More than 70% of respondents said a bad payout experience would make them quit or rethink staying with a platform in Runa's Decoding Payouts study, announced April 29, 2025. The detailed chart shows 23% for quitting and 49% for rethinking, a combined 72% from displayed values; the release summarises this as 70%. These are stated reactions, not observed departures. Runa surveyed 957 US independent workers in March 2025, including gig/freelance workers, marketplace sellers, content creators and direct sellers. The original report does not disclose recruitment, survey mode, weighting or exact subgroup sizes. Overall results are not restricted to gig workers. [S02]
The company said respondents wanted timely, predictable payments and more payout choices. Options discussed include digital wallets such as PayPal, Venmo and Zelle, push-to-card or debit-card payments using services such as Visa Direct, bank transfers and gift cards.
Payout methods independent workers expressed interest in
Overall responses in Runa's March 2025 US survey, rather than observed method use.
% of surveyed respondents
Tap or hover for details. All values are also available in the data table.
Source
Stated interest, not adoption or exclusive shares. Sponsor survey; no causal estimate of retention or platform switching.
Show data tableHide data table
| Category | Respondents |
|---|---|
| Digital wallet | 60 % of surveyed respondents |
| Instant bank transfer via debit card | 46 % of surveyed respondents |
| Two-to-three-day bank transfer | 31 % of surveyed respondents |
| Gift card | 26 % of surveyed respondents |
| Prepaid card | 16 % of surveyed respondents |
| Paper cheque | 13 % of surveyed respondents |
| Cryptocurrency | 11 % of surveyed respondents |
| Other | 5 % of surveyed respondents |
Fees were another concern: 37% wanted lower transaction charges. In a separate experience question, the detailed report shows 10% saying payout delays significantly reduced their platform work and 29% saying they reduced it slightly, a combined 39% from rounded values. Another chart records 31% who had considered changing companies because of payment issues. The release's wording about 40% reducing work and 31% switching entirely is stronger than those detailed question labels; completed departures are not established. [S02]
CEO and founder Aron Alexander linked fast payment and recipient choice with why people take on independent work. The company described its API as serving thousands of businesses and reaching more than five billion consumers across over 190 countries at the time of the announcement.
The release separately cited an Upwork forecast that more than half of the US workforce would participate in freelance work by 2028. This was an attributed forecast, not a result of Runa's 957-person survey or an observed workforce share. Runa used that outlook to argue that payment reliability, fees and supported methods belong in a platform's retention planning.
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Maya Bennett
Maya Bennett covers customer loyalty, employee rewards and incentive programmes for Gift Card News.