Payoneer Implements 3% Withdrawal Fee for Pakistani Users, Stirring Concerns Among Freelancers and Businesses
ISLAMABAD – Payoneer, the globally popular payment platform used by millions of freelancers and small businesses, has introduced a significant fee hike for Pakistani users, sparking concern across the country’s growing digital workforce.
What’s Changed?
Effective immediately, Payoneer has raised its withdrawal fee from 2% to 3% for transactions made to foreign currency bank accounts (USD, EUR, GBP). This represents a 50% increase, and several previously free services now carry charges:
Read more: How To Withdraw Money From Fiverr in Pakistan?
Updated Fee Structure:
- Foreign Bank Withdrawals: Fee increased from 2% to 3%
- Third-Party Bank Transfers: Now 3%, previously free
- Internal Payoneer Transfers (USD, EUR, GBP):
- Above 500 units: 0.60% fee
- Below 500 units: $3 fixed fee
- Domestic Payoneer Transfers (within Pakistan): $3 per transaction
- Receiving Payments:
- Under $100: $1 fee
- $100 or more: 1% fee
- Other Currencies (GBP, EUR, CAD, AED, AUD): Same fee structure as USD
Impact on Pakistani Freelancers
Pakistan, home to 3.8 million freelancers and a gig economy worth over $1 billion, is one of Payoneer’s biggest user bases. With 30% of freelancers using Payoneer as their primary platform, this fee hike is seen as a direct blow to their earnings.
Freelancers providing IT, web design, content creation, and marketing services now face higher costs to access their payments — potentially eroding profit margins and pushing them to seek alternatives like Wise, Skrill, or PayPal (though not fully accessible in Pakistan).
Small Businesses Also Affected
Small enterprises using Payoneer for international client payments will now have to absorb or pass on increased costs, which may affect global scalability and profitability.
Why the Fee Hike?
Payoneer attributes the change to global inflation, currency fluctuations, and operational cost increases in the cross-border transaction landscape. However, no specific reason has been provided for targeting Pakistani users with such steep changes.
Bottom Line:
This sudden fee revision could significantly disrupt Pakistan’s digital economy, putting pressure on freelancers and small businesses who depend on cost-efficient, reliable payment methods.
