There was a time when foreign inward remittance was limited, and the remittance amount wasn’t as high as we see nowadays.
Earlier, the payment modes were limited, and they had to pay expensive foreign exchange rates and other related taxes levied by the payment modes.
But now, the time has changed. India has entered the digital world in every possible manner. International presence has become a mandate, whether a job, freelance, business, service provider, or payment. Therefore, you should be aware of the suitable mode and source to receive international payment.
Introduction
Earlier, freelance was considered a time pass and not a legitimate source of income. But, today, the dynamics for a freelancer has changed, and as per the latest trends, India holds the title of ‘second home for freelancers.’
It has created an urge to own a reliable, secure, and transparent international payment solution to receive money online.
I am an Indian freelance graphic designer and content writer who has an esteemed clientele in both the US and Australia. I must have a credible international payment solution to facilitate secure international payment.
I have been in the gig economy for more than five years and have tried and tested multiple payment solutions and modes to check which payment option is feasible for my pocket and other tangible payment factors.
This blog will unfold how to receive money online in India efficiently and cost-effectively via PingPong, a six-year-old international payment processor that would help you in facilitating payments in over 170 countries.
What is PingPong?
Before jumping into the features and other factors of PingPong, let us have some background knowledge.
In 2015, a highly motivated and determined group of payments and finance professionals found PingPong payments in New York. They believed in their thought, and today, PingPong has facilitated more than 1 million payments across the globe.
Today PingPong is an established entity in the fintech market and has set its hold in the United States, Hong Kong, Luxemburg, Vietnam, Japan, and India. It has also turned itself into a secure bubble for – Amazon sellers, freelancers, service providers, and other online merchants.
Moreover, PingPong is licensed and registered under the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and also has a heads up from renowned financial institutions to operate in foreign lands.
Now, it’s time to get down to one such payment solution that could ease your monetary dilemmas in a legit manner and answer – how to receive money online in India?
And the answer is simple – PingPong payments.
Review: How to receive money online in India via PingPong
After understanding PingPong’s history, let’s get down to the actual functionalities of PingPong payments and understand both positives and negatives.
Sign-up & Maintenance Fees
PingPong offers a free sign-up and zero maintenance fees. It acts as a bonus point because forex itself is a stressful cost that one has to monitor.
Along with that, if such horrendous service, monthly maintenance fees would be an added liability in your pocket.
Not every international payment processor offers you a free ride on their payment provider.
Highly Competitive Foreign Exchange Rate
PingPong’s highly competitive foreign exchange rate is the point where PingPong stands out from several international payment processors in the fintech market.
Yes, PingPong charges you JUST a 1% foreign exchange rate on every currency. Yes, unlike other renowned international payments that charge over 3% – 5% in the forex name. Pricey and scary, isn’t it?
The lowest forex rate in the forex market is the USP of PingPong payments, and I must admit it’s the highlight for the brand.
Don’t you want to receive international payment at such a pocket-friendly price? Or are you still happy with paying expensive forex?
Decide for yourself!
Receive Payments Globally
PingPong doesn’t operate in 20 or 50 currencies. But, they facilitate payments in USD, GBP, EUR, JPY, AUD, MXN, AED, CAD, and SGD and help in payment processing in over 170 countries.
It can be a minor drawback because many other payment solutions like Payoneer, Wise, and more deal in more currency types.
Security & Compliance
It is mandatory to do a security and compliance check because it is the foundation of any digital payment solution.
As the number of digital fraudsters increases, one needs to know whether the payment service is secure.
Therefore, always go through the brand’s security and compliance page and check the financial institutions and watchdogs partnered with and licensed.
Additional Benefits
Apart from delivering the basic functionality of a payment processor, PingPing also provides your monetary platter with other benefits such as:
- Pay VAT & GST in their currency without any currency conversion confusion.
- Receive a free digital Foreign Inward Remittance Certificate (FIRC) after every international payment.
- As it creates a virtual payment window abroad, you can easily access foreign currency without a buffer as your account is treated like a local.
- PingPong payments offer you knowledgeable and prompt customer service without any linguistic buffer.
- It allows easy integration with your freelance and business accounts so that you can quickly receive payments.
- PingPong payments help you manage multiple currencies under a single receiving account and also show a transparent payment structure that gives you a dissected view of the expenditure from the revenues received.
- It offers a reasonable transfer time. When I switched to PingPong, I used to receive my foreign payment within two business days. As compared to other international payment processors, PingPong did a decent job.
Things to consider before opting for an online payment solution
NEVER opt for a payment solution just because your known circle suggested it. I am not saying your acquaintance is telling you wrong, but their suggestion is biased because they opted for that particular payment solution as per their requirements.
Therefore one should consider specific points before opting for any payment solution, and those crucial points are as follows:
Is it legitimate?
As we are in the e-world, payments have also gone digital. Due to this, you would observe a boost in the fintech market where new payment solutions continue to add. But, is it necessary that all of it would be legitimate to operate?
Therefore, always check for legitimacy.
Is it Secure and Compliant?
If an online payment solution isn’t secure and compliant, it’s like giving your CVV number to a fraudster to enjoy your chunk of savings.
Ensure your online payment processor/solution supports the types of payments and is licensed and registered to all the following monetary laws in various countries.
Does it Serve your Purpose?
What’s the whole point if the online payment solution doesn’t serve your interest?
Always make sure that the payment solution serves your needs, be it integrating your business with it, forex, regions, and many other factors of your concern.
Is it Easy or Complex?
If the payment processor is easy, it would be buffer-free, and you could process a manageable payment.
Whereas, if the online payment tool is complex, you will find it less directional, and there’s a higher chance to hop onto a new digital payment solution.
Sign-up & other Charges
Before taking up any payment solution, always check for the charges they’ll levy. It will help if you equip yourselves with the answers to the following questions:
- Is there any sign-up fee, or is it free?
- Are there any additional monthly or yearly maintenance fees?
- Are there any hidden charges that are levied under the garb of made-up charges?
Is the Foreign Exchange Rate Friendly to your pocket?
For instance, as an Indian Amazon seller, you earn $1000 from Canada in a week. Then, you have to pay 5% of it to the payment solution in the name of forex (which may include other hidden charges).
Always check whether there are any hidden charges apart from forex, or you will get bugged by the payment processor and happily end up giving a significant chunk of your savings to the trillion-dollar forex economy.
Additional Benefits
Does the international payment solution facilitate payment, or do they help you in other ways too?
Always make sure that you do get other additional benefits, and it could be anything, such as:
- Creating professional invoices
- Easy integration
- Free FIRC
- Other competitive offers
And other such beneficial advantages that could be cherry on the cake for your foreign transactions.
Transfer Time
If your client from the UK is processing the payment, you should receive the payment in your local bank account in 2-3 days (business days) and not more than that.
Everyone wants their money faster, don’t you wish the same?
Now, these are some of the crucial points you should consider before opting for a money transfer service.
Conclusion
As explained above, I would give 4/5 for PingPong. It is a decent deal for freelancers, Amazon sellers, merchants on other online marketplaces, service providers.
If transfer time, security, compliance, transparency, cost, foreign exchange rate, savings, instantness, and efficient customer care service are your priorities then, PingPong payments could be an ideal payment processor one can own.
The biggest perk of owning PingPong is opening the door to savings. Trust me on this because it is tried and tested by me and many other online merchants and freelancers.
Mend your financial services and start receiving your international money with PingPong.
