Update: 24th November, 2017. Equity Bank stopped the method below and now uses an even better one. Click here to check it out.
Update: 16th Nov, 2013. This withdrawal method is back to normal. Here is Equity’s official position on the PayPal withdrawal delays.
Image Credit: Equity Bank
When Equity Bank first introduced their PayPal withdrawal method, I did a blog post and titled it Equity Bank Joins the PayPal Withdrawal Race – Deal or No Deal?.
By then, my hope was that this was not going to be a similar case with NationHela which was widely publicized but soon became unreliable and was eventually called off. I personally tested the Equity method and confirmed that it worked.
However, from reports that I am getting on my blog comments and social media, people are wondering if this method has stalled. People who withdrew their cash on 29th October have not received any money yet, a whole 14 days later (at the time of writing).
Below are some of the comments I’ve been receiving. Click on a comment to see exactly where it was originally posted:
The promised 5-8 days for paypal withdrawal does not work. I have been waiting two weeks now @KeEquityBank @FreelancerKenya
— Milli (@mnjue) November 12, 2013
My advice is that you avoid using this method till this problem is cleared. In recent news, there was also a problem withdrawing money using a Payoneer on Equity Bank ATMs. This had a wide response in my Facebook page as seen below:
The best alternatives you can use to withdraw your money from PayPal are currently Payoneer or ePay-Kenya. It is my hope that the Equity PayPal withdrawal method will be fixed soon. I love Equity Bank but believe they should upgrade their systems and customer care on this. Have you encountered any of these issues? What do you think is happening? Feel free to drop a comment below.
Hello. is Equity still withdrawal money from paypal well. I used it once in August 2013. My Payoneer card was swallowed last week with KCB and they told me they want to take the card to the issuing company. I got bored but not devastated because there are other means. Now I want to comeback to equity.
Hi Dennis,
Yes, Equity works perfectly. I used them last week without issues.
Thanks
does payoneer really works as its clear now that equity has some of its inconveniences with many kenyans trying to get their cash?? and also what documents should i have to have to open the payoneer account??
Yes, Payoneer works perfectly David. You don’t need documents, just click here to sign up https://freelancerkenya.com/go/payoneer. Give them your P.O Box on email when they approve you.
does payoneer really works as its clear now that equity has some of its inconveniences with many kenyans trying to get their cash??
Yes, Payoneer works perfectly and is one of the most consistent.
1.walter niaje,I have used used your link to apply for payoneer,how long will it take?
2.I have applied for a paypal account but not verified bcoz my cards are not ready,can anyone using palpal send me money with their accounts?and finally
3.how much does Nation hela,i&m cards cost and how long does it take to receive the card?
thanks alot
David
Vipi David
1. Thanks for using my Payoneer link, it will take 3 to 4 weeks.
2. Yes, someone can send you PayPal cash. However, I believe you’ll only be able to withdraw up to $500
3. Last I checked NationHela cards were going for Sh. 500. I am not sure of their current price. This one is activated immediately.
Thanks,
I gave up on the service and from the look of things i am going for the payoneer card.Kwanza the 8 days clearance time is too long for some us who need the money asap.Also connecting my equity and paypal acs was never successful given they told me that i had to change my primary paypal address to a gmail one and link a new Equity Visa enabled card to my paypal ac…..after all this still nothing….they are not ready to offer the service!
Hi Marvin,
Sorry for the challenges faced.
That gmail thing is hilarious. Some of those guys don’t know much about their PayPal service.
Anyway, you can keep trying their customer care and yes, feel free to use the Payoneer card.
Cheers!
Is it only me or has skrill(moneybookers) become the worst online processor? before they changed their name to skrill, withdrawals were processed and reached ones account within 24 hours. now, i have had two instances where i had to wait for 10 days to get money and in addition incur additional hidden charges. Walter, has this come to your notice? its very frustrating actually
Hi Noah,
Sorry for what you are going through.
Imagine I have never heard of this! Have you talked to their customer care?
Walter. you can try withdrawing from skrill and see how long it takes for the money to reach your account. but am more concerned about the charges. apparently there are now some hidden charges
Hi Samwel,
I’ll try and see how it goes. As usual I will send a report to all in case I notice any anomalies.
Thanks
@Jimsy
the comments above are all mere truth because i had my friend who withdrew from equity on 30th and she really needed that money but can you imagine such a delay with no communication and most of equity staff not aware of the paypay staff??? its really annoying and thats why we need someone like Walter Akolo who is very updated and will share all what is happening.
@Walter keep up the good job you are doing , it has really helped me personally and i believe so many other followers have benefited from your blogs.
Thanks Jesse
Everything is ok as usual..unless ones personal account has the problem. I withdrew funds on 5th and have gotten them today 15th Nov. May be they processed even on 14th.
Yes, all’s well. I got my confirmation and explanation from Equity. I’ll be posting something about that later in the day.
Thanks Philip.
Equity does not even know what it is doing. It’s simply an attempt to rope in more clients and appear progressive. Their own staff are not even aware of this service, you talk to them about PayPal and they think you are some sort of fraud. Serious guys who earn considerable amounts of money online should avoid equity like the plaque. Go the Payoneer way. Get a Payoneer card and apply for a US Bank virtual account and link it. You’ll be surprised at how fast, efficient and affordable it is to get your money. Forget this Equity crap.
Just talked to them and they had a certain hitch that I will talk about in tomorrow’s blog post.
I will be giving Equity’s official position on that post.
Thanks
Hi Ben,
You really sound angry. Sorry for this. I believe Equity is now back to operations and things are working smoothly. Anyway, free country, people can use whichever method that works for them.
I withdrew my money on November 1st 8:30 PM and I received my money within 5 business days on thursday 7th November 2013. Not 8 days 5 days minus weekends. But on September they had a delay and it took them 14 days to credit my account. I wrote personally to paypal and FNB because the problem was not at equity but it was at FNB south Africa. I kept on pressuring paypal till FNB transferred the money. Also its good to link your paypal account to visa card and verify it with the code provided by the bank at the statement.
Hi Jammo,
Yes, there have been ups and downs. I believe what people are asking for is consistency.
My blog post tomorrow will be talking about their official position.
Thanks
Thanks Jammo.
I don’t know what is wrong but personally I receive cash in 5 days from the transaction date
That’s really great Jammo. I hope they do that for everyone. So far so good though, it seems the issue is now in control.
Equity is incompetent especially with online transactions. Initially I was using their card to pay for my hosting fee at Hostgator but had to stop after they kept charging me and blaming the hosting company for that… after deducting 43k from my account in a spa of three days I went there and got a promise that my money will be back in 5 days after I was charged 500 for some forms I filled… Its now 1 year and no money…. Even with this paypal thing just avoid them until they know what they are doing..
Hi Mashaa,
Sorry to hear what you are going through. I really hope Equity support is fixing this. Kindly try contacting them and let us know how it goes. 1 year is too long.
Too bad sir, hopefully they will sort it out, banking is becoming very competitive and this could work to Equity’s advantage or disadvantage, watch KCB or Coop, hey may just pick up the idea
Hi Josef
Yeah, it’s sad but I believe it will be fixed.
Walter,
I have the same problem, poor interface with no confirmation page to tell whether it was successful or not!
Poor follow up. Their systems do not keep information in their database. Simply, they can not tell when you withdrew or how many attempts. Or even whether there was a problem! Even an automated confirmation email is not there. Today I hit over two weeks and still counting!!!
Walter, you can sell us KSH for our $$ please. I know you can and I want money. I have filled the payoneer, but I can not wait till they confirm.
Kindly help!
Hi Steve,
Thanks for your comment.
I believe that Equity Bank is fixing these issues.
I am sending you an email right now on the email address you have used on how I can help you withdraw.
Thanks
hey guys,
I have used the equity PayPal withdrawal service 4 times. i did a transaction on 1st October and got the money on 23rd October. guys you will eventually get your money but not within the promised 5-8 days. The customer care employees do not seem to understand what PayPal is all about. as a matter of fact you have to explain to them.
if your funds are stuck there, you just have to follow up, you can use facebook and you will receive the attention of the customer service.
my recommendation is, use payoneer if you urgently need your cash and use equity servoces when you can afford delays.
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for your update.
Now, that’s a new one, a whole 22 days?
It is strange that the customer care don’t seem to understand and the way they have advertised it on their website.
The only good news is that no one loses their funds, it just delays. Let’s hope they fix their delays since this is an awesome system and a great addition to Kenya’s online scene.
I like your advise, Payoneer for urgent cash, Equity when you can afford delays.
Hey Walter, I certainly do appreciate your concern and the head’s up. However, I note with alarm you have not personally gone to make an inquiry both as a personal responsibility to your readers, and to ensure you have an official Bank position. The only data we have here is a handful of comments from a few random people whose motives we cannot necessarily ascertain. I would be careful about generally rushing to appear to be an authority. Some things are beyond the blogger’s jurisdiction. To try and be the ‘go-to’ customer care for a company the size of Equity is biting more than one can chew. Do get Equity’s official position. It will save you BIG TIME in days to come.
Hi Paula,
Thanks for your comment. Good to see you here.
Those are not random commentators, I know some of them. Equity is actually addressing that position and as of now they have received their cash, though some 14 days after withdrawal.
I am in communication with Equity and will post their official position as soon as they give me.
Otherwise, thanks again and no worries at all, I will be the first one to report once that issue is fixed.
Many thanks,
Walter
hi Walter
I transfered mine on 30th Oct but it reflected yesterday evening. i think there was something wrong with their system because this is a problem I only experienced the first time I used it.
I made another transfer on 7th Nov lets wait and see how it goes of at all it was the system or not
Hi Matts,
Thanks for the information.
Definitely there was a problem with their system.
Even me the last time I used it took 9 days. You can also click here to see your other comment saying it took you 11 days.
Please let us know how it goes with the one you did on 7th. I hope they manage to fulfill what they say – 5-8 days.
Thanks
hey Walter
I am back again this time with somewhat good news. Yes the withdrawal that i made on 7th Nov has already reflected on my Equity account today 14th Nov this time within 5 days (minus weekend).
I believe something must have gone wrong with their system because this is the system I use to withdraw from every week since August. All said and done may be they will try to up their communication especially when there is a system hitch because that’s what assures the clients that their money is safe no matter how long it takes.
otherwise continue with the good work bro its also good to raise alarm when necessary. Some of us earn online cash the hard way.
Cheers
Hi Matts,
That’s awesome news.
In fact, I’ve spent some considerable time talking to an Equity Product Manager about this and he explained to me all that happened. All is well now.
I will be giving more details on a blog post tomorrow.
Thanks
hi Walter thanx for the info,have a nice one……
Guys, Be careful while withdrawing your cash from a new system. I did it and it had good rates. I posted here and it was at 87/86 but then I better go a $5 dollars loss than have a loss of all my money. I mean , I better withdraw at $82 from Payoneer and I am sure about it. PAYONEER still remains my best until another option which must stand for 6 months with excellent reviews comes up. Thats when I might change from Payoneer.
Thanks Tim. I can agree that Payoneer has been very consistent. Having used them for 2 years and they still have the same, if not better quality services.
I also made a withdrawal using the service on the 29th of October and am yet to receive my money. They started off on the right footing. I wonder what went wrong!
Very sorry Omande for that. Kindly check and confirm if you’ve been sorted. Most are saying they’ve gotten after all this noise.
Did someone sell them the idea and leave to other business. I am laughing out loud although this is not a laughing matter. The idea was good, if it is not going to work it will be too bad.
Thanks Dennis. The idea is still good, it just needs to be perfected so that it can meet it’s promise of 5-8 days. I am still looking for someone who has gotten their cash after 5 days.
I am glad i have received my money today after a long wait. Hope they have fixed the error.
Thanks for the update Erastus. It seems like most people have received. I hope the time thing gets sorted ASAP.
Very few of their branch staff seem to know what PayPal is. Truly frustrating talking to them. And the phone customer care will not give you the name or a particular office to go to for personal assistance. E-Pay still remains too expensive but they are very reliable
Yeah Felix, that’s the funny thing. In fact in this one, they weren’t informed that there was a problem in the system, so seemed confused when contacted.
I believe Equity should up their game. I thought they employed but the best brains in IT!
They do have an awesome IT team but something seems to be wrong somewhere. Yes, they need to up their game.
thanks for the update, mine (30th October) is now there too (after 2wks of waiting). am so not using their service again, unless it proves beyond reasonable doubt, that it can qualify to be in the horse race. I could walk to FNB in South Africa and back before the cash reflects in my account. Quite unfortunate. This is the 21st century; technology should make processes faster, not stall them. Walter the equity thing is a NO DEAL for me
Good to hear you have been sorted. I will be following up on this and once it is back on track I will let everyone know as usual.
Yes I was. I believe feedback counts for any company who genuinely want to improve their service. It’s funny how some choose to take a step back. We all wish that the service works better and we (customers) and equity shall be all the merrier. Much of what goes wrong is about people noticing stuff and choosing to remain mum. Speaking up does help.
Yeah, it really does help. Just today, most of the affected have been sorted.
I am one of the jinxed 29th victims. I have been calling equity last few days with no tangible expalanation from them. I think they got into this hurriedly since noone has a worthy explanation to now. I have just had them call me to inform me that all is well now and cash is in. Wiser, by all means yes! It is just pathetic, the way they do things!
Hi Milli,
That’s the goodness of making noise :). Everyone seems to be sorted by now. Let’s see if guys will start receiving their cash after 5-8 days.
Hey, the service is UP and WORKING. I can confess…I’ve used it a lot of times…The withdrawals on 29th Nov had a hitch…which I hear has been cleared…Check your monies on Thursday!! Cheers na Walter uwache kuharibia hii maneno…Equity are the only guys who do PayPal in this REGION. Lets give it to them….They’ve been awesome…
Hi Jimsy,
Thanks for your comment.
To stall does not mean that something is not working, it means it is either postponed or not working at the pace it should.
Equity’s site says it takes 5-8 days. It almost never takes that time, mostly 9-11 days. However, this one delayed for two weeks and customer support was not helping those affected…therefore the big question arose.
Go to my search box and search for “Equity”. I have priased them numerous times for their services. The thing is I have to be neutral and truthful and this time they messed up.