How to receive online invoice payments in any country

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Introduction

I come from the sunny Macedonia, a country where it is really difficult to receive an international online invoice payment. PayPal is not supported, and most of the other global payment providers don’t offer support here as well. The only available option to receive money is via wire transfer, which in many cases is inconvenient, costly, and slow. In fact, over a hundred countries worldwide experience the exact same problem as we do here. Most of the following countries live in a kind of online payment darkness:

List of countries where PayPal is not supported (or it's partially supported)

Africa	Americas	Asia + Pacific	Europe
Angola Benin Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Chad Comoros Congo Cote d'Ivoire Djibouti Egypt Eritrea Ethiopia Gabon Gambia Guinea Guinea-Bissau Kenya Liberia Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mayotte Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda Saint Helena Sao Tome and Principe Sierra Leone Somalia Swaziland Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe	Anguilla Argentina Aruba Bermuda Bolivia British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Costa Rica Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador Falkland Islands Greenland Guatemala Guyana Jamaica Montserrat Netherlands Antilles Nicaragua Panama Paraguay Peru Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Suriname Venezuela	Afghanistan Armenia Bangladesh Bhutan Brunei Cambodia Cook Islands Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Lebanon Macau Maldives Marshall Islands Micronesia Mongolia Nauru Nepal Niue Norfolk Island Pakistan Papua New Guinea Pitcairn Islands Qatar Samoa Solomon Islands Sri Lanka Tajikistan Tonga Turkmenistan Tuvalu Vanuatu Wallis and Futuna Yemen	Andorra Azerbaijan Belarus Faroe Islands Macedonia Monaco Montenegro Russia Svalbard and Jan Mayen Ukraine Vatican City

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One thing that sadden me the most is that there’re lot of smart people in these countries which can offer exceptional products and services globally, but many times they are drawn back just because they are unable to receive an easy payment.

In some countries, there are local payment providers (usually banks), which offer support for online invoice payments via dedicated merchant account, but this can be complicated to set up. You’ll need to go through comprehensive underwriting, and may have a hard time getting approved if you are a brand new business or a freelancer. Even if you get approved, you'll need a sophisticated invoicing software to get things up and running.

After 5 years spent in the field, we recently managed to connect the dots and propose reliable yet simple solution which works nearly in any corner of the world.

In the following guide I’ll try to explain step by step what you’ll need to do in order to get started receiving online invoice payments. The procedure is 100% legitimate and it doesn’t require any hacks or illegal methods (like faking your address of living or opening an offshore company). It also doesn’t require any coding skills, special documentation, or previous knowledge. Most important, you can integrate it by your own and start accepting online payments through your invoices in less than 24 hours.

Before you proceed any further, please note: You'll need an operational website hosted on your domain where you clearly describe your products or services. The site doesn't need to be anything fancy; it is only required in the review process by the payment provider.

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How does this work in a nutshell?

Let’s say you are based in Pakistan and you are doing a contract freelance work for a client based in Australia (example, web design). After the work is done, you want to provide them an online option to pay. How to do it? You need two things:

• billing interface
• payment provider

As a billing interface we're going to use an online invoice*.

*What is invoice?
Invoice or bill is a commercial document issued by the seller and received by the buyer. Seller is the vendor or service provider (in freelancing, usually, freelancer is the seller), while buyer is the customer or client. Invoice contains details for the seller and the buyer, prices and quantities of goods or services, payment methods, the maximum period for which the buyer should make the payment, taxation etc. In other words, sent invoice means that "the receiver owes you money" and received invoice means that "you own money to the sender".

The online invoice is similar to the conventional paper-based invoice, but it is accessible online from any device at any time via a unique link. The online invoice contains an embedded "Pay" button which allows your client to pay instantly with any major credit card, debit card, or PayPal (even if PayPal is not supported in Pakistan - more on this later). The process is fast, secure, and error-free; and usually it results in receiving payments within minutes of sending the invoice. After the payment is made, the funds are collected to an aggregated account provided by the payment provider. From there you can withdraw them to a local bank account, or at ATMs around the globe.

Now let’s dive deeper into this.

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What you’ll need?

1. 2Checkout account - will be used as a payment provider to process and collect payments on your behalf
2. Invoicebus account - will be used as a billing interface to send online payable invoices to your clients
3. Payoneer account - will be used to withdraw your payments at ATMs worldwide. This is optional because you can also withdraw funds to your local bank account directly from your 2Checkout account.

All these services work together, so in order to start receiving online payments through your invoices, you’ll need to interconnect them first:

• 2Checkout connects with Invoicebus and Payoneer
• Invoicebus connects with 2Checkout
• Payoneer connects with 2Checkout

Before I’ll show you how to make these connections, first I’ll give you a quick introduction to each of these services. Then I’ll show exactly how to set them up, how to create a test invoice, and how to make a test payment.

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What is 2Checkout?

2Checkout is a payment provider that offers support for users in 197 countries worldwide. They allow you to accept payment methods like all major credit cards and even PayPal.

Furthermore, they support 87 currencies, allowing you to transact in a currency native to your country:

Afghan Afghani (AFN) Albanian Lek (ALL) Algerian Dinar (DZD) Argentine Peso (ARS) Australian Dollar (AUD) Azerbaijani Manat (AZN) Bahamian Dollar (BSD) Bangladeshi Taka (BDT) Barbadian Dollar (BBD) Belize Dollar (BZD) Bermudan Dollar (BMD) Bolivian Boliviano (BOB) Botswana Pula (BWP) Brazilian Real (BRL) British Pound (GBP) Brunei Dollar (BND) Bulgarian Lev (BGN) Canadian Dollar (CAD) Chilean Peso (CLP) Chinese Yuan (CNY) Colombian Peso (COP) Costa Rican Colon (CRC) Croatian Kuna (HRK) Czeh Koruna (CZK) Danish Krone (DKK) Dominican Peso (DOP) East Caribbean Dollar (XCD) Egyptian Pound (EGP) Euro (EUR) Fijian Dollar (FJD)

Guatemalan Quetzal (GTQ) Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) Honduran Lempira (HNL) Hungarian Forint (HUF) Indian Rupee (INR) Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) Israeli New Shekel (ILS) Jamaican Dollar (JMD) Japanese Yen (JPY) Kazakhstani Tenge (KZT) Kenyan Shilling (KES) Lao Kip, Democratic Rep (LAK) Kyat, Myanmar (MMK) Lebanese Pound (LBP) Liberian Dollar (LRD) Macanese Pataca (MOP) Malaysian Ringgit (MYR) Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR) Mauritanian Ouguiya (MRO) Mauritian Rupee (MUR) Mexican Peso (MXN) Moroccan Dirham (MAD) Nepalese Rupee (NPR) New Taiwan Dollar (TWD) New Zealand Dollar (NZD) Nicaraguan Cordoba Oro (NIO) Norwegian Krone (NOK) Pakistani Rupee (PKR) Papua New Guinean Kina (PGK)

Peruvian Nuevo Sol (PEN) Philippine Peso (PHP) Polish Zloty (PLN) Qatari Riyal (QAR) Romanian Leu (RON) Russian Ruble (RUB) Samoan Tala (WST) Saudi Riyal (SAR) Seychellois Rupee (SCR) Singaporean Dollar (SGD) Solomon Islands Dollar (SBD) South African Rand (ZAR) South Korean Won (KRW) Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR) Swedish Krona (SEK) Swiss Franc (CHF) Syrian Pound (SYP) Thai Baht (THB) Tongan Pa’anga (TOP) Trinidad and Tobago Dollar (TTD) Turkish Lira (TRY) Ukrainian Hryvnia (UAH) United Arab Emirates Dirham (AED) United States Dollar (USD) Vanuatu Vatu (VUV) Vietnamese Dong (VND) West African CFA Franc (XOF) Yemeni Ria (YER)

A great thing about 2Checkout is that even if PayPal is not available in your country, 2Checkout will give your customers an option to pay by PayPal.

How’s that?

They will process PayPal payments on your behalf and automatically deposit the funds to your 2Checkout account (in fact you don't even need a PayPal account). Then you can make withdrawals in a way that works best for you - bank transfer, international wire transfer, or at ATMs worldwide.

Start accepting invoice
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What is Invoicebus?

Invoicebus is an online invoicing service that helps you create, send, and track online payable invoices to your clients. Invoicebus will be used in a combination with 2Checkout to provide an easy-to-use interface so you’ll be able to charge your clients with only a few clicks.

Invoicebus lets you personalize your invoices with your own branding and colors, and write them in a language native to your country. Invoicebus will also help you keep track of all your clients and payments in one central place.

What is Payoneer?

Payoneer is an innovative payment solution that helps you receive payments in multiple ways.

Payoneer will provide a seamless method to withdraw your earnings at ATMs around the globe. Once 2Checkout transfers the funds to your Payoneer account, you can make purchases online, in stores, and at ATMs worldwide to withdraw cash.

Start accepting invoice
payments with 2Checkout

Step 1: Create a 2Checkout account

The first thing you need to do is signup with 2Checkout by submitting a free application. If you already have a 2Checkout account, proceed to Step 2 of this guide. Please note, if you own a 2Checkout account which is connected to another service (or shopping cart) you need to apply for a new account.

Note: Before you submit your application, make sure to check the list of prohibited products and services first.

To complete your application, you'll need to provide the following:

• Information about your business - industry category, product/service description, address, website URL, legal registration (if applicable). If you have not defined a legal structure (you are working freelance for example), you can register as "Sole Proprietorship".
• Business policies including Refund and Privacy statement (if you don’t have any, don’t worry - you’ll be given option to select pre-defined 2Checkout default policies).
• Contact and identification details.

Your application will be reviewed usually within one business day by the 2Checkout underwriting team. Once you get approved, you’ll receive a confirmation email and your account will receive a seller status. Then you’ll become eligible to start accepting payments through your Invoicebus invoices.

Note: In order to get approved you’ll need to provide an operational website where you clearly describe your source of income.

Start accepting invoice
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Step 2: Create an Invoicebus account

Creating an Invoicebus account is very easy and doesn’t require approval. All you need to do is enter your email address and password at the signup page and you are in. After that, your account should be ready to connect with 2Checkout immediately.

Step 3: Connect Invoicebus with 2Checkout

In order to integrate these two services together, you need to manually setup few details in both accounts:

2Checkout Settings:

1. Login to your 2Checkout account
2. Click the Account tab, then click the Site Management sub-category
3. Under Direct Return select Header Redirect (Your URL)
4. Set the Approved URL to https://invoicebus.com/webhooks/2checkout/
5. Click Save Changes
6. Click the Notifications button (small circular button in the upper-right corner of the page)
7. Click Enable All Notifications
8. Under Global Settings set the Global URL to https://invoicebus.com/webhooks/2checkout/
9. Click Apply
10. Click Save Settings

Invoicebus Settings:

1. Login to your Invoicebus account
2. Click Settings
3. Under Payment Settings look for the Connect your 2Checkout account section
4. Enter your Seller ID (your 2Checkout Account Number)
5. Enter your Secret Word (can be found in your 2Checkout account: Account → Site Management → Checkout Options)
6. Click Save

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Step 4: Testing the integration

The easiest way to test the integration is to create an online invoice with Invoicebus and try to make a credit card payment by yourself. No worries, you’ll be able to issue a full refund from the 2Checkout dashboard later on.

Create an online invoice

1. Login to Invoicebus
2. Click New Invoice
3. Fill out the following fields:
   1. Enter your contact details in the upper section. If you have a logo, make sure to include it too (you don’t need it for the test, but when you deal with real clients it will make your documents look more professional and instantly recognizable).

      

   2. In the left section enter the invoice issue date, due date, and currency. The Net field is automatically populated when you set the due date and vice versa. This is because the Net field simply represents the number of days until the invoice becomes due. Leave the P.O.# and the Description field empty.

      

   3. In the right section enter details about your client (billing info). As this is a test invoice and you are sending it to yourself, enter your info here too. It is recommended to enter all details in the following order:
      1. Full name / company name
      2. Street address
      3. City, State, Zip, Country (in this order comma separated)
      4. Phone (and/or Fax, comma separated)
      5. Valid email address
      

      Note: If the address doesn’t contain a State/Province, simply leave this empty and enter just "City, Zip, Country".

   4. Enter a unique Invoice number. This number is chosen by you and it is used for future correspondence. For now, you may use any number.
   5. Enter few test products/services in the itemized list. Use amounts that you think are appropriate for the test (even a dollar should do the job). Subtotals and totals are automatically calculated as you type quantities and prices. This will help you avoid any calculation mistakes.

      

4. Under Invoice Settings → Payment Options, check the box before the Credit Card logos. This will enable the online payment option on the invoice and embed a "Pay Now" button in the client’s preview.

   

   Invoicebus will automatically calculate and display the fee that 2Checkout will charge for this transaction. Please note, this is only an approximation and the real fee might defer.

5. Click Save Invoice.

6. Preview the invoice as a client by clicking the direct link at the bottom of the document. The invoice will open up in a new tab and it should look something like this:

   
7. Click Pay Now.

8. The simple payment form will be shown (also know as direct checkout)*

   

   * The direct checkout allows your clients to pay instantly, without being redirected away to complete the transaction (this also works well on phones and tablets). However, if some of the client information on the invoice are incomplete or missing, the client will be taken to the 2Checkout website to fill out any missing info.

   Enter a valid credit card and press Pay. After the payment is made, your invoice will be marked as paid and you’ll be able to see the transaction in your 2Checkout account. Don’t forget to issue a full refund later on (you can do this by clicking the sale number in your 2Checkout dashboard).

   

   This confirms successful integration and you are ready to start receiving payments through your Invoicebus invoices from any client in the world.

   One more thing:

   In the upper part of the checkout form you may have noticed the PayPal tab. This tab appears automatically if you invoice in one of the following currencies:

   Australian Dollar (AUD) Canadian Dollar (CAD) Euro (EUR) British Pound (GBP) United States Dollar (USD)

   That means, wherever you are based in the world, 2Checkout will be able to process PayPal payment on your behalf and automatically deposit the funds to your 2Checkout account. If the invoice is issued in a currency for which PayPal payments are not supported (example, Pakistani Rupee), the PayPal tab will be hidden in the checkout form, but the client can still pay with any major credit/debit card.

   

   Live version of the invoice used in the previous example can be found here.

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Withdrawals

All received payments are collected into your 2Checkout account. There are 3 options to withdraw funds from your 2Checkout account:

• bank transfer (US/ACH/local transfers)
• international wire transfer (also known as SWIFT payment)
• Payoneer

If you don’t own a local US bank account, the fastest and most cost effective way to receive your payments is on your Payoneer account. If you don’t have a Payoneer account yet, you can quickly apply for free here (this is a referral link and will give you $25 bonus if your register through it).

2Checkout integrates well with Payoneer (see below) and automatically transfers your funds on a weekly basis (every Thursday) if the release level is met. The release level is controlled by you and allows you to instruct 2Checkout to hold funds on your account (instead of disbursing them to you) until they reach the specified level. Once the account has reached this level, payment will be automatically sent. Within 24 hours, you will receive a confirmation email from Payoneer to load the funds in your account.

After you click Confirm, you’ll be given two loading options: standard and immediate. The standard load costs $2 and the funds will be available to your account within 3 business days, while the immediate load costs $5 and the funds will be available within 2 hours. The immediate load also has an option for automatic loading which allows all future payments to be loaded to your Payoneer account without prior confirmation.

In order to connect 2Checkout with your Payoneer account, please follow the procedure described below:

Connect your 2Checkout account with Payoneer

1. Login to your 2Checkout account
2. Go to Account → Bank Account
3. Under Payment Profiles click the Payoneer button (Payoneer Signup screen will open)
4. Login to your Payoneer account
5. Select the card from the drop down list (next to "Accounts")
6. Check whether 2Checkout is listed in the "Accounts associated with this card" box
7. Submit this info
8. Your 2Checkout account is now linked to your Payoneer account.

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Fees

Each of these 3 services employs a certain fee. Below are given more details about these fees.

2Checkout

There’s no cost to setup or maintain a 2Checkout account, you only pay for transactions. The fee per transaction may vary depending on the following:

• Country you are based in
• Country your customer is based in
• Currency conversion rate

For example, if you are based in Pakistan and transact in Pakistani Rupee the fee is 3.9% + 45 cents per successful transaction when you charge customers inside of Pakistan. A cross border fee of 1.5% applies to payments you accept from customers outside of Pakistan. You can find detailed information about the fees here.

Invoicebus

Invoicebus doesn’t charge for transactions but employs a fixed monthly fee ranging from $0.95/mo – $29.95/mo, depending on the plan. The lowest plan which supports 2Checkout integration is Van and costs $0.95/mo. Invoicebus also offers annual and biennial plans, so if you prepay for one or two years in advance, you can receive discounts of up to 30%.

Payoneer

Payoneer account can be opened completely free of charge, but fees apply for account maintenance. The fees apply only if your account is activated i.e., you have received at least one payment to it, otherwise, you don’t need to pay anything. Account maintenance fee is deducted from available balance only. Fees will never drive an account negative and are not incremental. There are also fees for ATM/Cash withdrawals or transactions. Below is given a table with all Payoneer fees.

Tired od waiting for your invoice payments?

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