Hurray I have my first job! But how can I get my earnings?

“Okay, got my first job and my earnings are now reflected on my financial account, now what? how can I get my earnings?”

That was a common question of every freelance newbie who successfully managing their first freelance project. I will then discuss the step by step guide that aims to help newbie earners who are currently clueless on how they can get their earnings. But remember, this guide is specifically dealing with my experience in Upwork but I think it can also be applicable to other freelance sites.

STEP 1: Managing your payment method – simply go to “Payment Method” or “Financial Account”. From there you’ll be required to choose the possible payment method that you are going to use for every withdrawal or transfer you will make.

2 Best options: PayPal and Payoneer Mastercard

STEP 2: Withdrawals through PayPal – if you don’t have a PayPal account yet, it’s totally free to get one. Just visit the website (www.paypal.com), sign up an account as “Personal”, confirm your address and any other required details. Take note that once your registration was approved, you need to link/verify your credit card or debit card account to your paypal. That’s the only way to withdraw your cash. After that, go back to your freelance account and link your Paypal account by confirming your log-in details.

Verifying EON Visa Card to PayPal – for my fellow kababayans, if you don’t have a credit card, you can apply for EON Visa Card at any Unionbank branches. Just don’t forget to bring 2 valid id’s  and prepare 350Php for annual fee and 200Php for  initial deposit. Probably it takes 2-3 weeks to approve your card. If you already have your EON Card, go to your Paypal account, link your EON Visa Card by entering your card number and other additional details. Note: you are required to enter the Paypal code to complete the verification process. You can get this 4-digit PP code by calling Unionbank Customer Hotline that is printed on your EON Card. BTW, you may register a Unionbank Account Online, this is a convenient way to know your balance or pending transactions so you don’t have to go out just to check your account. Just visit www.unionbankph.com to get started.

STEP 3: Withdrawals through Payoneer Mastercard – if you are unaware, getting a Payoneer card from oDesk is FREE! same as paypal, simply go to http://www.payoneer.com, complete your registration and link your payoneer account to your freelance account (oDesk). Once your Payoneer card was approved, it will be shipped to your home within 2-3 weeks depends on your postal delivery office.

Once you’re done with these step by step procedures, you can now withdraw your earnings with the payment method you prefer to use. It’s totally your choice. But remember, each of this method has an additional charges for every transaction you make. You can study the figures below to familiarize yourself with the fees:

PayPal Fees:

• Verification fee – $1.95 (they will retrieve it to your account once     verification is confirmed)
• oDesk to Paypal – $1.00
• Paypal to EON Visa Card – $1.00 (below 7,000) / FREE (above 7,000)
• EON Visa Card – annual fee 350 Php
• ATM Machine charges – 10.00-13.00 Php

Transaction process: Withdrawing from PayPal to EON will take 3-5 days.

Payoneer Mastercard Fees:

• One time Activation fee – $9.95
• oDesk to Payoneer – $2.00
• Monthly maintenance – $ 3.00
• ATM Machine charges – 150.00 Php
• Use for Shopping/Groceries – FREE

Transaction process: oDesk to Payoneer takes 2-3 days before it was reflected on your payoneer account for standard load, but if you will choose immediate load, it only takes 10-15 minutes to reflect on your account but you need to pay $2.50 for transaction fee. This is great for emergency use.

So I guess I’ve covered up all the necessary details you need. I know the feeling of excitement and frustration knowing that you already have your money but finding no way to withdraw your cash! You are excited to treat your friends or family who are at first never believe that you are earning online! LOL! Well, hope this solves your problem. 😉