Payoneer, a prominent global financial services provider, has implemented major changes to its fee structure for users in Pakistan, introducing a 3% withdrawal charge that has drawn widespread concern from the local online workforce.
This week, the company quietly revised its pricing policy, with a particular impact on freelancers and digital professionals who depend on the platform for international payments. Under the updated terms, withdrawals from Payoneer accounts to non-local currency bank accounts—including USD, EUR, and GBP—are now subject to a flat 3% fee. This marks a 50% increase from the previous rates, where some transactions were either free or carried lower fees.
Transfers to third-party bank accounts, which were previously partially exempt, now uniformly incur the 3% charge across all currencies. Internal Payoneer-to-Payoneer transfers have also been revised: transactions exceeding 500 units in USD, EUR, or GBP will be charged a 0.60% fee, while smaller amounts will face a flat fee of 3.00 in the respective currency.
Moreover, the platform has introduced new charges for incoming payments. Dollar transfers below $100 are now subject to a $1 fee, whereas transfers exceeding $100 will incur a 1% deduction. Comparable fee structures have been introduced for other major currencies, including GBP, EUR, CAD, AED, and AUD.
Also read: PTA warns against using patched cell phones
These sudden changes have sparked frustration among thousands of Pakistani freelancers, remote workers, and small businesses, many of whom criticized the lack of transparency and advance notice from the company.
