Is PayPal available in Pakistan?
When it comes to online digital payment, there is one company that really stands out from the rest and that is PayPal. Ever since it started offering its service to the masses, they’ve managed to record an increase in the number of people signing up to use their services on a yearly basis. This can be attributed to the fact that they offer their services worldwide.
Given the benefits associated with the services, they offer, many people worldwide wonder whether or not they can be able to access PayPal in their country. One such place is Pakistan thus the question is PayPal available in Pakistan?
Well, sadly, PayPal does not offer their services to residents leaving in Pakistan despite the numerous efforts put by the government to bring them onboard. While this is so, you can still be able to use PayPal services even if you are in Pakistan and below I’ll get to share with you how you can do just that.
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What Is PayPal?
For the benefit of those who are still not familiar with what PayPal is and what it’s all about, we’ll start this post by briefly looking at PayPal. In particular, we’ll get to look at what it’s all about and the services it offers. That said PayPal is an American company that provides online payment services to users worldwide. It was established back in 1998 as Confinity. In March of 2000, it merged with Elon Musk’s X.com and officially changed its name to PayPal in 2001.
Currently, there are more than 286 million active PayPal users worldwide in 202 markets. These high numbers can be attributed to the fact that it allows users to send, receive, pay, or accept money online within minutes. Furthermore, it is without a doubt one of the most secure and fastest online payment service providers online.
While PayPal boasts a number of positives which include speed, flexibility for sellers, account privacy, acceptance online, and so on, it does have a few cons here and there. For starters, they are known to charge fees and just about every transaction carried out on their platform. Depending on the number of transactions you make or have in a day these fees can prove expensive. This however hasn’t dampened the spirit of those seeking to sign up for PayPal.
Is PayPal Available In Pakistan?
If you were to ask anyone whether PayPal offers its services to all countries the answer you’ll receive is yes. This is a very common misconception with many PayPal users. While PayPal markets itself as offering its services worldwide, there are certain countries where you cannot use their services. One such country is Pakistan. If you are in Pakistan you’ll not be able to create a PayPal personal or business account.
If you are a freelancer in Pakistan and still want to create a PayPal account, you’ll be surprised to know that you can do just that. Interestingly enough you’ll be able to do so legally. While this is so, it is good to note that you might be limited when it comes to how you can use your account when you go with this option. That said below is what you’ll need to open a PayPal account in Pakistan;
- A Registered US Company That’s In Your Name
- Tax ID/EIN Number of Your US-Based Registered Company
- A Business Bank Account In The US (You’ll Need This To Verify Your PayPal Account)
- US Mailing Address For Your Company (You’ll Need This To Verify Your PayPal Account)
- Valid US Phone/Mobile Number (You Can Get This For Free Using A 2nd Line or Google Voice)
I know what you are thinking, how can I be able to get this information and I’ve never been to the US. Well, there a number of platforms online that offer services that’ll see you get these details. One such platform is Ejad Plus. Worth noting is that this service can be expensive so be really sure whether you want to through with it or not.
What Are Your Alternatives?
So let’s say you are comfortable with the fact that PayPal doesn’t offer its services in Pakistan and also you are not interested in opening an account using the information shared above? Well, if you are still keen on using online payment services then you’ll be happy to hear that there a number of them that offer similar services in Pakistan.
One such online payment service provider is Payoneer, this is especially so if you are a freelancer looking to get paid online for services you’ve offered. A plus with Payoneer is that it is very easy to setup. Furthermore, it makes it easy for users in Pakistan to access their money easily. The recent partnership with Jazz Cash further reduces the time one has to wait before receiving money. To sign up for a Payoneer account simply;
- Open The Official Payoneer Page
- Select “Sign Up”
- Answer The Questions As Prompted
- Enter An Email Address And Settle On An Ideal Password
- Enter Your Mobile Number & Click Start
- The Next Step Is Confirming Your Email Address & You’ll Be Good To Go
Once you’ve created an account, you should consider applying for a Payoneer Card. The process, just like creating a Payoneer account, is very simple. You’ll however need a valid bank account (a Pakistani bank account), you’ll need an IBAN. With these two in your position type in a username and password, select a security question, and enter your CNIC. Once you’ve done this, you’ll receive a personalized card in a few days or weeks. Once in your position, make sure you activate it.
It is important to note that a Payoneer account does allow you to use Paypal in Pakistan. Once your Payoneer account is up and activated, you can link it with your PayPal account. For this to happen, however, you’ll need to already have a working PayPal account. It is with this that this option only works for those that travel from time to time. Let’s say you travel from Pakistan to Dubai, while there, create an account, get it verified and when you travel back simply link it with your Payoneer account and you’ll be able to enjoy PayPal services in Pakistan.
While Payoneer is ideal, there are other alternatives you can look into. These alternatives include SimSim, EasyPay, 2CheckOut, and SadaPay. SadaPay, SimSim, and EasyPay are all local payment solutions you can also explore if you looking for ways you can access and spend money online. Furthermore, you have the option of linking these online payment options with your Visa or MasterCard.
Conclusion
It is clear now that Paypal is not available in Pakistan. While this is so, we’ve also seen that you can still be able to create an account be it through the backdoor legally. Given that this can be a very expensive option, some prefer opting for alternatives like Payoneer which in their own right offers great services when it comes to online money service. In fact, you can argue that they are not far from matching PayPal and the services they offer.
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