Thanks to the internet, there are now many prospects/avenues through which one can get himself/herself employed - and gainfully at that. But how would it be if after you must have completed a particular job/project online with your client ready to pay, there is no medium through which you can obtain your due payment? Or as it had usually been in the past, the payment platforms available do not allow transactions between your country of residence - Nigeria in this case - and your client’s country? - Then frustration sets in. Not to worry, if your online freelancing adventure, at one time or the other, impeded or short-circuited due to payment concerns, you should read on to know where to turn:
Skrill: Skrill is a highly secure payment portal through which individuals can send and receive money - forty different currencies are currently supported on Skrill. Beyond this, however, you can also use the platform to do other transactions like buying and selling cryptocurrencies, running forex trade and so on. Skrill is based in the United Kingdom and started its operations way back in 2001 when it was known as ‘Moneybookers‘ - the company’s name until it was re-branded to Skrill in 2011. This online payment platform is owned by Paysafe Group and it has over 25 million users registered on it.
Procedure for signing up
To register on Skrill; you will need an active email account, and you can either sign up as an individual or as a business - your company. Mind you, the services and charges achievable with each of these two accounts vary to some extent.
Upon the verification of your email address, you will be able to access the platform albeit temporarily because you will have to verify your identity using a valid means of identification - either driver’s licence, international passport or national ID card. Again, you will also need to provide a proof of address (that is, your residence or wherever you are operating from) - a utility bill or bank statement should suffice in this regard. Failure to do the identification and verification means you will be barred after reaching a set limit [of fund withdrawal].
Furthermore, you will need to link up a debit card to your account, and also provide your NUBAN account number wherefore you will make available your bank’s name, as well as the SWIFT CODE. This would enable Skrill to send money into the account after you must have initiated a withdrawal in the times to come. Lest I forget, all your client needs to send payment to your account is your email address, the very one you registered with on Skrill.
Still on withdrawal; withdrawal comes in two forms. There is an option whereby you can receive your fund in local currency - Naira in this case - into your bank account through your debit card and the fund is usually wired almost immediately - though it may take longer (hours) on some occasions. Note that the money will be charged from whatever currency it had been available into your local currency using Skrill’s exchange rate.
With the second option, you will be able to receive foreign currency but it is expedient that you must have opened [and submitted on Skrill] your domiciliary account beforehand. This second option does take between 2-5 working days, and you will only be able to withdraw cash (foreign currency) from the cashier at your bank. It is important to state here that there are attached to every withdrawal you made; you can long on to www.skrill.com to find out more and get started.
Payoneer: Payoneer is another reliable and trustworthy portal through which freelancers can get their hard-earned money. This internet payment service provider was launched back in 2005 and has its headquarters in New York, USA. It only recently extended its operations to Nigeria, and already has over four million registered users spread across 200 nations around the globe.
Through Payoneer, you can request payment from such freelancing sites like Fiverr, Upwork and Envato. Just as with Skrill, you need an active email address to open an account - either personal or business - on Payoneer. The mode of operation - as it regards withdrawal, verification and all - is quite similar to Skrill, but the charges do vary. You can visit Payoneer to find out more.