your Payoneer account and then withdraw the money from your local bank ATMs. Payoneer has also recently resumed its services for India and now lets Indian users withdraw money directly  from Payoneer to their local Indian bank account.

Payoneer is also a popular and easy method used by non-US sellers or affiliates to get payments from Amazon– so people residing outside US in countries like UK, Spain, Mexico, China, South Africa etc can use Payoneer’s US bank account to receive payments from Amazon. Note that each MasterCard ATM cash withdrawal involves certain fee so you should withdraw the maximum amount possible in one go to minimize your cost. Your MasterCard can also be used for online transactions like buying domains and hosting plans, apps and stuffs from Amazon, Ebay and so on- there’s no fee for online transactions. All in all, there is no harm in applying for a Payoneer MasterCard service because for a beginner freelancer with no bank account, it provides the quickest way to get cash, and the application process is completely free. Registering for Payoneer account is a very easy and smooth process. Simply follow these steps to sign up and get your Payoneer MasterCard in Nepal or anywhere for free:

Things you’ll need for your Payoneer Account:

1. Scanned image file of your personal identification (any one of the following)
   • Passport or Citizenship or Driving license
2. Correct shipping address, zip,postal code (Shipping detail not required if Payoneer MasterCard is prohibited in your region)
   • For Example, Shipping address for GPO(General Post Office) Kathmandu is:
     • Address line 1: Sundhara
     • Address line 2: PO BOX ….. (if you have one)
     • City: Kathmandu
     • Zip code: 44600
   • Note: It is recommended that you use a PO Box number on your shipping address so that your MasterCard reaches the post office and sits safely in the box instead up getting lost in the post office (we all know how disorganized the place is). You can also use someone else’s PO Box number. Here are the latest yearly rates for getting a post box from the Nepal post office (if you’re not from Nepal, check your Local Post Office’s website for the PO Box details):

     • Size	Rate/year
       Small	NRs 1500
       Medium	NRs 2000
       Large	NRs 3000

How to sign up for Payoneer and get a Payoneer MasterCard

1. Click the card below and sign up for Payoneer to earn $25 (guaranteed!!) :

2. After clicking on the above card you will be directed to a new page.  Click Sign Up Now

3. On the first form page you’ll need to fill out your details:

• Personal Details
  • Name, Surname, Email Address, Date of birth (details should match your scanned Govt ID)
• Contact Details or your home address details:
  • Country, Street Address, City, Zip code, Mobile/landline (details should match your scanned Govt ID)
• Security Details:
  • Email address
  • New password (for Payoneer login)
  • Security question (choose one from the drop down and type answer)

4. Now after clicking next you’ll be directed to a form where you’ll type your personal ID and shipping details:

• Government ID details (Fill extra carefully)
  • Select type of Government ID which you will use for Payoneer verification:
    • Driving License or Passport or National ID (Citizenship)
    • Fill in the details of your ID in the form

• Shipping details (Fill extra carefully)
  • Click on the checkbox- “shipping address” (IF DIFFERENT FROM HOME ADDRESS)
    • Note: This option must be selected if you don’t have a mail box at your home and you want to  ship to the General Post Office (for example- Sundhara in case of Kathmandu)
  • Fill in: Name, country, shipping address (Recommended: write PO BOX number here if you have one), postal code, phone number, mobile number

5.  Finally, select all the terms and conditions and click “Order”. Now your card is ready to be shipped. Note: you won’t be able to login right after step 5. You have to wait until step 7 to access your Payoneer acccount.

6.  Now after some days you will receive an email from Payoneer saying they have received your Payoneer MasterCard application and you’ll be provided a link to upload the scanned copy of your Government issued ID (whose the details you entered in the application form).

• Click on the upload link >> Select Document Type >> Upload your scanned ID >> Click Upload

7.  Now that you’ve uploaded the necessary/correct document, Payoneer will approve your request within a week and then you’ll get an email from their account department congratulating you for the successful registration. Now you will able to login to your Payoneer account using your email and password. You have now access to the US payment with bank routing number and US account number, which is used for receiving payments from US companies.

8.  After approval it will take around two to three weeks for your Payoneer Mastercard to arrive in your PO BOX.  I checked my PO BOX after three weeks and it was sitting there in a neat envelop with my name and address.

9. Now that you have your MasterCard in your hand. You can login to your Payoneer account and activate it. Simply go to My Account >> Acivate Card. Enter your MasterCard number and enter a new 4 digit pin code that you will use to withdraw cash from your local ATM.

There you go. Getting the Payoneer MasterCard in Nepal or anywhere is as simple as that, and it doesn’t cost anything unless you use expedite shipping services. There have been some incidents where people have lost the  card in the General Post Office so for safety I suggest getting a PO BOX or using someone else’s Box temporarily. Got your Payoneer MasterCard? Congratulations. Go ahead and withdraw your first earnings, and spend some of it on a beer or a coffee or anything to celebrate the beginning of your online success. If you still haven’t received your MasterCard yet, don’t worry about it. Go through the application process once more- this time a little more carefully.

Have any questions? Read: Payoneer Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Update for India and Bangladesh:  Payoneer services which was halted by RBI is now back in India with a slightly different type of service. Indian Payoneer users won’t get the Payoneer MasterCard but they’ll have the option to withdraw funds directly from Payoneer account to their local bank account, which many freelancers and Indian users may find more useful. If you are someone from India, you can follow the same application method as above, except you won’t have to fill in shipping details. The best thing is that transferring funds from Payoneer to Indian banks is much faster than wire transfers or Paypal. The exchange rate offered by Payoneer won’t be much different from what you’ll find on XE.com, and Payoneer won’t charge you extra for the transfer. Payoneer has also  recently added the local bank transfer service for Bangladeshi Payoneer users.