It is a mixture of good and bad in freelancing today (check date above). There are big changes in the field of withdrawing money from PayPal. I recently did an article on ePay, Payoneer and NationHela. This was in regards to how they compare in different fields relevant to a Kenyan freelancer. A few days later, things are changing.
ePay-Kenya Reduces its Fees
I just got word from ePay that they have reduced their deposit commission rate from 10%+$1.5. The new rate is 8.5%+$1.5. There are no changes in their withdrawal fees. To calculate how much you’ll receive on your phone, click here to visit ePay-Kenya and check out the calculator. I must say that ePay-Kenya has really been listening to the freelancers’ cry and we ought to give them credit for that. They may be more expensive than Payoneer still but at least they send the cash in minutes and have been lowering their rates regularly since inception. They have so far been unmatched in the Kenyan field of PayPal transfers. Some of you remember the likes of Babawatoto and others who have come and gone. Will NationHela join the list?
NationHela Suspends PayPal Loads
Photo Credit: Nation Media Group
PayPal to NationHela loads have been suspended. There is no indication on when they will reinstate this service. In short, you cannot withdraw money from PayPal through NationHela. This is sad news for those who solely bought the card for PayPal withdrawals. No worries though, the card comes for free (since they reimburse the Sh. 500 to the card once they activate it). You can keep the card and use it in future for something else, whether it is online Visa transactions or international money transfer. Speculators state that there are high chances that NationHela will abandon the PayPal loads altogether. As for now, we just need to wait and see what happens. It is sad though since they received so much negative feedback. Their site has been changing too frequently to keep up. I guess the only guys who were backing them up were the ones using the PayPal service. I hope they put their house in order soon.
Payoneer Still Stands
(Photo Credit: Payoneer)
In this battlefield, Payoneer still stands strong. They recently scrapped their annual fees and are now by far the cheapest method of withdrawing money from PayPal. The fact that they give you an actual US virtual account means that they are properly recognized by PayPal and you don’t have to worry about them going down soon. Payoneer is the only option so far that allows you to withdraw from PayPal direct without using any third party gateways. I have absolutely no problem with third party gateways, as long as you do a good job like the guys of ePay-Kenya who have stood strong for over 3 years.
Bottom Line
In case you wanted to buy the NationHela card solely for PayPal withdrawals, I would suggest you wait first for them to settle down and give a clear way forward. If you already have it hold on to it. Payoneer and ePay still stand strong so I still strongly recommend that you join both and continue using them to withdraw money from PayPal in Kenya.
Trust FreelancerKenya to keep giving you the most up to date posts on freelancing in Kenya. Remember to enter your email address on the sidebar and follow the blog via email. Use the social buttons to get the news to your friends. I value your feedback so feel free to drop a comment below. More posts coming up on withdrawing money from PayPal and many other topics in this great freelancing world.
Hi Walter.. how does epayswift work and how do you withdraw money from you r PayPal account through them?
Hi Mburu,
Kindly check on their site and contact them. They’re very responsive.
Hello,
I just signed up for E-pay as you have recommended.
However the confirmation URL in the email they’ve sent me doesn’t seem to work.
What do I do? How can I contact their support team?
Hi Dennis,
You can reach them through the contacts on their site. Make sure you check out their opening hours.
Hey guys, seems epay-kenya are really thinking of their customers….exchange rate now @ 82 bob. I can’t complain much now, though my payoneer card is on the way!
Hey George,
I agree with you 100%. They really listen to their customers and are doing a great job.
Glad you signed up for Payoneer since it is always good to have options.
Hi Walter, Am back again now equipped with a Payoneer MasterCard. Just wondering how to go about withdrawing money using the card. How long does the money take to be loaded onto the card? Is the transaction instant like the normal ATM (given all the currency conversions)? Again which Bank is the best to use? Also, am not familiar with their current charges. I guess I should be asking Payoneer some of these questions, but hey, you always help! Thanks…
Hi George,
I am happy you got the card.
Do you have a US Payment service? If no, apply for it using this link http://www.payoneer.com/USPService.aspx
Once
they approve or if they have already approved, they should give you the
bank details that you need to enter in PayPal. Log in to PayPal and go
to Profile > Add/Edit Bank account and put in the details. You will
then be withdrawing by clicking withdraw > to bank account…
The money takes 3 days to get to the ATM.
Use Barclays, CfC, KCB or PesaPoint to withdraw.
Current charges are in the post below:
https://freelancerkenya.com/withdrawal-methods/nationhela-review-is-this-the-paypal-withdrawal-method-kenyans-have-been-looking-for/
Also check out the post below for more details:
https://freelancerkenya.com/going-about-paypal/how-to-withdraw-money-from-paypal-in-kenya/
For your first withdrawal from PayPal, Payoneer will take $30 immediately as their annual fee. The rest will be charged as you will see in the posts above.
I hope that helps.
Feel free to ask any more questions.
Here is an article i read which might or might not explain what befell Nation Hela http://thecashfantasy.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/paypal-woes.html
thanks Walter…much appreciated.
Most welcome. Keep it FreelancerKenya
hi walter,
how long does it take to recieve a payoneer card?
i like your product analysis though you missed to mention one key aspect – forex margin. Whats your take
though freelancer may be interested only on paypal withdraws, a keen analysis of nationhela shows its designed for more than just paypal. i like the international money transfer which has saved me costly transfer fees. i bought two cards, gave out one to my small bro when going to KIU – UG – now from a minimum of 400shs(western union and money gram) to 30 shs.
what oportunities exist online for some of us who cannt string together a sentence leave alone a paragraph?
Hi JP,
It takes a month for you to receive your Payoneer card.
I agree that NationHela is designed for much more than PayPal withdrawals. Most freelancers in Kenya get paid via PayPal and that’s why my posts are focused on that.
I am happy NationHela works out great for you in terms of international money transfer. I have not yet explored that option.
In terms of online opportunities, you can grasp the ideas then get guys to write for you. Indians do that all the time and earn so much from it. You can choose to do something like affiliate marketing or even just start a blog and earn from advertising.
There are hundreds of stuff you can do online besides writing. These include freelancing your skills (accounting, architecture, graphic design) through Freelancer or GlobeSkill, forex trading, hosting and domain reselling, eCommerce (selling stuff online), being a virtual assistant e.t.c. The list is endless. Just google “how to make money online” and you’ll see.
All the best 🙂
Thank you!
You are most welcome George.
Hello, Walter, I seem kind of lost here. What is a street address? I am applying for a Payoneer card but I don’t seem to get it right all the time. Please help.
Hi George,
A street address is something like below:
House No. A80, Makongeni Estate, Jogoo Road, Nairobi.
It is for formality purposes so don’t be hesitant to share with them.
Hey, I applied for Payoneer using your affiliate link last week. Today I got an email saying my home address is not correct. I am certain I used an actual street address and not the P.O Box in the first section of the application. I am trying to apply again…
Hi Jake,
Thank you for applying for the Payoneer card.
I believe you should reply the email instead of applying again. In your reply, simply give them your street address again.
Kindly let me know how it goes.
Hi, Nation Hela is using 3gdirect pay, which is an inreali company. unfortuntaly they are a bit dodgy. the company was into travel and then moved to e wallets, a few years back, the founders are a bunch of conmen to say the least, as they have no kenyan papers for thier company, and their call centre has some people who do not know what business they work in, i think hela has a massive issue on hand, as paypal is not sure if it will verify 3g direct pay and to top it all over 50% of all hela transaction are frauds, so this is a flop product, a sure fail but nation brand is the one to loose as hela can die its death but people will not trust nation any more. i wish hela would help us freelancers, but i have got 5 payments in my pay pal and now i have to use dabashil or some other services. nation pls come clean
aaroan,
Are you sure most of these statistics are true? 50% frauds?
Anyway, thanks for your input. You can use ePay-Kenya or Payoneer.
Cheers
I used Nation Hela to withdraw from PayPal about thrice– last being last friday. Came back on Monday and the service was unavailable! Was so disappointed. I guess NMG didnt work the nittie-gritties with paypal before launching the service. Anyway, my Payoneer card is on the way.
Al,
Sorry about that. Many of us were in the same position. They need to work things out before they relaunch the PayPal load option. Payoneer will never disappoint you. It is good you registered.
Cheers
On that, you are right. I actually think its a relief for me that I dont have to think about nationhela because it had too many problems. Hope they come up with a better product. And kudos to the e-pay guys.
Hi, thanks for this. I thought there was something wrong with my account since I have had a million and one problems since I got the card. I think the nationhela guys should come up with a better strategy. There are too many problems associated with the card so far.
Thanks Walter.
Yeah,
Even if they need to retract and put their household in order, we’ll appreciate something more stable.
Thanks for your comment.
Hi Walter,
Thanks for the great article, was actually looking for a blog to publish my article when I ran into your blog. This is some pretty good work. I have been freelancing for the past 2 years. I know you can get my email address, please let us link up. Good Job.
http://stretchgo.com/index.php/component/content/article/28-e-commerce/347-antony-m
Hi Anthony,
Thanks for your comment.
No problem. My email address is also on the about page.
Talk to you soon.
Thanks Walter. This is timely information. I was about to get the Nationhela card sorely for Paypal withdrawals but I guess I won’t. Love this blog!
Thanks Carol,
Lucky you. Some of us had already bought it but no loss whatsoever. It is sort of free as explained in the article.
Thanks for loving the blog. Please follow it via email. I am unleashing even more powerful content. It’s all in the works.
Cheers
Good Job Walter! Keep it up !
Thanks a lot Albert. Much appreciated.
Hey Wally, this is good stuff as usual. Thanks for always watching the backs of freelancers in Kenya. So timely info indeed. Found it quite helpful. Keep up the good work man. This blog rocks!
Reuben,
Thank you very much. I just do my best to make sure Kenyan freelancers stay afloat. I totally appreciate the feedback. It is you readers, who keep me here.
Stay blessed.