oDesk-issued Payoneer cards are still shipped out free. The activation fee comes in when the card is first loaded. Please visit Payoneer to see their latest card charges and fees.

I learned about oDesk around October 2007. I had signed up with this freelance site but I had not decided to bid on jobs right away. I was too busy working at a full time job which required me to spend lots of overtime work. However, I decided to apply for an oDesk Mastercard after I had signed up. After more than a month, the oDesk Mastercard came in through snail mail – FREE!

For a while I was impressed at the sleek black look of this card. I think this card beats the appearance and quality of most ATM/debit cards that issued locally in the Philippines.

The oDesk Mastercard comes with some documents contained instructions and fees that helped me activate the card online. I’ve learned that the oDesk Mastercard is simply one of the payout methods that oDesk uses to pay its freelancers. This card is powered by Payoneer, which also offers payouts solutions to some sites like Elance, ReviewMe, iStockPhoto, MetaCafe and other online sites that opt to remit payments through this payment method. Some of sites offer Payoneer card to only paid members, such as those providers working for Elance; while others give out the card for without requiring paid membership upgrade – just like what I had experienced in oDesk.

Think of Payoneer simply as another payment method available to receive online earnings – an alternative to Paypal payouts, if an online site offers this alternative payment method.

You can learn more about Payoneer through their FAQ page. It provides answers to those questions on how to activate the card, how to get funds loaded, how to manage the account and how to use the card.

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Click this link to sign up with Paypal