racoma.com.phJ. Angelo Racoma on technology, economics, writing, problogging, and getting things done

One big gripe I have with Google AdSense is that it doesn’t make EFT payouts to the Philippines. EFT means electronic fund transfer. I’ve been regularly using EFT on my bank accounts (via online banking) for several transactions, like when I need to send funds to relatives, or when I need to transfer across accounts (savings to checking, etc.). It’s safe, secure and funds are transferred in mere milliseconds.

So I had been wondering why EFT is still unavailable here locally. Publishers have to wait three to four weeks for regular checks to come in the mail. We can have checks delivered via DHL, but processing fee is a bit steep at $24 each. Well, it’s not cheap for those who get thousands of dollars worth everytime, but those who get a few hundreds would think the $24 is on the high side.

Abe Olandres writes that Google AdSense payouts via Western Union are now available. This is good news to us smaller publishers, since we can now expect our funds faster (a day after payment release), and it’s cheaper, too. Charges start at $16 from $100 to $300. Here is the fee schedule:

* From $100 to $300 : $16 fee
* For $500 : $32 fee
* For $600 : $50 fee
* For $750 : $56 fee
* For $1,000 : $68 fee

I agree with Abe that for those who get $100 to $300 per month, Western Union is the best option. Otherwise, you’d best stick with secure check delivery.

However, with check payment, you would still have to deposit the check with your bank, and wait the usual three-day clearing (for PhP) or more (for US$). So for those who need to get their funds in a jiffy, Western Union is perhaps the best option.

Now hopefully Google will be able to affiliate with local banks/banking networks so they can do EFT here soon.