Getting Paid Without PayPal: Bank Transfer, Money Transfer Services and Mobile Money
PayPal is the default payout method on many survey sites and reward apps, but it isn't available or practical for everyone. Some countries have limited PayPal services, some people prefer not to use it, and fees on small amounts can add up. Here are the main alternatives.
Bank transfer
Some sites pay straight into a bank account. It's simple once set up, and the money lands where you'd want it anyway.
- Check: the minimum for bank payouts, which is sometimes higher than for PayPal or gift cards.
- Check: fees if the site pays from another country or in another currency.
- Expect: a few days for the money to arrive.
Money transfer services
Services such as Wise and Payoneer let you receive payments in several currencies and move the money to a local bank account. Some survey and freelance sites support them directly.
- Useful when: a site pays in a currency you don't use, or doesn't pay to banks in your country.
- Check: each service's current fees and whether it supports your country. Both change over time.
Mobile money and e-wallets
In many countries, mobile money is how people send and receive money day to day: M-Pesa in Kenya and GCash in the Philippines, for example. Some survey and task sites that operate in those countries pay to mobile money or local e-wallets directly.
- Useful when: it's the account you already use for everything else.
- Check: that the option is offered inside the site itself, and be wary of anyone offering to "convert" your earnings to mobile money for a fee.
Gift cards
Gift cards need no account details at all, which makes them the simplest option for many people. They're only as useful as your use for the shop, though. Choose one for something you'd buy anyway, like groceries or a service you already pay for.
Treat gift card codes like cash. Anyone who has the code can spend it, and no real company will ever ask you to pay them or "verify" your account with gift card codes.
Which to choose
- You want cash in your account: bank transfer, or a money transfer service if the site pays from abroad.
- You live where mobile money is the norm: look for sites that pay to it directly.
- You want the lowest minimum and fastest payout: gift cards, for a shop you already use.
Whatever you choose, check the payout options before you start earning on a site. A site that doesn't pay to any method you can use isn't worth your time, however good its surveys are.
This is part of a 4-part guide on cashing out survey and app earnings. The main article compares every way to get paid.