Payment Methods Upwork Freelancers Need To Have

“How will I get my money once a client pays me on Upwork? “

This is one of the questions that I get a lot of the time from newbies and therefore here are some of the payment methods Upwork freelancers need to have.

Please note that depending on where you live there are favorable payment methods than others.

Freelancers on Upwork have a range of payment methods to select from including Skrill, Paypal, Payoneer, Local Bank Transfer, Mpesa, and Direct Deposit / ACH.

In this blog post, I will discuss some of the payment methods I use.

1. Skrill

Skrill (formerly Moneybookers) is an e-commerce business that allows payments and money transfers to be made through the Internet, with a focus on low-cost international money transfers. ~ Wikipedia

This is my payment method of choice as a Freelancer in Kenya because money arrives fast, it is easy to use and is a convenient way to get my money in less than 5 minutes i.e. I can withdraw my money from Upwork to Skrill to Mpesa in less than 5 minutes. Ain’t that cool.

Charges: It costs $1 to send money from Upwork to Skrill and Skrill to Mpesa deducts 1% of the total amount being sent. E.g. If you want to send $100 from Skrill to Mpesa, the transaction will cost $1 only (1% of the amount being transacted)

Here is a video of how to withdraw or send money from Skrill to Mpesa.

2. Local Funds Transfer (Recommended in Kenya)

This was the first payment method I used when I started up on oDesk now Upwork. It works pretty well especially if you are concerned with the currency exchange rate conversion. The only limitations are that higher transaction fees charged ($3.99 in Kenya) and depending on your bank there is an extra amount deducted before you get the money in your pocket.

The Local Funds Transfer method needs one to enter a SWIFT CODE of their bank.

3. Paypal

PayPal is a worldwide online payments system provided by an American company. Online money transfers serve as electronic alternatives to traditional paper methods like checks and money orders. ~ Wikipedia

Paypal is an awesome payment method to use, unfortunately for freelancers in Kenya before you get your hard earned money in your pocket you either have to go through “Paypal to Mpesa Agents” or link your Paypal Account to Equity Bank (it takes between 3-8 days to send money from Paypal to Equity).

It costs $1 to send money from Upwork to Paypal and about 300 kshs to send money from Paypal to Equity.

How to Open a PayPal Account in Kenya.

4. Payoneer.

Payoneer is one of the best payment methods on Upwork. It is available in over 200 plus countries and you can always withdraw money from ATM’s that support the card and withdrawal in dollars.

There is a $2 withdrawal fee from Upwork to Payoneer not inclusive of any extra charges that Payoneer deducts.

Earn $25 when you open a Payoneer account.

Payoneer also offers a way to link your account to Skrill and this can help you make quick transactions right from your house from Payoneer to Skrill to Mpesa.

5. Mpesa

Kenyan freelancers continue to enjoy Upwork to Mpesa transactions.
Ever since Mpesa was added as a payment method it has served us well.

If you need money in under 30 minutes, this is the way to go despite the exchange rates always being super low.

It costs $0.99 to send money from Upwork to Mpesa.

Have any comments to add? I highly appreciate your comments.