Skrill vs Payoneer: Our 2022 comparison. Which is better? Find out below.

Skrill and Payoneer are both well-known, longstanding businesses that each offer a wide range of services. If you’re trying to figure out which is best for you, you’re in the right place. Those of us at VolumeKings got tired of seeing the same questions over and over, so we collected all of the best answers in one handy-dandy place, just for you.

So what’re we covering today?

Today’s Topics Include:

• Can I send money from Skrill to Payoneer?

• Is Payoneer Better than Skrill?

• Payoneer: The Basics
  • Payoneer Pros
  • Payoneer Cons
• Skrill: The Basics
  • Skrill Pros
  • Skrill Cons

Let's dive right in, shall we?

Skrill vs. Payoneer: The Breakdown

We’re going to start with the simple stuff and then we’ll get into the more detailed breakdown shortly after. If you have a specific question, feel free to skip to the relevant section; otherwise, why not stay a while and read?

Can I Send Money From Skrill to Payoneer?

Yes, you can send money between Skrill and Payoneer. Keep in mind that both will charge a fee, meaning it’ll be cheaper to send in-network than between networks.

You can add Skrill to the available global payment options in your account, and vice versa with Payoneer.

Is Payoneer Better Than Skrill?

This is a bit of a complicated question. While there’s usually a better or worse service when comparing competitors, that’s not quite the case here. Both offer fast, secure, and well-supported payment processing, but the difference lies primarily about what type of customer they are each targeted towards.

It's also worth noting that one of the key differences between the two is their fees. For example, Skrill charges a 3.99% fee for users to exchange international currency (dropping drastically as one's VIP level increases). In contrast, Payoneer charges a fee of ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.5% above the current interbank exchange rate. This means that you can have varying fees on Payoneer from 2-2.75% plus any applicable fees from your card carrier, whereas those on Skrill remain the same, only changing with VIP fee reductions.

For a full breakdown of each service, keep reading. If you don’t want to, though, the answer is as follows:

Skrill is generally better for those interested in cryptocurrency, gambling, and forex, whereas Payoneer doesn’t touch the cryptocurrency market and is generally better for those with merchant accounts - though Skrill’s business accounts are quite well-supported nonetheless.

Payoneer: The Basics

Let’s start with Payoneer. They’re a well-known cross-border payment processing platform designed to allow businesses and individuals alike to network, connect, and (obviously) send and receive funds. 

So what are the “bullet point offerings” of Payoneer? I’m glad you asked!

• Receiving Cost: Free between Payoneer accounts, 1% via ACH, 3% via credit card

• Sending Cost: Free between Payoneer accounts, 1% via ACH, 2% to another bank account, 3% via credit card

• Transfer Speed: 1-2 days

• Currencies: 150

• Card: Mastercard with a $29.95 annual charge

• International Payments: Payoneer Local Currency Accounts in 200 countries

• Taxes: Tax agreement in the United States with the IRS

• Mass Payments: Allows automated batch payments of up to 200 individual transactions at once

• Business Capital: Merchant cash advances are available through Amazon and Walmart for up to $750,000.

Payoneer Pros

• Business capital is available for merchants

• Mass payments are available in automated batches of up to 200

• Card
  • Can be used with brick-and-mortar retailers and virtual merchants anywhere Mastercard or Visa is accepted.
  • Can be used to withdraw your Payoneer wallet funds from ATMs
• Slightly faster payment processing (start to finish)
• Live customer support

Payoneer Cons

• High fees if both parties involved don’t have a Payoneer account

• Lacklustre mobile app

• The card comes with an annual fee, unlike Skrill (who uses a prepaid card)

• Annual inactivity fee ($29.95)

• No cryptocurrency exchange/trading

Skrill: The Basics

Skrill is a well-known digital wallet service that’s widely available in Europe, Africa, and Asia, though it’s somewhat more restricted in use in the United States. They’re loved for the easy access offered to cryptocurrency, forex trading, and gambling - all with secure and near-instant payment processing.

So what are the “bullet point offerings” of Skrill? I’m glad you asked!

• Receiving Cost: Wire transfers are free in the U.S. and SWIFT is £4.76 per transaction in the U.K.
  • United Kingdom: £4.76 per transaction via SWIFT

• Sending Cost: 
  • United States: 0%
  • United Kingdom: 1%

• Speed: 2-3 days, with some forms of payment being near-instant (verified bank account, credit/debit/Skrill cards)

• Currencies: 40

• Card: Visa or* Mastercard prepaid card, no fees 
  • *Visa is available to users in the United States, and Mastercard for those in Europe.

• International Payments: Over 200 countries are available

• Taxes: No tax agreements

• Mass Payments: Mass payments are available through Skrill API.

• Business Capital: None available

Skrill Pros

• Extremely secure

• Fast (near-instant) payment processing with most forms of payment

• Prepaid card

• Can be used with brick-and-mortar retailers and virtual merchants anywhere Mastercard or Visa is accepted.

• Can be used to withdraw your Skrill wallet funds from ATMs

• Wide application - both mobile and desktop, Android and iOS.

• Both business and individual accounts are available on Skrill

• High-quality mobile app
• Easy access to a secure means to gamble, trade forex, and buy/sell cryptocurrency

Skrill Cons

• No live customer service or support*
  • *They do have an (occasionally useful) chatbot, named Sophia.
• Long verification process

• Takes up to 5 business days. 
  • Unlike Payoneer, you can still use an unverified account for rudimentary, highly limited transactions such as sending money to a friend on Skrill. The limits can be as low as $135 a month (or your local currency’s equivalent amount) on withdrawals, deposits, and transfers.

• Skrill is slightly less established in the United States, only recently bringing the prepaid card and other features to users in the States.
  • Skrill users in the U.S. cannot (in most cases, with rare exceptions) gamble online with Skrill funds due to local gambling laws.

Conclusion

All in all, both Skrill and Payoneer are well-made, secure, and fast forms of payment processing in e-commerce. Individual users will likely find more value in Skrill, whereas business users and merchants will likely find Payoneer to be the better option. 

At the end of the day, the largest differences between the two are the target customer, the fees they charge and that Payoneer has live customer service - something Skrill still doesn’t have.