MAJOR NEWS
Skip down to the last parts of this post if you’ve read it before.
Excerpts from the GSoC mailing list (before we were warned for off-topic discussion) -:
- Payoneer does not issue prepaid cards in India because of a RBI directive.
- The bank transfer facility allows for transfer as USD or INR.
- For transfer as INR, the charges are $3 + 3% of the transaction amount per transaction – this amounts to ~$150 for three transactions.
- For transfer as USD, the charges are flat $15 per transaction – amounting to $45. One needs to check with their bank regarding any extra charges, forex rate charges, service tax, etc.
Clearly, transfer as USD is the best option at this time.
Apparently, there is some confusion regarding the transfer fees. The FAQ and pricing page at Payoneer says that the fees are $0. If someone could clarify this, please post a comment!
EDIT: For those who have questions, please refer to the comments thread of this post. Nissim, head of community at Payoneer, has decided to lend us a helping hand.
SECOND EDIT: This chat with the Payoneer representative that I had a while ago should clear everything -:
Bella: Hello and welcome to Payoneer Customer Support.
Pritish: Hello!
Bella: Before we proceed, please provide me with the answer to your security question:
Bella: What was the name of your first pet?
Pritish:
Bella: Thank you.
Bella: You wish to switch to a USD transfer?
Bella: The fee for the USD transfer is $15 per transfer.
Pritish: Yes, I’d mistakenly selected INR
Pritish: Wait, I had a doubt regarding this
Pritish: Sending a page link from Payoneer to you, gimme a min
Pritish: This page says that the fee for USD transfer is $0
Pritish: I live in India and this is regarding my stipend for Google summer of code
Bella: Let me look into this for you.
Pritish: Thanks!
Bella: Please hold one moment.
Bella: I see, you are affiliated with Google Summer of Code and therefore the fee setup is different than usual. There is no flat fee for the transfers apart from the conversion rates that apply for certain transfers.
Bella: You wish to use a USD transfer instead?
Pritish: So if I transfer as USD, the only charges I will have are those relating to exchange rates and other associated fees at my bank, correct? Nothing from Payoneer’s side?
Bella: Yes, correct.
Pritish: Please do set my transfer mode to USD. Thank you!
Bella: We will transfer your request to the relevant department and keep you updated via email.
Pritish: Right, thank you.
Bella: Are you still to use the same bank account?
Pritish: Indeed, I am.
Bella: Okay. Thank you. We will keep you updated and let you know once this is done.
Bella: Is there anything else I can help you with?
Pritish: This was it, thank you so much!
So, in conclusion, I have an account at HDFC bank – to clarify, they charge the following -:
- The forex rate, let us call this the base rate.
- Some percentage of the base rate as conversion fees.
- Now from the money that is deducted by 1 and 2, 12.5% is charged on this difference as service tax.
Transfer as USD is *still* the winner.
I am posting a link to a blog regarding the tax issue. Apparently, stipends are exempt from taxes, and we need to declare exemption.
Link: Click Here
Conclusion
Payoneer recently conducted an experiment with me as their recipient to see which transfer mode would be more beneficial to students residing in India. They sent money through two transactions, one in SWIFT/USD mode and one in INR mode. Long story short, INR mode yielded around Rs 200 extra for the same transaction amount. For larger amounts, such as those distributed by Google, the difference could be larger. It may or may not depend on the bank your account is linked to, but so far, I’ve found that very few banks have been favourable in USD mode (such as IDBI Bank). Most banks, SBI in particular, and surprisingly, even HDFC (experiment confirms for HDFC, since I’m an HDFC account holder) is better off with INR. So whatever you do, choose carefully!
My GSoC Journey 