To make payment to your providers on Elance using your Visa, MasterCard or American Express, you must first authenticate your credit card with Elance. Credit Card authentication helps reduce online fraud and increases the security of Elance transactions.

If your preferred payment method is PayPal, there is no authentication required.  Click here for more information on using PayPal on Elance.

Elance authentication is only available for credit cards with billing addresses in the supported countries listed below. If your credit card country is not supported, you have the option of using PayPal or sending funds via check or wire transfer.

Credit Card authentication process

Elance will charge two small distinct amounts on your credit card when you pay the Elance activation charge during registration OR when you add a new credit card to your Financial Accounts. 

You will find out the two charged amounts by looking at your online or paper credit card statement, or by calling your credit card company. You must then enter these two amounts on your Financial Accounts page to complete authentication.

We use this process to ensure that you are the owner of the card with complete access to the account information.

Step by step instructions to complete authentication

To authenticate your credit card, log in to your Elance account and follow the steps below:

1. Click on the ‘Pay’ or ‘Get Paid’ tab at the top of the page and then click the 'Financial Accounts' link.
2. If there is no credit card listed, click on the 'Enter New Credit Card' button and enter your credit card information. If you already have a credit card listed, click on the 'Authenticate' link to the right of your credit card number.
3. On the next page, you will see the approximate amounts as well as the date that the charges were made.   
4. Review your credit card statement or contact your credit card issuer to retrieve the EXACT amounts.
5. When you have the 2 charges, click the 'Confirm Authentication' link next to the credit card number. Enter the exact amounts as they are on your credit card statement regardless of your local currency. If the amounts are correct, you will see a confirmation page stating that your card has been authenticated.

The two amounts charged to your credit card may not show up immediately in your credit card account. Visa and MasterCard may take up 3 or 4 business days. American Express may take up to 5 business days.

In some cases, the two charge amounts will both appear as $1.00. In such cases, the amounts are not accurate. Please contact the credit card issuer to obtain the actual amounts.

You have up to 90 days to complete the authentication process. If 90 days have passed and you still want to authenticate your credit card, you will need to start the process again.

Supported Countries

Elance supports credit card authentication for the countries listed below. If your country is not in the supported list, you may fund your Elance account by ACH Transfer, Wire Transfer, or check deposit.

• Andorra
• Argentina
• Armenia
• Aruba
• Australia
• Austria
• Bahamas
• Bangladesh
• Belgium
• Bermuda
• Bolivia
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Brazil
• Brunei Darussalam
• Canada
• Cayman Islands
• Chile
• China
• Costa Rica
• Croatia (Hrvatska)
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Dominican Republic
• Egypt
• El Salvador
• Estonia
• Fiji
• Finland
• France
• France, Metropolitan
• Germany
• Gibraltar
• Greece
• Greenland
• Guam
• Hong Kong
• Hungary
• Iceland
• India
• Indonesia
• Ireland
• Israel
• Italy
• Jamaica
• Japan
• Jordan
• Kuwait
• Latvia
• Luxembourg
• Pakistan
• Palestine
• Panama
• Peru
• Philippines
• Macedonia
• Marshall Islands
• Mexico
• Monaco
• Montenegro
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Pakistan
• Palestine
• Panama
• Peru
• Philippines
• Poland
• Portugal
• Puerto Rico
• Romania
• Russia
• Saint Kitts And Nevis
• San Marino
• Saudi Arabia
• Serbia
• Singapore
• Slovak Republic
• South Africa
• Spain
• Sri Lanka
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Taiwan, Province of China
• Thailand
• Turkey
• Ukraine
• United Arab Emirates
• United Kingdom (including Scotland and Wales)
• United States of America
• United States Minor Outlying Islands
• Venezuela
• Vietnam
• Virgin Islands (U.S. or British)