So, you’re looking for a payment platform that will allow you to open local accounts in several currencies, accept payments from international customers (without auto-converting the money), and send money across borders without excessive fees.
Airwallex and Payoneer both offer these services, but which is the better choice for your business? Obviously, we think Airwallex is, but we’ll admit that we’re biased. So we’ve created this blog to help you make up your own mind.
Compare Airwallex vs Payoneer
Use our table to compare Airwallex and Payoneer on price, fees, FX rates and benefits.
Airwallex vs Payoneer comparison table
Airwallex vs Payoneer comparison table
What is Payoneer?
Payoneer is a payment platform that enables businesses to collect, hold and payout funds in multiple currencies. The platform can also convert funds from one currency to another, offers prepaid debit cards, and integrates with marketplaces such as Airbnb, Amazon and eBay for easy payment acceptance.
Payoneer’s transaction and FX fees are relatively cheap when receiving and paying funds from another Payoneer account. However, fees are considerably higher for transactions to and from other accounts.
What is Airwallex?
Airwallex is a multi-currency business account and payment solution. Like Payoneer, we allow businesses to receive, hold and send funds in multiple currencies. But unlike Payoneer we do not charge transaction or withdrawal fees. That means you can manage your money across borders and currencies for less. Airwallex FX rates are also more competitive than Payoneer.
Airwallex and Payoneer share many of the same features, including the ability to open multiple foreign currency accounts, exchange currencies, and transfer and accept payments internationally. Airwallex also offers virtual debit cards as well as various online payment solutions.
Payoneer alternatives
If you’re looking for an alternative to Payoneer, there are a few options to choose from. As well as Airwallex, Payoneer’s competitors include Wise, Revolut, PayPal and Starling.
If you’d like to see how Payoneer stacks up against the competition, you can check out our business account comparison table and compare different providers on fees, FX rates, customer support and account benefits.
Payoneer’s fees explained
Transaction fees
Payoneer offers free transactions to and from other Payoneer accounts. For all other transactions, they charge a fee. So, unless your clients and suppliers also use Payoneer, you will be charged whenever you collect or send money from your account.
Paying in:
If your clients pay by credit card, Payoneer will charge you 3% of the transaction value. If your clients pay by ACH bank debit (local bank transfer), you’ll be charged 1%.
Payoneer has a relationship with companies including Fiverr, Upwork and Airbnb. The cost of accepting payments from these companies varies depending on each marketplace. You can check their websites for more details.
Paying out:
Payoneer charges a 2% fee unless you’re sending money to another Payoneer account. If you only withdraw 50,000 USD, GBP or EUR in a single calendar month, you will be charged an additional fixed fee of 1.50 to make a USD, GBP or EUR payment:
in the same currency as your balance
to a country which has the same local currency as your balance
to an account in the same country where your Payoneer account is registered
If you withdraw more than 50,000 USD, GBP or EUR in a single calendar month, you will be charged 0.5% of the total withdrawal amount.
Example 1: If you withdraw $40,000 USD on 5th of January you’ll pay a flat fee of $1.50. On 10th January you make a payment to a recipient’s bank account for $10,000 and pay a flat fee of $1.50 ($50,000 cumulative month-to-date). On the 20th January you withdraw $1,000 and pay a $5 fee (at the new rate of 0.5% for transactions above $50,000 in a calendar month). At the beginning of the next calendar month, the threshold resets.
Example 2: If you withdraw $100,000 USD in a single calendar month from your Payoneer account, you will be charged $500.
For more information on Payoneer’s transaction fees, see the fees page of their website.
Withdrawal fees
Payoneer will charge you to withdraw funds from your account into an external account like your business bank account.
If you’re withdrawing funds into a bank account of the same currency, i.e USD into a US Dollar account, Payoneer charges a fixed fee of $1.50.
If you’re withdrawing funds into an alternative currency account, i.e. USD into a pound sterling account, Payoneer charges 2% of the transaction value. You will have to pay this fee in addition to the FX rate.
FX & Transfer fees
Payoneer charges a currency exchange fee of 0.5 - 3% above the mid-market rate. The 0.5% rate applies only if you’re converting funds from one Payoneer account to another. For all other transfers, the higher rate of up to 3% applies.
Card fees
Payoneer charges an annual fee of $29.95 for their prepaid MasterCard debit cards. They also charge ATM withdrawal fees (3.15 USD / 2,50 EUR / 1.95 GBP), and balance enquiries will be an additional 1 USD / 0.87 EUR / 0.65 GBP per enquiry.
Additional fees
Payoneer charges a 0.5% fee to move funds between your currency balances. That’s on top of the FX fee.
If your account is inactive for 12 months, you will be charged a $29.95 fee.
Airwallex fees explained
Zero transaction fees
Airwallex does not charge transaction fees, no matter the currency. This means you can use your Airwallex account to collect, hold and send multiple currencies at zero cost.
We also don’t charge withdrawal fees, meaning you can move funds from your Airwallex account to another bank account for free.
FX rate
Airwallex charges 0.5 - 1% above the interbank rate for currency exchange.
The 0.5% rate applies to Euro, USD, AUD, HKD, CNY, JPY, CAD, CHF, NZD, SGD. The 1% rate applies to other currencies.
Card fees
Airwallex Employee Cards are free for the first 5 cardholders, then come at a cost of £5 per month for each additional card holder. Employee Cards come with the Airwallex Expenses feature, which allows you to easily track, approve and reconcile your expenses online. Airwallex company cards are free and unlimited. You can use Airwallex cards to spend in multiple currencies at home and abroad with 0% transaction fees.
Create new cards in a tap, set spending limits and track spending at a card level in the app.
Payoneer vs Airwallex account features compared
When choosing a payment platform for your business, we know that price is top of mind, which is why Airwallex is committed to providing businesses with the best rates on the market.
But price is not the only consideration. You also need to ensure that your chosen payment solution suits your business’ needs. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how the Airwallex and Payoneer platforms compare on features and benefits.
Currency accounts
Airwallex
Open local accounts in 23+ currencies.
We're constantly adding new currencies. Check out here for the latest information.
Payoneer
Open local accounts in 9 currencies.
Transfers & FX
Airwallex
Transfer funds to 150+ countries
No transaction fees
0.5 - 1% FX rate
Batch payments up to 1000 (free)
Flexible transaction limits
Payoneer
Transfer funds to 195 countries
3% transaction fee unless sending to another Payoneer account
0.5 - 3% FX rate
Batch payments up to 200
1.5 USD / EUR / GBP flat fee for same currency payments below a limit of 50,000 USD / EUR / GBP in a single calendar month. 0.5% of total transaction for same currency payments above the limit of 50,000 USD / EUR / GBP in a single calendar month
Payment acceptance
Airwallex
Free multi-currency collection from platforms including: PayPal, Stripe, Shopify, WooCommerce, Afterpay, Klarna and Amazon.
Free payment collection via bank transfer.
Send multi-currency Payment Links to customers for faster payment at competitive rates (see pricing here).
Integrate Airwallex with your eCommerce store for cost-effective global payment collection.
Payoneer
Collect funds directly from eBay, Amazon, Klarna, Wish, Airbnb, Lazada, Fiverr and 20 other marketplaces (rates vary by market).
Send multi-currency payment requests to customers (3% fee for cards, 1% fee for local bank transfers, unless your customer has a Payoneer account, in which case collection is free).
Cards
Airwallex
Borderless Visa debit cards
No transaction fees
Pay directly from your multi-currency balance at no cost
0.5 - 1% FX fee applies when converting currencies
Issue virtual and physical Employee Cards to your team, upload and approve receipts in a tap and automatically sync your expense data with Xero for an easier way to manage team expenses. Your first five cards are free, additional cards cost £5 per month
Track spending on a card level in the app
Use anywhere Visa is accepted
Payoneer
Pre-paid MasterCard debit card
Annual fee of $29.95
3.5% fee for transactions involving currency conversion
Up to 1.8% for cross-border fee (where merchant country is different from card-issuing country)
3.15 USD / 2.50 EUR / 1.95 GBP ATM withdrawal fee
1 USD / 0.87 EUR / 0.65 GBP for balance enquiry
12.95 USD / 9.95 EUR / 9.95 GBP for card replacement
Use anywhere MasterCard is accepted
Accounting software integration
Airwallex
Integrates with Xero and NetSuite. Quickbooks is coming soon.
Payoneer
Integrates with Quickbooks.
Conclusion
Payoneer offers its customers good value transfers and FX rates when sending and receiving money from another Payoneer account. But when dealing with clients and suppliers who don’t use Payoneer, things can quickly get expensive.
Airwallex offers competitive FX rates and zero transaction fees no matter where you're sending or receiving money from, along with a range of additional benefits that can help you manage your money efficiently across borders.
If you’d like to learn more about Airwallex, sign up for a free account today or click below to watch a 3-minute demo.
