If you're an Indonesian freelancer or remote worker deciding between Payoneer, Wise, and Onboard, the short answer is this:

• Payoneer works but comes with fees and account restrictions,
• Wise no longer offers its multi-currency account and card to Indonesian users, and
• Onboard is built specifically for you to deposit Dollars, Euros and Pounds, convert to IDR on your terms, and spend directly through a virtual card, all from one account made for Indonesia.

Here's the full breakdown:

What happened to Wise in Indonesia

For a while, Wise was one of the go-to options for Indonesian freelancers who wanted to deposit Dollars, Euros, and Pounds and spend them with a card. That changed in 2024.

Wise's multi-currency account and card were run through a separate Wise entity that didn't hold the electronic money licence Bank Indonesia requires. When that became a compliance issue, Wise discontinued the account and card for users with an Indonesian address. Balances had to be withdrawn, and cards stopped working.

What's still available is Wise's core remittance service, sending a transfer from one country to another, under its properly licensed local entity. What's gone is the ability to hold a balance in USD, EUR, or GBP and spend it directly. For freelancers who relied on that setup, it left a real gap.

Payoneer: the long-standing option, with trade-offs

Payoneer has been around freelance platforms for years, and it does the job of receiving USD, EUR, and GBP from clients or platforms like Upwork and Fiverr. The trade-offs freelancers commonly report:

• A markup added on top of the transfer fee when converting between currencies
• Account verification and freeze issues that can take weeks to resolve
• A fee structure that isn't always clear until you've made several transactions

For freelancers who just need to receive and withdraw occasionally, it's workable. For anyone converting and spending regularly, the costs add up.

Why Onboard works for Indonesian freelancers and remote professionals

Onboard gives you a named account to deposit Dollars, Euros, and Pounds, the same way you'd hold them in a US, EU or UK bank account, without needing to register a company or live outside Indonesia.

From there, you decide:

• Hold your balance in USD until you're ready to convert
• Withdraw to your local Indonesian bank when you need Rupiah in hand at unbeatable rates
• Spend easily on a virtual USD card on the same app

We also built a site made specifically for Indonesian freelancers and remote workers, with everything set up for how you actually get paid, not a generic global product with Indonesia added as an afterthought.

Convert your Dollars, Euros and Pounds at rates built to compete

Bank and platform conversion rates quietly eat into freelance income every month. If you want to see what your Dollars, Euros, or Pounds are actually worth before you convert, you can check live, highly competitive rates and convert straight to Rupiah right now.

Spend your USD balance directly, without converting at all

One thing freelancers often miss: you don't have to convert every Dollar to Rupiah just to use it. If you pay for tools like ChatGPT, Canva, Adobe, or AWS, converting to Rupiah first and then paying in Rupiah usually means a high foreign transaction fee on top of a weak exchange rate, twice the cost for one payment.

With a USD virtual card on your Onboard account, you pay in USD directly from your balance. No double markup and low FX fees on non-USD and cross-border transactions. It's the simplest way to keep your subscription costs close to what you'd pay if you were billed in the US.

Frequently asked questions

Is Wise still available in Indonesia?
Wise's remittance transfers are still available under its licensed local entity. Its multi-currency account and card, which let users hold and spend USD, EUR or GBP directly, were discontinued for Indonesian users in 2024 due to a licensing requirement from Bank Indonesia.

What's the main difference between Payoneer and Onboard?
Both let you receive USD, EUR and GBP from clients or platforms. Payoneer commonly carries a conversion markup and has been associated with account freezes during verification. Onboard is built specifically for Indonesian freelancers, with a dedicated local site and support.

Can I deposit Dollars, Euros and Pounds in one account as an Indonesian freelancer?
Yes. You don't need to register a business or hold a foreign visa to open a USD, EUR, or GBP account built for individual freelance income.

Can I use a virtual card to pay for software subscriptions like ChatGPT or Adobe?
Yes. A virtual USD card on Onboard lets you pay for USD-billed subscriptions from your Card balance, without converting to Rupiah first and with low foreign transaction fee.

Tired of losing income to conversion markups and accounts that don't understand how Indonesian freelancers actually get paid? See how Onboard is built for your situation and set up your account in minutes.