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We recently sat down with Amrita Kamat, a payments specialist in our Hyderabad office, to find out more about payments in India.

When you're not at work, where would one find you?

In gaming parlors -- I love gaming! Counter-Strike is one of my current favorites. Running around and fighting opponents (while still sitting on the comfort of my sofa and sipping a hot mug of coffee) is the highlight of my weekend. I also love the outdoors, trekking, and sports like badminton and basketball.

There are a few payment-related issues specific to India. What tips do you have for Indian publishers?

I have a 5-point Mantra for payments for Indian publishers:

1. Enter an accurate, complete address – I'd recommend updating your address in this way:
   
   
   
2. Choose INR checks over USD checks – This will reduce the bank charges levied (if any) to convert the dollar checks to Indian rupees. Also, the INR checks will be easy to process.
   
   
3. Set a self-hold – If you've reached $100 in unpaid earnings and would like to get paid once in 2 months or once every 6 months, we have an option to set a self-hold. Accumulate your earnings and receive a bigger check in the future. Don't forget that you'll need to remove the hold before the 15th of the month to be paid in that month.
   
   
4. Use Secured Express Delivery – For tension-free delivery of your hard-earned money, try our Secured Express Delivery option, which will cost you US$25 for the DHL charges -- the check will be delivered at your doorstep within 10 days.
   
   
5. Understand your payment cycle - Please go through the Payments Demo to understand when payments are processed. It's an 11-minute demo that is well worth your time!
   

Why do checks and PINs take longer to reach Indian publishers? What are the other options?

This can happen because of incorrect mailing addresses and the postal service. While nothing much can be done about the postal service at this time, I'd again recommend that you update your physical address -- an accurate house number and/or house name can make a big difference to how a postman will locate your house. If you're relocating, feel free to place a self-hold on your account until you've completed the relocation process. Please ensure that your address is updated before the 15th, and the address doesn’t exceed the 35-character limit in each line. Finally, the only alternative for receiving checks right now is to choose Secured Express Delivery checks over Standard Delivery checks.

Any weekend plans?

This weekend I am off to Bangalore to catch up with a few friends. We've planned a bicycle trip to Nandi Hills for a picnic. In the evening, we intend to make good use of the new telescope one of my friends acquired recently. Isn’t star-gazing on a Sunday evening an ideal way to end an eventful weekend?

Posted by Shanti Nanisetti - AdSense India Publisher Support