Withdrawing money from PayPal to your Visa credit card in Mauritius


Recently PayPal has approved the function of receiving money in Mauritius. To be precise since the 13.04.15 PayPal accounts in Mauritius can now receive payments and withdraw funds. This was previously not available for Mauritius. The only function you could use was to make payments via your credit card through PayPal.

In this article I will share with you the details of my communication with PayPal and a local bank and this will make it clearer how you can withdraw the money that someone sends you on PayPal (for example in using your email address) or what options you can choose and what you require to make it work. I will however not go into details how to request someone to send you money as this is quite straightforward in the user area of PayPal once you are logged in.

I’m especially writing this article because if you have a certain habit of how things work with your bank, credit card and PayPal your logic of seeing the steps might be used to a different thought structure, well am speaking of my case here. I just couldn’t get it or it just seemed vague or unclear what is actually meant by withdrawing your money on Paypal. When you do it, what happens!?

Some of my novice questions were also posted in the Mauritius Facebook Blogger group, and while some of my content will appear to be shear simple logic of how it should work and one might wonder – gee doesn’t Dietmar get it… There is no stupid question 🙂

Here you go:
You need a Visa card. It will currently not work with a Master card. And my local bank said a visa debit card cannot be used. (If a visa debit card did work for you, please share infos in the comments section).

When someone sends you money on PayPal, where does it go to?
Once you received payments, it will be posted to your PayPal balance. You have an option to use your PayPal balance for sending payments online or you can also transfer it to a US Bank account (not a US$ Bank account in Mauritius) or to a Visa card that is eligible for withdrawals.

When I receive money on PayPal, does it go directly on my credit cards account (not current account associated with it)?
When someone would send money to you, money will be available first in your PayPal account and not your Visa card. From there you can have the money withdrawn to the bank you prefer (only a bank account in USA) or the visa card. It comes with additional fees, mentioned below.

You will be able to withdraw funds to the Visa card and retrieve the money through an ATM or to your bank depending on the features provided by your bank.

Can I withdraw directly from PayPal to my local bank account in Mauritius?
No.
You cannot add a Mauritius bank account, since local bank accounts are not applicable in your PayPal account. You can only use a Visa card or a US bank account registered with a US address.

Withdrawing to a US bank account would not incur any withdrawal fees it is only when you use your Visa card that you will be charged for a withdrawal fee thus is determined by the card issuer.

If you withdraw money to your visa card, how much fees will it cost?
When it comes to withdrawal fee process associated to Visa Card is $5.00 USD. This fee is applied for every withdrawal with Visa since PayPal is also using their service or feature in withdrawal to card. (Please note that you will also incur charges when you receive money, I will show you an example at the bottom)

Paypal Fees for Withdrawing money to a visa credit card in Mauritius

Paypal Fees for Withdrawing money to a visa credit card in Mauritius

When I withdraw money from PayPal to my Visa credit card, will the money be directly credited to my current account?
No.
It will be on your visa card account, your credit card is an account of its own as well.

Once I have withdrawn money from Paypal to my Visa credit card, how can I retrieve it and what charges will I incur? Can I also transfer it to my current account? (Feedback from MCB)
All withdrawal from a credit card to another account will be considered as cash withdrawal, this can be done on any ATM or depending on the sum, inside the bank. Then the 2% charge will be applied.

You can pay through merchants (retailers) without any charge, as they will pay for the charge.

If someone sends me $110 how much will I effectively have left less PayPal charges and withdrawal charges?
You need to keep in mind that receiving money on PayPal is not for free. They have their charges. The moment someone sends you money, you pay a charge. Then when you withdraw the money on your visa credit card you have another charge. And of course when you withdraw the money from your credit card at an ATM or transfer it to your bank account, you have again some charges (but not to PayPal).

To begin with, any payment (goods or services) received, there is a receiving fee of 3.40% + $0.30 USD (local) and 3.90% + $0.30 USD (international) regardless of the amount you received.

In your example, if you receive $110.00 USD, a fee of $4.04 USD (local) will be assessed and will be deducted from the amount you received. For international, a fee of $4.59 USD will be assessed.

If in case that your withdrawal did not go through (usually if the card issuer refused the funds), a return fee of $10.00 USD will be assessed.

So in Mauritius it will be:
The moment someone sends you $110
$110 less (3.90% = $4.29 + 0.30 = $4.59) = $105.41

Then when you withdraw to your credit card:
$105.41 less $5 = $100.41 goes to your credit card

And then if you retrieve it at an ATM or transfer it your local bank account
100.41 less (2% = 2.01) = $98.40 is what you will have left of the $110 payment you received initially.

We can sum up that this is the amount you pay in total as charges:
PayPal fees $4.59 + PayPal Withdrawal fee $5 + And if you want to retrieve the money from your credit card at an ATM or local bank account $2.01 = $11.60


Other reading material:
Please also read the forum posts in Clever Dodo: Paypal Mauritius can now receive money 🙂

What has your experience been so far in withdrawing money from Paypal in Mauritius? Can you share with us your experience?


142 thoughts on “Withdrawing money from PayPal to your Visa credit card in Mauritius

  1. Yasir

    Hi,

    I have only been receiving from full refunds regarding my ebay transactions. The funds were credited directly to my credit card. In addition to online funding, I have used the payoneer.com as a transfer gateway. They issue debit cards and then you them a fee when you withdraw your fund.

    Yes, you have to pay a commission even if you are swiping your card at super markets.

    Cheers,
    Yasir

     
    Reply
    1. Dietmar Reigber

      Hi Yasir,

      I haven’t looked at Payoneer yet. How high are it’s fees? If you look at our discussion in the bloggers group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mauritianbloggers/permalink/1091161460899842/ scroll down there and you will see that I posted some screenshots or fees that I have extrapolated and for small amounts PayPal isn’t ideal for us here in Mauritius due to the fixed $5 withdrawal fee. Except if you let if in PayPal and pay from Paypal…

      Credit Cards offer some technological advantages but yet I dislike their commissioning system. It should have been just a flat fee in the cents range per transaction and that’s it.

      Do you use a credit card issued by a local bank with Payoneer?

      Best regards,
      Dietmar

       
      Reply
    2. Vince

      There is another alternative to payoneer and Paypal.
      http://www.skrill.com

      It works as payoneer … you can have a Skrill Card to withdraw and pay in shops. You can also send money by swift transfer to your account.

      You must compare the fees

       
      Reply
  2. Karoumee

    Hi everyone

    I would like to know how i can set up an account on payoneer for mauritius given that mauritius does not appear in the list of countries ?

    Thabk you

     
    Reply
    1. Dietmar Reigber

      Hi Karoumee,

      thanks for joining in the discussion. Yasir can probably answer that better than me, I haven’t tried Payoneer at all yet. Else we can also try the Mauritius Blogger group on Facebook as some users have it there. I had similar issue on Amazon when I tried to order a book to Mauritius 🙁

       
      Reply
  3. Nad

    Hi! This blog is really helpful. Thanks!! I would like to ask whether you have an idea on the fee paid while withdrawing money from an ATM in Mauritius, when using a US bank account?

     
    Reply
    1. Dietmar Reigber

      Hi Nad!

      thanks for bringing up this question and happy to read that you like my blog and that you found the post useful. The fees associated to your credit card when retrieving money abroad will depend on your card issuer and bank. Visa and MasterCard usually levy a 1 percent fee on international transactions while your bank will add on top an additional 1-3% for the currency conversion. Debit cards, those that you can load with cash come with high fees and might not prove to be an interesting alternative if you want to save on costs. If you pay a lot of small purchases with your US Credit card, you might end up paying a lot of summed up fees. Best is to take out cash at the ATM and pay with that. My answer is only to give you an idea but not a precise answer, for this you will need to check in the small print of the contract of your credit card with your bank.

      Best regards,
      Dietmar

       
      Reply
      1. Nad

        Thank you for your reply. Some ATMs have fees as well when international credit cards are used, ( in addition to the currency conversion/bank fees.) Could you suggest which ATMs in Mauritius are more likely to charge a minimal fee? Thanks again.

         
      2. Dietmar Reigber

        I see, that makes like 3 different fees:
        1. ATM fee
        2. Currency conversion fee
        3. Bank fee

        I don’t know the ATMs fee structures, that would interest me as well how they are structured and which one is cheaper or how their pricing works.

         
  4. Keshav

    Hello,
    i have just requested a withdrawal via mcb prepaid credit card (Visa),
    It’s still pending. Do you have any idea why is it so?
    Thanks

     
    Reply
    1. Dietmar Reigber

      Hi Keshav!

      at Paypal to your visa prepaid card? Just to get the facts right, this is a visa debit card right? (I would logically assume so…)

      I don’t think that this will work out, see in my article above: “And my local bank said a visa debit card cannot be used. (If a visa debit card did work for you, please share infos in the comments section).” I got my info for this by enquiring at the same bank in question. But please do check with your bank issuing the card and in case you managed to make it work let us know as this will be good to know for others.

      Best regards,
      Dietmar

       
      Reply
  5. Keshav

    It’s still pending. I needed to wait for 72hours. It’s already over and withdrawal still pending :S

     
    Reply
  6. Susan

    hi, I also wrote to Paypal directly asking about this new feature and they told me its not possible to receive and withdraw money to Mauritius ? For whom did the stuff work ?

     
    Reply
    1. Dietmar Reigber

      Hi, recently PayPal has approved the function of receiving money in Mauritius. To be precise since the 13.04.15 PayPal accounts in Mauritius can now receive payments and withdraw funds. I wrote them and they confirmed this to me. It depends what you asked them and for which type of card.

       
      Reply
  7. Susan

    I was also thinking may be its an issue where the Pp account has been registered. Mine is registered as. A business a Pp business account in Mauritius. Is yours perhaps a German one ?

     
    Reply
    1. Dietmar Reigber

      It would be good to know if Paypal does make a differentiation between personal & business account when it comes to accepting sent payments. I do not have any infos about this aspect. If you enquire with them, it would be great if you can let us know the outcome. Though I don’t think there should be much difference… And you need to be using a Visa Credit Card and not prepaid card. See article.

       
      Reply
  8. outam

    hello everyone
    can anyone tell me ki card mo bzn apply e ki bank pu mo cv withdraw money from paypal to this card?
    anyone please. mn essaaiy ek sbm prepaid card lli pa marcer.any one

     
    Reply
    1. Dietmar Reigber

      Hi Outam,

      visa prepaid or debit card will not work. According to information I received from Paypal itself, it should work with a normal visa credit card. Any bank – if you are at SBM, try them. Please also bear in mind that there are various fees, see article above. If you are going to get a small amount via Paypal, might not worth it to use Paypal, look at alternatives, have a look at http://www.payoneer.com/ I haven’t used them but please let us know in the future if you managed to get it to work with the funds retrieval. Best regards, Dietmar

       
      Reply
      1. outam

        HELLO
        thanks for the reply.
        well i m actually selling things on ebay so i getting some of my payments there.
        so withdrawing when threshold 200$ are met will be the most profitable.
        thanks you for the info/
        .i will keep you updated

         
      2. Preetam

        Dear Outam

        I am Preetam. I also want to start selling on eBay and amazon and I want some kind of from you more precisely about receiving payment.

         
  9. Susan

    hi again, ok I organized now finally the mCB prepaid card and now they told you that it would work with normal cc ? Well I have now both and will try to link either or in the next two days. I will post an update if I have been lucky or not. MCB itself confirmed that it is working with the prepaid card. Wish me luck =)

     
    Reply
    1. Dietmar Reigber

      Hi Susan,

      it works with a normal visa card, but not with any debit or prepaid cards. Ofcourse we remain curious to know of any test results, so if you were successful with the prepaid card, let us know! Maybe the person that confirmed you that wasn’t very precise…

       
      Reply
  10. Susan

    May be another feature which could be interesting for anyone doing online sales in other countries could be the option 2checkout.com . We have this linked to our American online shop and with their service we can get the funds into our MCB bank account. The fees are steep though but still its a way to sell in America or Europe.

     
    Reply
  11. Yuv

    Hello,
    Thanks for the post.

    I have a business account on paypal with a master card credit card and a visa prepaid card.
    By going through the comments it seems that i cannot receive any payment to any of my cards right?

    Anyone was successful in getting their funds on the prepaid visa card by mcb? It would be great if you could share your tests.

    I also have a payoneer card but cannot add it to my paypal. probably because the balance is empty.

    @Susan & Keshav – have you guys succeeded in retrieving money to your prepaid cards??

     
    Reply
    1. Dietmar Reigber

      By going through the comments it seems that i cannot receive any payment to any of my cards right?

      Right. You would need a normal visa card (that is not a debit/prepaid card) for it to work.

      Anyone was successful in getting their funds on the prepaid visa card by mcb? It would be great if you could share your tests.

      Am curious to know as well.

      I also have a payoneer card but cannot add it to my paypal. probably because the balance is empty.

      Might not be optimal… have a look at this thread here: PayPal issues with Accepting Payoneer

       
      Reply
      1. Yuv

        I think the payoneer issue is only for adding US Payment (bank) to paypal and not cards. Payoneer is not a bank but you could use it as a bank on paypal years ago until paypal decided to stop accepting payoneer as a bank. I think you can still use the prepaid card though.

        Can someone confirm??

         
  12. Susan

    I did not try to withdraw yet with either pre paid or normal visa card. I set up the PP account as a business one on the company name . But my cards are issued on my personal name so now if I click on PP “withdraw money” and I choose to get it to the card it shows as “name on card” the company name and I can’t change that. I have to set up a new account on my personal name and then I can try. Just so busy at the moment did not get time for it yet. But I ll def. post my experience when I have done the new set up…

     
    Reply
    1. Yuv

      Oh ok.
      I would have tried already with my prepaid card, my paypal account is empty right now.

      I am also trying to gey some funds on my payoneer card, but can’t seem fo find a solution.

      Do let us know about your results 🙂

      Thanks

       
      Reply
    2. Matt

      Hi, were you able to withdraw via mcb prepaid visa card as I called paypal today and they told me that you can withdraw with any visa card whether its prepaid or normal cc. I will also call mcb and ask them tomorrow.

       
      Reply
  13. Yuv

    Hi,
    i haven’t been able to try the prepaid card yet as my business is still pending with paypal at the moment.
    But let us know if you tried it or have any information that MCB told you. When i was at MCB to get my prepaid card they told me the only way to refill my prepaid card was via sms or internet banking.
    Then i asked the person if i could withdraw from paypal but the latter was not sure and told me that i need to try and see.

    Regards
    Yuv

     
    Reply
    1. Matt

      I did not try to withdraw as when i called MCB, they told me that they don’t accept withdrawal from prepaid card and you can withdraw only by a visa CC.But I found a method to withdraw from paypal to skrill and through skrill you can withdraw same day on your bank account.

       
      Reply
      1. Yuv

        Hi Matt.

        This seems interesting, but could you tell us if there are any fees? From paypal to skrill and from skrill to cc/bank. It would be pointless if the fees are high in %.

        Thanks

         
  14. Matt

    @Dietmar
    You can withdraw from skrill to your local bank and when i requested withdrawal, i got it same day on mcb bank account.

    @Yuv

    It will cost you like $10 only to transfer the money from paypal to a site, the withdraw it to skrill and 1 day from skrill to your local bank account. You can also withdraw from skrill to payoneer using your US bank service.

     
    Reply
  15. Susan

    hi =) I can confirm IT WORKS TO GET THE PP FUNDS ON A MAURITIAN VISA CARD. It is a normal one not a prepaid. It costs 5 usd fee and about 5 days later the balance is on the card. Best is if you spend the money with the card then again so there are no additional fees like when you withdrawal cash with it…very happy =)

     
    Reply
  16. Nat

    Hey everyone, I used a paypal acc which was opened in Dubai and had no issues withdrawing funds to my Visa Prepaid Card but since yesterday I’m having this error message that withdrawal failed 🙁 Do you think that they don’t withdraw to prepaid card anymore? Thanks for the precious info. I didn’t know that a Mauritian Paypal Acc could receive funds now. I think I’m going to open one here so I can get my funds if withdrawal work on VISA CC. Have a great day.

     
    Reply
    1. Nat

      Ignore message above. I’ve successfully withdrawn my funds to a VISA CREDIT CARD (MCB)

      Finally, Paypal doesn’t allow withdrawals to Prepaid Card anymore regardless of the country in which your Paypal acc has been registered.

      Problem solved.

      Thankyou Dietman for your life saving posts. If I didn’t come across tour webpage, I would still be waiting for Paypal to reply and wouldn’t know that Prepaid Card are not accepted and that a Mauritian Paypa Acc can now receive funds.

      You made my day. Massive hugs to you loOl 🙂

      Have a great day!

       
      Reply
  17. Avinash Mayaram

    Hi!

    I also withdrew some money from my Paypal account to my Visa credit card account in MCB. It cost 5 USD as you said. But how do you know when it is available on the credit card? I get a credit card statement every month, I will know then, but are you able to check any time you want, in internet banking maybe? I asked the bank and they did not reply yet.

     
    Reply
    1. Dietmar Reigber

      Hi Avinash,

      in my online banking I also added the credit card and I can see all actual transactions, it’s very practical because you can see your transactions that you have done without needing to wait one month until you get the credit card statement and on top you also see what conversion rate they used if you paid in dollars and euros etc. If you cannot see your credit card under “Account Information” in your online banking, contact your bank account manager and ask them what steps are required for you to have your credit card listed there. Unfortunately email communication is sometimes slow, they do respond but in many cases I had to send reminders. This is something where banks in Mauritius still lag behind A LOT! Call them as well.. Am not sure if this costs an additional fee to have your credit card read only transactions shown online OR if by default when you get your MCB Visa Credit Card that it will show in your online banking section. Let us know how you progressed and if things worked out for you, will you cash in the Paypal money via ATM? Or make them do a transfer at the bank to your bank account? All infos you share helps us all to get a better understanding. Best regards, Dietmar

       
      Reply
      1. Avinash Mayaram

        Thanks!

        Ok, I will add the card in my internet banking. Indeed, when I phone them they are clueless, it seems they are a little faster on emails. I was planning on cashing the money at the ATM, but I didn’t think about the transfer to my account. This time, I think I will cash it in, just for the pleasure of seeing real internet money turned into cash! Ok, I will let you know, it should take a few more days now.

         
      2. Dietmar Reigber

        Transfer to account will most likely imply fees, I speculate they could be higher than retrieval at ATM. Now this would also be interesting to know, if it works and what it costs if you do transfer on your account and also if its a burdensome procedure, like requiring you to wait a lot at the bank… If you happen to get or have any infos on that, how it went, that would be great to know.

         
  18. Nat

    Hi Avinash,

    Some months ago when I used to withdraw funds to my prepaid card, the status was marked as “Pending”. The transfer transaction took only 1 day and then the status of my paypal showed “Completed”. And when I checked my balance on my prepaid card, the funds were indeed credited. Last week when I withdrew the funds to my Visa CC, the status was immediately shown as completed and I got my funds on the very next day. I think as soon as your status is changed to completed, you should receive your funds by the following day. I’m telling my own experience. Have a great day.

     
    Reply
    1. Avinash Mayaram

      Thank you!

      Finally, I just did a statement at the ATM. Indeed, the funds were credited from Paypal to the credit card account on the same day I did the Withdraw, and it was marked Complete.

      I could retrieve the money as cash (not the exact amount because the ATM only accepts figures such as 100 Rs, not 150 Rs. ). When I do a statement just after retrieving the cash, it is not recorded yet. I think it’s recorded on the next day.

      I also did an automatic payment on Internet some days after the Withdraw, and it decreased my credit on the credit card account on the statement.

      This month, there will be no credit card auto-repayment on my bank account, because the amount in my credit card account is still positive.

       
      Reply
      1. Dietmar Reigber

        Thanks for sharing Avinash! Great to know that all these steps such as withdrawal from Paypal to CC, cashing in via ATM and infos recorded on bank statement work and what to expect.

         
  19. Yuv

    Great feedback Avinash, thanks for the details.

    @Nat, Are you talking about prepaid cards or credit cards? I’m a bit confused. Can we withdraw to prepaid cards??

     
    Reply
  20. Nat

    Withdrawals to prepaid card don’t work anymore. Some months ago I used to withdraw my funds to my SBM SMILE but I was about to withdraw my funds a couple weeks ago and withdrawal failed. I thought the SBM has put a withdrawal limit on the card because a Paypal guy told me this. And then I cam across SILOI.NET where I read that withdrawal can be done towards a normal VISA CC.

     
    Reply
  21. Avinash Mayaram

    Hi!

    At my request, MCB made my credit card account visible on my internet banking, so I can see a little more what’s happening. It’s available in Cards, and in Account Information.
    I don’t have yet the option to directly transfer from credit card account to savings account. I will request that next.
    Looks like the MCB ATM cash retrieval fee is at least 50 Rs for me.
    I just did another withdraw from Paypal to the credit card, today. It does not appear yet in the internet banking, but it’s already Complete in Paypal, so it won’t be long now.

     
    Reply
    1. Dietmar Reigber

      Hi Avinash,

      thanks for sharing with us your experience.

      I don’t have yet the option to directly transfer from credit card account to savings account. I will request that next.

      Is this function possible to book with MCB? (Interesting to know if this is an add on where per click you can do this kind of transfer without the need to go to an ATM)

      Looks like the MCB ATM cash retrieval fee is at least 50 Rs for me.

      I also pay this fee when I do a bank transfer from MCB to other local banks not part of the MCB network like SBM, HSBC and so on.

       
      Reply
      1. Avinash Mayaram

        Hi!

        I got a call from MCB, and it’s possible to transfer from the credit card to a savings account directly in the internet banking but it’s not a button. I need to send a mail inside the internet banking, when I want the transfer, and they will do it for me, for the usual 2 % fee (50 Rs fee minimum). It’s the mail icon on top right. Also check the inbox tab, because they sometimes reply to queries there.

        I don’t need to go to the ATM anymore!

         
      1. Dietmar Reigber

        Hi Arun,

        it should be a visa. Credit Card – Classic should be all right the primo one seems to be mastercard only.
        I use business card visa.

        Best regards,
        Dietmar

         
      1. Arun

        Thank for the Reply

        I have try to withdraw Funds with my Smile Card and Paypal Status is mark as “Completed”
        I Hope all goes well.

         
      2. Dietmar Reigber

        Would be interesting to know if this works and that the amount withdrawn from Paypal will actually really show up on the cards balance for you to retrieve at an ATM as this is a SBM prepaid card. (It shouldn’t work) but it would be interesting to know if it DID! Let us know pls.

         
  22. Arun

    I sure let you know if it work.
    SBM told me that i cant Withdraw Via Smile Card and if i did, The money will go back to Paypal.

    Thank

     
    Reply
  23. Susan

    Hi guys, we want to expand to sell our products on Amazon. But we need an American bank account for that.

    As mentioned earlier in this thread Payoneer offers this option.

    But as far as I see this , you can then just transfer the payoneer funds to PP and from there then to your Visa CC. Of course this is a high fee producing course.

    Does anyone have expirience with a Payoneer account and is there a possibility to get the funds from there to a Mauritian bank account or CC directly ? Thanks

     
    Reply
    1. JoKi

      Hi Susan,

      I have a Payoneer account/card and yes it comes with an American bank account which you can use to receive funds from Amazon. It is directly linked to your Payoneer CC and doesn’t involve any PayPal handling at all. Transfer to a local bank in Mauritian is obsolete IMHO as you can simply use the credit card as you go.

      Fees for the Payoneer CC are either $3 or $1 per month depending on purchases done with it. I usually use it for purchases on either Google Play Store, or back to Amazon 🙂

      Regards, JoKi

       
      Reply
    1. outam

      of coourse you can
      depan de c ki tp vnder al l\a poste dir air mail e so boite carton li 15rs.max weight li 6lbs. poids plis ki sa mo pa tro know. al la poste castel.phoenix etc c bn gopia ki ena laba.zt pa pu cv repon to kestion. e shipping cost max rate li 600 first lb then additional lb li 200rs.my email is outamgon@live.com si bzn laid contact

       
      Reply
      1. Dietmar Reigber

        Thanks for your collaboration Outam. Bizin prend contact ek Mr Caumul, li comprend domaine ecommerce la bien ek ban besoin pou ban commercant online. I met him once, very helpful.

         
  24. Susan

    hi guys, you can sell on Ebay as like described above you can receive money via Paypal now without a problem. You just have to tackle the shipping issue as shipping via Fedex or DHL from Mauritius is very costly and the normal Post does take nearly a month to arrive. Best is if you have the option to send your products in bulk to America and have someone there to send your products out after the order from Ebay comes in.

    For the selling on Amazon you need an American bank account . This works just via the service of Payoneer. I applied for it and am waiting at the moment for the Payoneer card to arrive, as on this card the funds will be transferred from the American bank account Payoneer offers you. A transfer from this Payoneer bank account to a Mauritian bank account IS NOT POSSIBLE, you can use only the card itself after funds have been transferred. Of course fees apply when you use the card.. I will send an update as soon as things moved forward here.

     
    Reply
      1. Davis

        Hi. Here is the answer provided to le by eBay when I asked if I could use a visa prepaid card in Mauritius to withdraw money : “Thank you for getting back to us. For your follow-up inquiry , if you can withdraw it to a Visa card, the answer is YES! For Mauritius PayPal account you can manually transfer the money from your PayPal balance to a US bank or a Visa prepaid/credit/debit card, as long as there is a withdrawal feature on this card.”

         
      2. Dietmar Reigber

        Hi Davis,

        thanks for sharing this input. However this is Paypals answer and it doesn’t not fully reflect reality of Mauritius. As other users have confirmed who tried with a Visa Prepaid card, it doesn’t work for Mauritius. What I noted in their response is: “as long as there is a withdrawal feature on this card.” Seems like Banks in Mauritius do not offer these kinds of cards. So you will have to opt for a normal visa credit card.

         
      3. Davis

        Hi. You are right. I got a new Visa card at Mcb and it doesn’t work. It says I need to add a US Bank account in order to withdraw funds. Will it still say that when I add a credit card or will it accept the credit card ?

         
      4. Dietmar Reigber

        I got a new Visa card at Mcb and it doesn’t work.

        What kind of credit card did you get? Prepaid?

        It says I need to add a US Bank account in order to withdraw funds.

        That’s your other option when you cannot withdraw on card. But not ideal solution for us here in Mauritius.

        Will it still say that when I add a credit card or will it accept the credit card ?

        It works with a normal visa credit card. (I don’t know what exactly the paypal page will inform you with, but if anyone else reading has this info or screenshots welcome).

         
  25. Preetam

    Dear all

    I want to start selling a product on eBay and Amazon the problem with receiving payment from money PayPal is solve now. But my next trouble is about postage. I get the rate from FedEx and it very expensive compare when we buy from US or UK. Anybody can help me to explain the best posting mode to use. My products are 5 kg and 9 kg respectively and are in carton box.

     
    Reply
    1. Dietmar Reigber

      Hi Preetam,

      Mauritius Post now offers solutions for online businesses in Mauritius. You might also want to compare rates of EMS, its a bit cheaper. I would suggest you to contact Mr Caumul (Marketing Executive) he can advise you regarding Postage at:

      The Mauritius Post Ltd
      3 Dumas Street, Port Louis, Mauritius, 11327
      T:+230 2082851, D:+230 2118423, M:+230 5754 4249, F:+230 2130392

      Best regards,
      Dietmar

       
      Reply
      1. Jerry

        Its a Visa Classic from MCB. I’ve contacted paypal about withdrawing, they says its not actually possible in Mauritius. Weird!! As per your article date, you were able to withdraw successfully. Paypal has been undergoing some changes, its website has greatly changed. Any luck withdrawing recently?

         
      2. Dietmar Reigber

        Hi Jerry,

        thanks for sharing. Changes are always possible in this constantly changing area and its effects can be hard for us doing ecommerce from Mauritius. Sometimes its not only depending on Paypal but on local regulators… It would be great if we can get some more feedback from others if this withdrawing function is not active anymore or not working for those that used it before. I myself do not have any possibility to test this option for the moment. Should work with your visa classic, i checked its description here Individual Cards Credit Card – Classic. Would be a big minus if this stops working for Mauritius.

         
  26. Preetam

    Hi Dietmar

    I was about to start selling on eBay since everything was cleared about receiving money from PayPal from a vcc now I read the post of Jerry and do know what to do.

     
    Reply
    1. Dietmar Reigber

      Hi Preetam,

      don’t worry, it’s a Paypal issue. It should work soon again. See here their message to me:

      “Dear Dietmar Reigber,

      My name is Monna your Specialist.

      I really love to give you a courtesy call using the phone number: *** but I received your email outside your country’s calling hours (1:50AM).

      I know that you want to withdraw the funds to a Visa Card and I’m so sorry if you’ve been asked to add a bank where it shouldn’t be that way (although that’s another withdrawal option).

      PayPal is continuously innovating our features for all users worldwide, withdrawing funds to a Visa Card might be affected. Rest assure that this is just a system update and it won’t affect the good standing of your PayPal account.

      As an alternative resolution, please log out from your PayPal account, then follow this secured link to withdraw the money: http://www.paypal.com/wdfunds.
      However, please make sure that there’s a Visa card linked to your PayPal account.

      In the event that still our system will ask you to add a bank account, please get back to us and we’re the one who will take care of it for you once a balance that needs to be withdrawn.

      Should you and your friends need assistance, let them know about us so that we can help them out as well.

      Sincerely,

      Monna
      PayPal Customer Solutions”

      That should answer your question 🙂

       
      Reply
      1. Jerry

        Hi Dietmar,

        Thanks for this information. Indeed I’ve tried the withdrawal link given by Monna & I can confirm that it allows me to withdraw from my VISA Credit Card.
        However, for me, I already done some work-around with Payoneer Prepaid Card. This is what i’ve done:

        1. Exchanged my $57 Paypal to $50 Payoneer from a friend, the $7 includes fees from sending PP and the rest his profit from the exchange. Now i have $50 in my Payoneer which I will withdraw today afternoon at an MCB ATM, and there is more fees coming. Per Payoneer withdrawal, there is a $3.19 fee and I think more fees at ATM Master Card. Im expecting to receive net $43, hopefully.

        2. Payoneer offers a U.S Virtual Bank Account and as I seen on the net, it is possible to add this Bank in your Paypal Banking Information thus withdrawing your Paypal free of charge, processed within 3-4 business days. I have not yet tested this one as Payoneer requires document proof of your identity.

        Im currently testing possible ways to withdraw “Web Money” to Mauritius and shall keep you informed about:

        1. Today’s Payoneer withdrawal at MCB ATM
        2. Adding Bank details to Paypal and withdraw it to Payoneer
        3. If withdrawing Paypal to VISA Credit Card is still possible (But at the end of the month )

        Thanks

         
      2. Dietmar Reigber

        Hi Jerry,

        that’s great news! Thank you for this confirmation regarding the withdrawal and the future details you will be providing the community. We will all definitely benefit and be a bit wiser after.

        So around $14 in fees until you have it in rupee cash.

        Interesting that via Payoneer you don’t necessarily need a visa then!
        Did it take long to receive the prepaid master card from them via post?

        It would also be interesting to know that when you withdraw to your Payoneers virtual bank account from PayPal if you can directly use the prepaid card to use up the amount of your virtual account (if its automated…), though considering the logic of a prepaid card I suppose you will have to load the card with funds first and how high fees would be to do that: payoneer virtual bank account > prepaid card > get cash out at ATM scenario?

        Would also be great to know if you can make a bank transfer to Mauritius from the virtual bank account. For larger amounts this would be very economical as you wouldn’t be paying a commission (depending now on ATM fees how much they charge in comparison and if the platforms where withdrawal is done takes a commission), usually bank transfers are at around $35-40 to Mauritius.

        Catch up soon!

         
  27. Yuv

    Hi Jerry and Dietmar,

    Talking about payoneer, i don’t think you can add it to your paypal anymore. They do not support payoneer since last year if im not mistaken, because payoneer is not a real bank. I have a payoneer since more than 2 years and was never able to add this to my paypal account.

    Maybe i’m wrong. I would like to know your experience on this. Keep us posted. I will try again to add my payoneer to my paypal as well.

    Regards
    Yuv

     
    Reply
  28. tony

    Hi,
    I’ve been using payoneer since a few years now with paypal (i created a fake one in another country using a VCC because we could not receive money in mauritius at that time). It worked very well and it still works. However since a few years paypal is no more accepting payoneer bank account. Old account that has added it before this policy are still but new ones cannot add a payoneer bank. Google for more information.

    http://community.payoneer.com/en/discussion/28581/paypal-is-not-accepting-payoneer-27-august-2015

     
    Reply
  29. Jerry

    Dear All,

    As planned, yesterday I was successfully able to withdraw my cash!!….
    However, i’ve gone through some fees…again..

    First of all, we all need to understand that Payoneer is the “best way” to withdraw your cash, considering Paypal cannot be withdrawn to Mauritius and that you don’t trust anybody on the net to exchange your Paypal to Western Union. However, signing up on Payoneer and receiving your Prepaid Card in 20 days is free..till you got more than $30 on your account, thats the annual Card fee for their service.

    Check this image for the fees
    http://postimg.org/image/v8pfq4e85/

    Shortly resumed,
    1. Converting Payal to Payoneer
    $57 Paypal >>> Minus $7 >>> $50 Payoneer

    2. Payoneer Annual Fee
    $50 >> Minus $29.95 >>> $20.05

    3. Withdrawing from MCB ATM
    See by yourself
    http://postimg.org/image/klcttkcb7/

    The two $1 transaction was for ATM Decline fees (Insufficient Funds)
    There was $18.05 left on my Account
    The $14.99 is my withdrawal of $11.8 , including the $3.19 fees

    So, Dietmar, to answer your questions,

    1. It took less than 25 days for me to receive my Payoneer Card.
    2. This Card is directly linked to your Payoneer account i.e when your account is loaded with cash, the same amount is reflected and can be used/withdrawn from your card.
    3. Local bank transfers from Payonner is actually not supported for Mauritius.
    4. Minimum transfer amount from one Payoneer to another on is $50
    5. Paypal is still the best “economical” way to withdraw your funds.

    I shall keep you guys informed about adding that Virtual Bank Account in Paypal

     
    Reply
    1. Dietmar Reigber

      Hi Jerry,

      “First of all, we all need to understand that Payoneer is the “best way” to withdraw your cash, considering Paypal cannot be withdrawn to Mauritius and that you don’t trust anybody on the net to exchange your Paypal to Western Union.”

      Actually this gives us 2 options with various possibilities.
      PAYPAL
      This should work with PAYPAL, according to the formula of:
      1. Having a normal visa credit card (not prepaid) with your local bank
      2. Retrieve from Paypal to normal visa credit card
      3. Retrieve your cash from normal visa credit card at ATM.
      (We need to keep in mind information & functions can change anytime)

      And then the PAYONEER options as you described.

      “Check this image for the fees
      http://postimg.org/image/v8pfq4e85/

      What is excellent here is that they do not take a percentage commission and just a FIX fee.

      “The two $1 transaction was for ATM Decline fees (Insufficient Funds)”
      How quickly this can escalate into lost costs, Rs.70 gone 😉
      Were you trying to retrieve more than $20?
      This means anyone going to make retrievals needs to do the maths first, amount + fees, else trial and error + pay for it!

      Seems like there is a surchage of 4c from the ATM, as normal fee is $3.15 according to screenshot. http://postimg.org/image/v8pfq4e85/

      So let’s do some sum up:
      Via Payoneer we in Mauritius can get access to a prepaid card that we can use:
      1. locally to buy stuff
      2. also online
      3. and on top to retrieve cash at an ATM.

      4. It can also be added in Paypal and on it we can withdraw. (While this PREPAID card works compared to those in Mauritius that do not, this is also a solution for those who prefer prepaid cards than a normal credit card – correct so far Jerry?)

      Points 1-4 so far correct?

      That’s kind of cool the possibilities with Payoneer, a complete different work around. We should do a comparison of fees as well in the future… Price of local credit card, fees of payoneer, fees of paypal.

      Now let’s see if you will have success with the virtual bank account. | There were comments raised that this doesn’t work like here in the community: PayPal is not accepting Payoneer 27-August-2015 (I will also enquire in parallel with Paypal, it wouldn’t be a clean solution if it works while Paypal says it does or doesn’t, would be great to have a clear answer from them. So we catch up a bit later on this)

      (We need to keep in mind information & functions can change anytime, we are only exchanging information that we get – from which we learn and it can help ecommerce marketeers in Mauritius – it is not US who determine the rules of all these providers who can change their rules anytime! So in case if you read here some months later, it could be rules & fees have changed. Also always do your own thorough research.)

       
      Reply
      1. Dietmar Reigber

        I got feedback from Paypal, in short summary:

        1. You cannot use the Payoneer Prepaid MasterCard to make withdrawals at Paypal.

        2. You cannot add virtual bank accounts on Paypal.

        Here is the full message:

        Dear Dietmar Reigber,

        Thank you for contacting PayPal, my name is Jose.

        I understand that you have an inquiry regarding adding financials issued by Payoneer. I know that this is important and I will do my best to help you with this.

        To answer your first question, the MasterCard offered by Payoneer can be added to the PayPal account however please note that this can only be used as a funding source when sending payments. The MasterCard can not be used for withdrawals.

        Regarding the bank account linked to the Payoneer MasterCard, this can not be added to the PayPal account.

        The type of U.S. bank account that PayPal accepts is a U.S. bank account that is located in U.S. soil. Payoneer is the type of bank account that is applied for via online. Payoneer accounts are classified as virtual bank accounts. In order for PayPal to be a safer community, the use of virtual bank accounts is not allowed in PayPal.

        This process of blocking Payoneer bank accounts started June 2014. If you know someone who has a Payoneer bank account on their PayPal account, it is most likely that they had added that bank account prior to June 2014.

        For sending payments, you can use any credit/debit card with a VISA, MasterCard, American Express or Discover logo.

        If you will be receiving payments, you can use any U.S. bank account that is located in U.S. soil or you can also withdraw money to a card with a VISA logo.

        We value you as part of the PayPal family. Our aim is to satisfy all your needs and give you the best customer experience. If you have questions in the future, please let us know.

        Sincerely,
        Jose
        PayPal

         
  30. Nat Caesar

    Hi everyone,

    I used to withdraw funds to my prepaid sbm smile card but as you all know this ain’t possible now and I’ve got my new visa CC. But while attempting to withdraw my funds, I was limited to $500 only. My account is business type a/c, verified of course. Is this the limit for a business account? :/

    I have $1500 which is my salary for the past month which was stuck on paypal because I was waiting for my CC. Shall I withdraw my funds thrice and then pay $5 each time? Is there any way I can withdraw my funds at once?

    Thanks a lot for your support.

     
    Reply
    1. Dietmar Reigber

      Hi Nat,

      can you give us more details about the limit? Steps taken and how the limit message was displayed to you? Is it on Paypals side or your banks CC? If its on banks side, you can raise its limit.

       
      Reply
    2. Neervana Burgus

      Hey Nat, i am having the same issue as you. I still have some funds in my paypal account and i usually use my dad’s HSBC credit card to withdraw my funds. Recently they called and said I cannot withdraw my funds since it is considered as a “revenue”.

      I am unemployed and i do not have a credit card on my name, and i used to do some little tasks on Fiverr and it is my revenue from the latter.

      Can you tell me how can i withdraw my funds from paypal to a card??? Thanks in advance ^_^

       
      Reply
      1. Nat

        Hello Neervana,

        Our issues are slightly different. Mine is resolved now and I’m sure yours too. 😉

        Who called you to tell you that you can’t withdraw your money because it’s considered as a revenue?

        I don’t think you should encounter any problem withdrawing your funds to your VISA CC, regardless of the card issuer. As long as it is a VISA card it should work. I myself, I sometimes withdraw to VISA CLASSIC by MCB and sometimes to a VISA by SBM.

         
  31. Nat Caesar

    Hi Dietmar,

    Thanks for replying.

    On the withdraw to card page, I input $1500 in the amount tab, then I got an error message “This transaction cannot be processed. Please enter an amount that is $500.00 USD or less”.

    And when I entered $500, I could proceed further. This means that my account is limited to $500. I don’t know if it’s on the bank’s side or on paypal’s side? What do you think?

    thanks n regards.

    Nat.

     
    Reply
    1. Dietmar Reigber

      Hi Nat,

      all CC cards in general do have a limit (also as a form of protection for you), it will be good also for you to know what is the current limit, enquire with SBM, if its $500 then we know its on the banks side, then if you increase it, problem should be solved – let us know how it went and if it then worked. Also step 2 would be to enquire with Paypals support if they have this limit as a protection on your account and if you can increase it with them or in settings. Pls share your feedback with us after 🙂

      Best regards,
      Dietmar

       
      Reply
  32. Nat Caesar

    thanks Dietmar for this precious info. Gonna see immediately with SBM if there’s indeed a limit on my card. Will share feedback shortly.

    Have a great day!

     
    Reply
      1. Nat

        Hi Dietmar,

        After finding out that I could only withdraw $500 , I went to the SBM and they told me that the card system was able to receive as much money I would like to transfer, which means the “issue” was with Paypal itself. I contacted them and indeed they themselves put a limit of $500 per day as a security and I completely understand. If someone one day got hold of our code or password, then he won’t be able to withdraw all the money on our account. Unluckily, I had to make multiple withdrawals and paid $5 each time. They reviewed my withdrawal request and was approved within 24hours, though the status on paypal showed completed, my funds were available on my card two days after.

        Of course, the limit of $500 can be uplifted if we meet some criterias. See below answer from a Paypal representative :

        If you are withdrawing to a debit or credit card, there would be a set limit of $500 USD per day. We may be able to review lifting this if you meet the criteria listed below:

        • Have a Verified PayPal account
        • Have a PayPal account for 90 days
        • Have no open buyer complaints
        • Have had no limitations on your account in the last 30 days
        • Have received over $10,000 USD in commercial payments since opening your account

        HAVE A GREAT DAY DIETMAR
        BEST REGARDS
        NAT

         
      2. Neervana Burgus

        Hello Dietmar,
        How did you apply for a CC at SBM? I have some funds to withdraw as well from paypal. Since i am unemployed, i don’t have any CC. Is there any other alternative?

        P.S: The funds on paypal is from the tasks i do on Fiverr.

        Thanks,
        Neervana

         
      3. Dietmar Reigber

        Hi Neervana,

        it’s different for me, I have a business.

        I still have some funds in my paypal account and i usually use my dad’s HSBC credit card to withdraw my funds.

        So it used to work for a while, you go to an ATM and withdraw without any issues, and then the moment HSBC figured out its a revenue it stopped? Interesting…

         
  33. Nat

    Dietmar,

    Concerning the impossibility to withdraw to a prepaid card, do you think this is a decision from our financial institutions here in Mauritius or from Paypal? Do you have any info about it?

    Regards.

     
    Reply
    1. Dietmar Reigber

      (No Info – no proof – just my thoughts) In my opinion Paypal would find it profitable and definitely like to work and serve globally ALL markets/all countries because they always make money on a transaction. More means more profit right, logically speaking. It is them that have to face rules & regulations, so if a country has some limitations or doesn’t allow their kind of services, then they cannot offer you such. Also to make this work its quite complex, it involves banks, the credit card technology providers (visa & mastercard: by they way they are only a technology, not a card!) and amongst all these tons of infos some consensus has to be reached. From a not so short distance of time it still looked kind of impossible to ever see that function of withdrawal ever happen for Mauritius and one wonders, if this is here to stay, will it improve? Or will it get disrupted by soon to come new tech… For start ups to be able to trade globally from Mauritius’ new innovative vision of the future, we need to be able to get payments from anywhere in an easy way.

       
      Reply
  34. Nat Caesar

    Hello guys,

    can anyone tell me how to attach files when contacting Paypal by email? I mean contacting them from their website directly. I’m having a serious issue with a seller and I need to show some proof but Paypal doesn’t accept files that are sent as email attachments. One guy there sent me an email with the steps to follow to be able to attach my files but I tend to believe that there are robots working at Paypal. These steps don’t work at all and I don’t have the option to upload files. It’s the third time I’m explaining myself about this issue and they never understand. Is my english so bad???

    Please hellllpppppppp…

     
    Reply
    1. Dietmar Reigber

      Hi Nat,

      is your seller making use/abuse of the charge back function? That’s the tricky part when dealing with credit cards – I would even say, a loophole and risk for any merchants when taking credit cards especially when doing big transactions. What error message do you get when you try attach the files? Any screenshots?

       
      Reply
  35. Nat

    Hi Dietmar,

    Thanks for replying.

    In fact, I don’t see where to click to be able upload files when trying to send an email…

    As I mentionned, I attached my files in the email but they deleted them and they told to send them email with attachments directly from their website. But I couldn’t find the upload button. Only the send button! Pfffff

    In fact, a opened a dispute agains the seller, escalated to a claim agent but the seller has been dishonest and Paypal closed the case without refunding me. That’s why I wanted to show them the proof that I have.

    Have a great day!

    Nat.

     
    Reply
    1. Dietmar Reigber

      Hi Nat,

      i see a bit clearer now – I first thought you sold something and then that person tried to get back their money through the charge back function. I see, it’s the other way round – you didn’t get what you paid for and paid through Paypal. It doesn’t seem to be so simple to send them attachments. Can you upload files in the resolution centre? Check what it says here in the last post: sending e mail attachments

       
      Reply
  36. RV

    Good day,
    I have tried to withdraw funds from paypal to my visa debit card (mcb) but still pending (after 12 hours). After reading the comments, I know I should have withdrawn to a Visa credit card. Anyone have suggestion which visa credit card I should used ( one from mcb) and kindly tell me if you have once withdrawn fund from paypal to this VCC.
    Thanks

     
    Reply
    1. Dietmar Reigber

      Hi,

      a normal visa credit card should be fine. If you can get it at the bank where you are already a customer and have your regular income, then that would be the place to get it. This bank knows you as their customer (KYC: Know your client) and you might get your credit card faster if you fulfill their requirements. It would only make you extra costs to open an additional current account just to get the visa credit card at another bank. And ofcourse your precious time as well for a new account you’ll have some paper work and the bank might want to have your salary also go into that account to issue the card.

       
      Reply
  37. salaah

    hi all, iv an online business too and from what i understood from this thread, we cannot transfer our paypal to any card except a normal credit card. But the problem is i am not employed here in mauritius. i work for myself online. So how do i apply for a credit card??

     
    Reply
    1. Dietmar Reigber

      Hi Salaah,

      it needs to be a visa credit card only. For the second part regarding employment status, that would also interest me if there is a solution. If you can get a bank account for your business you might also be able to get the credit card. I haven’t seen any visa cards for business at Maubank so you might need to consider other banks. You’ll have to discuss with your bank, maybe there is a solution for freelancers or that it can go through your personal current account. Else, it might also interest you to join one of the start up events taking place from time to time, there you can meet people to share about such issues, I have found it to be a great ressource to learn: https://www.facebook.com/Startup-Events-Mauritius-229450257443896/

      Best regards,
      Dietmar

       
      Reply
  38. Nat Caesar

    Hello Dietmar,

    Sorry for late reply about my dispute experience with PP.

    Like I told, I had to open a dispute against a seller because I bought two iphones from her. I received one and the other one has never been shipped. And when I asked her to contact her post office to solve the matter, she would never reply. That’s where I opened a dispute for a refund. When PP contacted her, she provided PP with only one tracking number and when PP verified, they indeed saw that the item has been delivered. That’s where I got really angry and disappointed. It’s as if the agents at PP, they really don’t understand english. I clearly said that I bought two iphones. They were provided only ONE tracking info by the seller They should have asked ‘hey the buyer told that she bought two iphones, so give the other tracking number’. Instead of this they closed the case.

    After scrolling to the next page, I saw that I could appeal this decision. And then, I read that I could make an appeal for an item not as described. I thought this is not relevant to my case and I immediately closed the appeal without knowing that this could have a fatal effect.

    After I closed the appeal, I was notified that PP won’t ever open this case again because they consider that the seller and I have resolved the matter. pfffffff I was crushed down inside.

    I decided to call PP in person. I got one guy and explained the whole thing for the 6th time because I explained this matter over several emails and each time a new agent would respond with a reply completely out of subject and I had to re explain myself over and over again. So, I explained the guy over the phone and he talked with her supervisor and he opened a new case for me…This is one thing that doesn’t usually happen but he said he felt that I was sincere bla bla…He gave me a link where I could upload proof that I bought two iphones, proof that the seller gave me two tracking nos, proof that one item has been delivered and that one has never been shipped. He said he would call me during the next week, thing which he never did. I waited two weeks, he never called, I called once again and I got another agent and I explained myself again and I asked her where is this guy named ***** who was supposed to call me. She said ‘Oh he is on vacation…I promise you I will tell him to call you back as soon as he gets back to the office’. I waited a few days, no call whatsoever. One morning, I got an email telling me that they are happy I have resolved this matter with the seller. uh???? I myself don’t know when this happened. I called once more and I got a super nice kid over the phone and I re-explained myself, he checked out my PP account and he said that once an appeal is closed, PP is not able to act furthermore. I said ‘but this guy named ****** opened the case again and I even saw that the case was opened on my paypal resolution center. He argued and he said this was impossible. I got really FED UP and out of temper that I preferred to stop the convo and hang off the phone.

    I know that the seller is not 100% guilty in this matter because she has indeed left the iphones at the post office to be shipped but what made me angry at her is that she could have made an effort to help me because I dealt with her for the iphones and it’s her responsibility to deal with her local post office to see what happened to the iphone.

    Bad luck??? I guess so.

    One lesson I learnt : NEVER BUY EXPENSIVE THINGS OUTSIDE OF EBAY FROM A CHINESE. LOL.

    I lost $659 and I’m still using my iphone 5 as at today.

    Sorry for the ‘essay-type’ reply but couldn;t make the story short.

    Have a great day.

    What I feel about PP is that there are just a bunch of robots. They don’t understand emails correctly,

     
    Reply
    1. Dietmar Reigber

      Hi Nat,

      thank you for sharing with us your experience in depth. Sorry to read that you had such an issue and what a bummer with the making an appeal option and the loss of your precious time and funds. I’m sure many of us here in Mauritius will be made wiser when making an online purchase by your experience to consider twice if the import purchase is worth it vs. a local buy when considering the potential stress that can occur and more or less no guarantee on the item + custom clearing time if item value is +Rs.30 000 in value.

      When an item gets lost or is still somewhere in transit, it can also get tricky with the post offices. As long as its not yet stuck somewhere in Mauritius, then its still on the other side to sort out with their post office whats up with the item… That’s where your seller should have collaborated…

      Looks like PP considered both phones to have been sent via that one tracking number 🙁

      From the agent responses one gets, it kind of looks to me to an outsourced solution and if its running under a ticket number, it should have been well sorted/assigned but maybe the agents are all overloaded and its whoever gets the ticket responds… (Outsourced solution: is ofcourse not necessarily a bad solution as long as they are upto the job!) Looking at the number of emails and phone calls you had to make, there is definitely room for improvement for PP! With +100 million customers, I have no idea how many complaints they must handle per day…

      On another note, try to come on one of these Startup Events: https://www.facebook.com/Startup-Events-Mauritius-229450257443896/ You can also subscribe to their magazine which reviews the previous events: http://goo.gl/forms/HZmphYRi27Cz5VyQ2

       
      Reply
  39. Robert

    Hi, I want to know which one of these 2 include less withdrawal fees please..
    1) Withdrawal from paypal to payoneer
    2) Withdrawal from paypal to sbm/mcb visa credit card
    Thank You

     
    Reply
  40. Sandy

    Wow, what an insightful and informative post. Especially with the comments.

    Thank you Dietmar and everybody for providing us with so much info! I now have a clearer sense of which way to go from there.

    Cheers,
    Sandy

     
    Reply
  41. Ervin

    Withdrawing on a prepaid card works perfectly in Mauritius. And it takes 2 days for money to reach the card after a paypal withdrawal. Im with Bank One.

     
    Reply
      1. Ervin

        Yes, Bank One’s Prepaid VISA works fine. I dont even have a bank account at Bank One. I only subscribed to their Prepaid card. Only drawback is that I need to check the card’s balance on an ATM each time to check if i received payments from my customers. But I think if you do have a bank account at bank one, they can offer online banking & let you check your bank statement online. Not sure.

         
    1. Sandy

      Hi Ervin, thanks for letting us know. Mind telling us in what currency your card is? MUR, USD or something else?
      I have MCB and SBM, will have to check out Bank One.

       
      Reply
    1. Dietmar Reigber

      Hi Nad, heard about it this morning on Radio Plus. Looking at the fees on the page link that you shared (Thank you!) at a glance I would say the juice option seems cheaper when it comes to retrieval, but when it comes to sending there is a fee (But isn’t sending that is when you pay to someone via paypal itself for free?…):

      Top-up/Send money to other PayPal users 2%

      Withdraw funds from PayPal to MCB bank account 1.5%, with a minimum of Rs100
      Conversion fees may apply. Details on http://www.paypal.com/mu

      While if you retrieve at the ATM directly it will be 2%.

      It has also to be taken into account that there are also additional fees when receiving money on paypal – that is when you are the merchant, you have to pay a commission on the transaction which is

      To begin with, any payment (goods or services) received, there is a receiving fee of 3.40% + $0.30 USD (local) and 3.90% + $0.30 USD (international) regardless of the amount you received.

      Would be great to hear from others experiences and regarding the sending payment fees.

       
      Reply
      1. Dietmar Reigber

        Hi Nad and All,

        I saw on TV yesterday a short infomercial on MBC about Juice and apparently through Juice you can use Paypal even WITHOUT A CREDIT CARD – you can upload funds through Juice on Paypal and make payments (instant), receive payments on Paypal and through juice withdraw it to a bank account of yours (processing time a few days). So it might be better you give Juice a try if you don’t have access to credit cards, issues with credit cards, still trying with prepaid credit cards (that don’t work) etc…

        Let us know of your experience!

         
  42. Jean Pierre

    I am not ready to open an MCB account, but have a Barclays bank account, is there any new update about using VISA debit card? Does it work now please?

     
    Reply
  43. Monica

    Hi all, I am considering to transfer the money from paypal to my MCB Juice account but do I need to provide any document to declare the money or no need? I am receiving the money monthly and I don’t know about the tax regulation here since I am a foreigner (with residence Permit). Would like to know the information about this. Thanks!

     
    Reply

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