desktops and diapers

This is an answer to Gem's post.

I cannot wait for my Unionbank EON and Payoneer cards to arrive so I searched for ways to withdraw the money from my unverified paypal. I stumbled Gem's blog and she mentioned Chikka's i$end service. As I have been using Chikka Messenger for years, I decided to give it a try.

Chikka partners with Smart Padala to send money through the Philippines. What you need are:

Chikka Messenger v.4 (older versions don't have the i$end menu)
Paypal or Moneybookers account (I used my unverified Paypal)
Someone in the Philippines who is subscribed to Smart (my brother Justin)

Unlike XOOM, you can send money in the Philippines even if your Paypal Account is not verified. They will hold your account for 3 days and you will need to send identification papers. The recipient will then receive the money through SmartMoney.

I am very satisfied with Chikka's service. They were very prompt in answering my emails and they were able to deliver on time. After buying i$end credits through paypal, I immediately received an email asking me to send an ID for verification. After sending my scanned ID, they immediately (within minutes) called me to verify my account. I bought the credits April 9 and 3 days after on April 12 (note that this is the holy week) my i$end credits were already available for use. (Credits are available for use immediately if Paypal is verified).

I then sent P5,000 worth of SmartMoney to Justin (Chikka requires that the sender and recipient are different). Five minutes after hitting SEND, I received a call from a Chikka rep verifying my transaction. Justin then received a call from Chikka to inform him that I sent him money and verified his identity. They told him to wait for the confirmation email within 48 hours. The next day, he received the confirmation message.

Here's the best part. Justin doesn't even have a Smart Money Account. Because of my transaction, he will receive a Smart Money card for free courtesy of Chikka (card cost P200). It will be sent to him after 20 days. However, he can go to any Smart Wireless Center and withdraw the cash over-the -counter. The fee is just P50 (1%).

Now I finally got my first oDesk earnings! Weheeee! Kudos to Chikka and Smart!