Exploring PayPal Alternatives: Solutions for Countries Without PayPal Access

What is PayPal?

PayPal is an online money transfer service. Founded in 1998, it serves customers in 212 countries and supports transactions in 24 currencies.

PayPal offers various services depending on the country.

Does PayPal work in my country?

To find out if PayPal works in your country, visit the official website and select your country from the list.

In the screenshot I have, only Asian countries are shown, but there are also countries from Africa, Europe and the Americas listed.

Once you've selected your country, check if there is a "Business" tab at the top of the page.

If the tab is not present, it means you cannot create a PayPal business account in your country.

So what to do?

Let's explore what alternative solutions are available.

PayPal Alternatives

The choice of an alternative payment system depends on your specific needs:

1. Business operations: Receiving payments from clients for goods or services.
2. Personal transfers: If you need to send money to family or friends.
3. Accepting payments on a website: If you need to accept payments via PayPal.

In conclusion, we will discuss what to do if only a PayPal business account is suitable.

Business Operations: Payoneer

Having a Payoneer account allows you to address most tasks related to receiving and withdrawing money online.

You can:

1. Withdraw money from sites: from freelance exchanges and photo stocks to marketplaces.
2. Request payment from clients: they will receive an invoice by email and can pay by card or bank transfer.
3. Get banking details for different countries: this will allow you to send and receive money with minimal commission.

Both individuals and entrepreneurs can open a Payoneer account.

Once the money is credited to your Payoneer account, it can be transferred to a bank account or used via a Payoneer bank card.

The average withdrawal commission is 2%.

You can open an account for free on the official website.

Learn more in the article about how Payoneer works.

Below are a few popular websites from which you can withdraw money using Payoneer.

Personal Transfers: Wise or Skrill

When I need to send money abroad, I use Wise.

1. Lower fees.
2. You immediately see how much will reach the recipient.
3. You can choose the speed of the transfer: if you pay a little more, the money arrives in less than an hour.

I have a detailed step-by-step guide on how to use Wise for money transfers.

Skrill can also be used for these tasks. It has higher fees, but it might be suitable if you work with cryptocurrency.

Make sure to review the latest information on official websites to choose the right solution for you and avoid paying extra fees.

Accepting Payments on Your Website

The right solution may vary depending on your business specifics.

For selling physical goods:

1. If your customers are from your country: use local acquiring services.
2. If your customers are from other countries: use marketplaces.

If your main audience is from your country, you can use one of the local internet acquiring services.

All services offer a similar set of features: payment by bank cards, Google Pay, Apple Pay, installment plans, and recurring payments.

Local acquirers allow accepting payments from cards of any country, but practice shows that an unfamiliar interface and the need to re-enter card details can lower conversion rates for customers from other countries.

I've written a distinct article focusing on the process of accepting payments through credit cards on websites.

In such cases, you can use Shopify or Etsy.

They will handle the payment processing, and you can withdraw money through Payoneer.

Examples of payment methods for your customers if you list your products on Etsy.

For digital products, you can consider using Paddle.

How to Register a PayPal Business Account?

If it's not feasible to replace PayPal with another payment system, an alternative is to register a company in a different country.

I personally registered a company in Estonia through the e-residency program using Xolo.

The registration process took several months and cost $400, with a monthly maintenance fee of $100.

Here are the steps:

1. Obtain e-residency in Estonia.
2. Register your company online through Xolo.
3. Open a bank account in an Estonian bank.
4. Register a business account with PayPal in Estonia, using the company's account and details.

I've provided more detailed information about creating a company in my article on how Stripe works. You can also find information there about registering a company in the United States.

If none of these options suit your needs, please feel free to reach out to me, and we can explore alternative solutions.