I think everyone na nagsisimula palang sa VA journey used Wise and PayPal as the main platform to receive payments, myself included. And it worked for me for years.
But do you know that there’s a more convinient way to receive payments from international clients?
In late 2025 GoTyme Bank teamed up with Wise Platform, and suddenly a regular Philippine bank account could take a client’s dollars straight over SWIFT. “So a lot of you started asking: pwede na bang sa GoTyme na lang diretso?”
Short answer: Yes, you can now receive payments from international clients into GoTyme. But “you can” and “you should” are two different things, and there is one catch that nobody puts in the headline. I read the actual fee page so you do not have to. Here is exactly how it works, the real cost, and when GoTyme is the right rail for you.
Key takeaways
- Yes, GoTyme can receive international client payments over SWIFT, in 23 currencies (USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, SGD and more), from 11,000+ banks worldwide. This runs on the GoTyme x Wise Platform partnership launched in November 2025.
- It is not free for a normal client bank wire. GoTyme charges a $5 flat fee plus a 0.6% FX markup, and intermediary banks may take a cut on the way. The “no fee” you might have seen only applies to GoTyme remittance or Visa partner rails, not a standard client SWIFT transfer.
- The big catch: the money lands in pesos. GoTyme converts on arrival. You cannot hold the dollars to time the exchange rate the way you can in Wise or Payoneer.
- Minimum is $50, no maximum. Funds usually arrive in 1 business day, up to 5 depending on the sending bank.
- Best for: freelancers who want client money to land in a real PH bank account and get cashed out fast. Not ideal if you want to hold USD or pay in dollars.
What is the GoTyme and Wise Platform deal, and why should a freelancer care?
Quick context so this makes sense. Wise Platform is the part of Wise that lets banks plug into Wise’s cross-border rails. In November 2025, GoTyme became the first Wise Platform partner bank in the Philippines, and its first International Receive partner in the whole Asia Pacific region.
In plain terms: before, if a foreign client wanted to pay a Philippine bank by wire, it was slow, the fees were murky, and money sometimes arrived smaller than expected with no explanation. The Wise integration cleans that up. Now you can give a client your GoTyme details, they send over SWIFT, and the money shows up in your GoTyme app with the pricing shown upfront. For a VA who would rather not juggle a separate Wise or Payoneer account, that is a real convenience. The difference is that GoTyme is an actual BSP-licensed, PDIC-insured bank, not an e-wallet or a virtual account.
How do you receive a client payment in GoTyme, step by step?
The flow is built into the normal GoTyme app. You do not need a special business account, a regular personal account works. Here is the exact path:
- Open the GoTyme Bank app and go to the Home screen.
- Tap Add Money.
- Select Receive Money Abroad.
- Tap SWIFT.
- View, copy, or share your account details (your SWIFT code and account name) directly with your client.
That is it on your side. The work is really just sending your client the right details and waiting for the transfer to land.
What details does your client actually need?
When a client says “send me your bank info for the wire,” here is what they need from you. Copy it straight from the Receive Money Abroad screen so you do not get a digit wrong:
- Bank name: GoTyme Bank, Inc.
- SWIFT / BIC code: GOTYPHM2XXX
- Account name: exactly as it appears in your GoTyme profile, no nicknames.
- Account number: the one shown on the Receive Money Abroad screen (not your Visa debit card number, that is a common mistake that makes transfers fail).
- Maybe also: GoTyme’s registered address or a correspondent bank code. Some sending banks ask for these, so just confirm with your client and grab them from the app if needed.
One regulatory note worth telling your client: they have to enter their own name and address correctly on their end. It is a requirement for international transfers, and getting it wrong can hold up the payment.
What are the real fees to receive money in GoTyme?
This is the part I need to be straight with you about, because there is a version going around that says receiving is free. For a normal client bank wire, it is not. Here is what GoTyme’s own fee page says you pay to receive an international SWIFT transfer:
- A $5 flat fee on the transfer.
- A 0.6% markup on the exchange rate (you get the mid-market rate, then GoTyme adds 0.6% on the conversion to pesos).
- Possible correspondent bank fees. These are charged by intermediary banks that pass the money along before it reaches GoTyme. They vary, and they are the reason you sometimes “receive less than what was sent.”
- Your client’s own bank may also charge them a sending fee on their end.
So where did “free” come from? GoTyme does not charge a receiving fee when the money comes through a GoTyme remittance network partner or a Visa partner. But a foreign client sending a plain bank wire is not using those rails, so for freelancer client payments, plan for the $5 plus 0.6% plus the chance of a small correspondent cut. To keep the intermediary fees low, ask your client to send in one of GoTyme’s preferred currencies (USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, SGD and the rest of the 22 on the list).
Is 0.6% good? Honestly, yes, it is competitive. It is right around what Wise charges on conversion. The USD 5 flat fee is what stings on smaller payments. On a USD 100 payout, USD 5 is a painful 5%. On a USD 1,000 payout, that same USD 5 is only 0.5%. So GoTyme makes more sense for larger, less frequent payments than for small weekly ones.
How long does it take, and are there limits?
In my personal experience, kapag less than ₱50,000 ang isesend sayo, dumadating sya sa GoTyme account within minutes. Pero kapag more than ₱50,000 usually kinabukasan pa.
Limits: the minimum you can receive is $50 per transfer. There is no maximum. If a client tries to send less than $50, the transfer can bounce, so for tiny payments use a different rail.
The one real catch: your dollars become pesos on arrival
Here is the thing I want you to understand before you switch everything to GoTyme. When the money lands, it lands in pesos, net of fees. GoTyme converts it the moment it arrives. There is no option to hold the client’s USD in your GoTyme account and convert later when the rate is better.
Why does that matter? With Wise or Payoneer, you can keep a USD balance, watch the rate, and convert only when the peso is weak (good for you). You can also pay some things in dollars without converting at all. GoTyme does not give you that control on the receive side. It is receive-and-convert, full stop. For a lot of freelancers who just want the money in their bank and spendable, that is totally fine. But if part of your strategy is holding dollars, GoTyme alone will not do it.
GoTyme vs Wise vs Payoneer vs GCash for receiving client money
I wrote a full breakdown of how Filipino freelancers get paid with the peso math, but here is where GoTyme fits in:
| Rail | Can receive a client SWIFT wire? | Hold USD? | Lands as | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GoTyme | Yes (SWIFT, 23 currencies) | No, converts on arrival | PHP in a real bank account | Money in your PH bank, cashed out fast |
| Wise | Yes, plus local receiving details | Yes, 40+ currencies | USD or PHP, your choice | Lowest FX, holding and timing dollars |
| Payoneer | Yes, USD receiving account | Yes | USD, then withdraw to PH | Marketplaces (Upwork, Fiverr) |
| GCash | No, not a normal SWIFT wire | Virtual US Account only (US-domestic) | PHP wallet | Local spending, not receiving client wires |
The honest summary: GCash cannot take a regular international SWIFT wire from a client at all (its US Virtual Account only accepts US-domestic dollar payments, not SWIFT). Wise and Payoneer let you hold USD. GoTyme is the easiest “give my client one set of bank details and the money lands in my Philippine bank” option, as long as you are okay with it converting to pesos right away.
Do you still need to register with BIR if you use GoTyme?
Yes, and this trips people up. The rail you use to get paid does not change your tax situation. Foreign client income received by a Philippine-based freelancer is still taxable income here, whether it arrives via GoTyme, Wise, Payoneer, or GCash. GoTyme is just the pipe the money flows through.
Once you are earning steadily, you should register with the BIR. This is general information, not tax advice, so check with the BIR or an accountant for your own numbers. But do not assume that getting paid into a digital bank keeps you off the radar.
So should you use GoTyme to get paid by clients?
Here is how I would decide:
- Use GoTyme if you want client money to land in a real, insured PH bank account with minimal setup, your payments are decent-sized (so the USD 5 flat fee is small as a percentage), and you are happy to receive in pesos and cash out free at a Robinsons partner store or move it via InstaPay.
- Stick with Wise if you want the lowest overall cost and the ability to hold USD and convert on your own timing.
- Stick with Payoneer if most of your work comes through marketplaces like Upwork or Fiverr.
- Keep GCash as your spending wallet, funded from whichever rail you receive on. Do not expect it to receive a client wire.
What I would personally do: use GoTyme for bigger direct-client payments where I just want the pesos in the bank, and keep Wise for anything where I want to sit on the dollars. They are not enemies, they cover different jobs.
Frequently asked questions
Can GoTyme really receive payments from international clients?
Yes. Through its Wise Platform partnership, GoTyme can receive international transfers over SWIFT in 23 currencies from over 11,000 banks worldwide. You share your SWIFT code (GOTYPHM2XXX) and account number with your client, and the money lands in your GoTyme account in pesos.
Is it free to receive money in GoTyme?
Not for a normal client wire. GoTyme charges a USD 5 flat fee plus a 0.6% FX markup, and intermediary banks may add their own fees. Receiving is only free through GoTyme remittance or Visa partner rails, which a standard client SWIFT transfer does not use.
Do I need a business account to receive client payments?
No. A regular personal GoTyme account works. You just need to be at least 18, a Philippine citizen, with one valid government-issued ID to open the account.
Can I hold the dollars in GoTyme and convert later?
No. GoTyme converts the money to pesos when it arrives. If you want to hold USD and time the conversion, use Wise or Payoneer instead.
What is the minimum I can receive?
USD 50 per transfer. There is no maximum.
How do I cash out the money once it lands?
It is already in your GoTyme account in pesos. You can withdraw cash free at GoTyme’s partner stores (Robinsons retail network), or transfer it out to other banks and e-wallets through InstaPay and PESONet.
The bottom line for Pinoy freelancers
GoTyme finally makes it simple to have a client’s dollars land in a proper Philippine bank account without the Wise-then-transfer dance. That is a genuinely useful option, especially for bigger direct-client payments. Just go in with eyes open: it costs USD 5 plus 0.6% to receive, and the money becomes pesos the second it arrives, so it is a cash-out rail, not a hold-your-dollars rail.
My advice: match the rail to the job. GoTyme for “I just want the pesos in my bank,” Wise or Payoneer for “I want to hold and time my dollars,” and GCash for daily spending. Know your fees, pick on purpose, and keep more of what you earned. Yun lang naman talaga ang laban.
I’m Jean Aguilar, a Filipina VA based in Cavite. I’ve been getting paid by foreign clients since 2020 and later worked in FinTech operations, where reading fee schedules became second nature. I started PinoyRemote to share what actually worked, so you can skip the guesswork na pinagdaanan ko the hard way.
