Nowadays being a freelancer is more common than ever thanks to the endless opportunities that the Internet provides for remote workers and independent employees. You could be living in one country and working for people located on the other side of the world. However, being a freelancer and working this way also means that you need to find a reliable way to get paid.

How to Choose the Best Payment Method?

First of all, you need to understand how to choose the best payment method specifically for your needs. Obviously, it will need to be a payment method that works both for you and for the person paying you, but there are other factors to consider, namely:

• Personal Preference – You should first consider your personal preference when it comes to choosing your payment method. Is there something you are already used to? What are your priorities when choosing a payment method (e.g. ease of use, impressive functionality)?
• Regional Availability – Another thing to keep in mind is the regional availability of the payment method. Not every payment service will be available where you or your employer are located. You need to choose something that both of you can use.
• Fees and Limitations – In addition to that, consider the fees you will be paying when using the payment method (e.g. PayPal’s transaction fees) as well as the limitations you will need to accept (e.g. a maximum amount you can withdraw to your bank card per month).

There are many options available to you, so you will definitely find a payment method that will be ideal for your specific situation. But you should still use a number of factors to decide what to use. You can even use multiple payment methods, but make sure that it’s worth using several of them instead of sticking to a single one.

Here are the most popular payment methods for freelance international writers:

PayPal

PayPal is by far the most well-known online payment service that is available in most countries around the world. It is both easy to use and secure, so you won’t have to worry about your money. You can link your bank card to your PayPal account and withdraw the money you receive on PayPal to your card.

One major downside to using PayPal are the fees you will be paying for transactions. Moreover, some countries have limitations in terms of functionality. For example, if you are located in Macedonia, you will only be able to send money or make payments through PayPal, but you won’t be able to receive payments.

Payoneer

Another extremely popular payment and money transfer service is Payoneer. Much like PayPal, Payoneer has established itself as a secure service for international transfers that is already available in most countries around the world. You can link your bank card and withdraw money that way.

Payoneer’s transaction fees are not particularly smaller than PayPal’s, so if you are choosing between the two services, there is not much difference in this regard. On the other hand, Payoneer allows you to withdraw money directly from your account through an ATM, using a Payoneer Mastercard.

Stripe

Stripe is yet another popular payment service that has been compared to PayPal in terms of its functionality. It is more recent and has a limited list of countries it is available in, but it is still a great option for anyone who wants to start receiving international money transfers. Stripe is secure and is rapidly developing, so it will likely become available in more countries in the nearest future.

What’s great about Stripe is that its fees are relatively low which makes it a favorite among companies and individual users alike. You can link your bank card and withdraw money to it – and there is no minimum amount required for withdrawals!

In case you have a side hustle in e-commerce, you can also integrate Stripe with major e-commerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce. This e-commerce payment facility is one of the main reason explaining the quick expansion of Stripe in the Internet economic realm.

Bank Transfers

If you don’t want to use a payment and transfer service, you can always stick to the more traditional methods such as international bank transfers. In some cases, you will be able to receive money directly on your card even from someone making a transfer from another country. But in other cases, you will need to use international money transfer services like Western Union and others.

Most major banks in different countries allow international transfers, but the transaction fees could be quite big. The standard for such transfers is the SWIFT system, so you could be already familiar with it if you have ever made international transfers or received them from someone else. It can be a bit more tedious compared to some online transferring services, but it’s still an option if you are more of a traditional kind of person when it comes to money.

Freelance Platforms

Last but not least, don’t forget about the different freelance platforms where you can directly connect with employers, get offers from them, discuss your work, and so on. Such platforms usually allow freelance writers to safely receive payments through the platform itself and then withdraw money to their bank cards. It’s the perfect option for someone who is already using one of such platforms, but be careful about the fees taken for each transaction.

Some of the most well-known examples of these are Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer.com, and many others. What’s interesting is that quite a few of these also allow you to withdraw money to your PayPal account or other online wallets. These freelance platforms also have specific rules enforced that prevent you from getting scammed, so you can get more guarantees that you will get paid for your work and that you will be able to easily withdraw the money.

Conclusion

All in all, there are definitely quite a few payment methods to choose from if you are a freelance international writer looking for a way to get paid. Take into account a variety of factors when making your choice and start receiving payments for your work.

About the author

Lillie Jenkins has worked as a copywriter since graduating school, so her writing skills are well-honed. She works as a copywriter at the popular writing center BestWritersOnline. She writes publications in such fields as marketing, business, education, and personal life.

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