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Western Union operates one of the world’s largest money transfer networks by with more than 500,000 agent locations around the world, but unfavorable exchange rates mean you’ll have to pay for the convenience.
USD 1
Min. Transfer Amount
USD 5,000
Max. Transfer Amount
3 - 5 days
Transfer Speed
| Product Name | Western Union Money Transfers |
|---|---|
| Min. Transfer Amount | USD 1 |
| Max. Transfer Amount | USD 5,000 |
| Transfer Methods | Online, Phone, Agent, Bank Account to Bank Account, International Money Order |
| Transfer Options | Regular payments, One off payments |
| Transfer Speed Minimum transfer time | 3 - 5 days |
| Customer Service | Phone, Chat, Email, Branch |
| Available Currencies | AED, AFN, ALL, AMD, ANG, AOA, ARS, AUD, AWG, AZN, BAM, BBD, BDT, BGN, BHD, BIF, BMD, BND, BOB, BRL, BSD, BTN, BWP, BZD, CAD, CDF, CHF, CLP, CNY, COP, CRC, CUP, CVE, CZK, DJF, DKK, DOP, DZD, EGP, ERN, ETB, EUR, FJD, FKP, GBP, GEL, GGP, GHS, GIP, GMD, GNF, GTQ, GYD, HKD, HNL, HRK, HTG, HUF, IDR, ILS, IMP, INR, IQD, IRR, ISK, JEP, JMD, JOD, JPY, KES, KGS, KHR, KMF, KPW, KRW, KWD, KYD, KZT, LAK, LBP, LKR, LRD, LSL, LYD, MAD, MDL, MGA, MKD, MMK, MNT, MOP, MRO, MUR, MVR, MWK, MXN, MYR, MZN, NAD, NGN, NIO, NOK, NPR, NZD, OMR, PAB, PEN, PGK, PHP, PKR, PLN, PYG, QAR, RON, RSD, RUB, RWF, SAR, SBD, SCR, SDG, SEK, SGD, SHP, SLL, SOS, SPL, SRD, STD, SYP, SZL, THB, TJS, TMT, TND, TOP, TRY, TTD, TVD, TWD, TZS, UAH, UGX, USD, UYU, UZS, VEF, VND, VUV, WST, XAF, XCD, XDR, XOF, XPF, YER, ZAR, ZMW |
| Exchange Rate Updates | Real time |
|---|
Review by
Zak Killermann is a writer for Finder specializing in money transfers and cryptocurrencies. He's often lost down a rabbit hole about some country's currency he'll probably never actually use, and enjoying every moment of it. He reads stuffy cryptocurrency regulations with the same eagerness that a child approaches their favorite fiction book.
Western Union has a gigantic global network of agent locations and bank connections that makes it easy to send money to almost anywhere. You can transfer this money fast for higher fees, or a bit slower for lower fees, depending on your needs and resources. Overall I’d recommend checking Western Union for any transfer you need to make, if only to get a baseline on prices.
Given Western Union’s history of customer complaints and lawsuits, consider looking at Western Union alternatives, as many smaller competitors have a better track record and also offer better exchange rates and lower fees. Western Union will almost always be a cheaper option than your bank, especially when sending one-off transfers or to remote destinations. Lastly, a major perk of using Western Union is the sheer number of physical locations in the United States; it is integrated into many grocery stores, convenience stores, check cashing stores and more.
Western Union has managed both domestic and international money transfers since 1871.
With over 500,000 agent locations around the world in more than 200 countries, Western Union is one of the world’s largest money transfer providers. There are more than 42,000 agent locations in the US alone, often located in grocery stores and convenience stores.
With a mix of online and agent location services, you can choose to pay with cash, credit, debit, bank accounts, and more. Also, Western Union’s business transfer option lets you use hedging tools to get even more flexibility.
Some transfers through Western Union can be received within minutes. This is helpful when sending cash in an emergency, or just in general when you don’t want to wait a few days for your transfer to go through.
Unfavorable exchange rates will lead to less money going to your recipient, and more to Western Union. Exchange rates offered by Western Union can be as high as 20% worse than the mid-market rate, so be sure to shop around when sending large amounts of money.
You can send a maximum of $2,999.99 per online money transfer. Agent locations typically have no limit, however, so long as you can provide adequate identification while sending.
Nearly all transactions through Western Union will have a fee attached. Occasional promotions and coupons may help recover some of this fee amount, but expect to almost always pay a fee when sending money through Western Union.
Western Union has different fees for nearly every country it sends to. These fees also depend on how you are paying for the transfer and how the transfer will be picked up. Agent location fees typically aren’t posted online, but Western Union’s online fees are based on:
When sending from the US for cash pickup, here are the fees and exchange rates we encountered using Western Union’s price estimator tool on February 11, 2020:
| Sending $1,000 to | Paying with | Fee | Percent above mid-market |
|---|---|---|---|
| India (INR) | |||
| Debit card | $7 | 1.99% | |
| Credit card | $34 | 1.99% | |
| Bank account | $5 | 1.99% | |
| Cash (in-store) | $9 | 1.52% | |
| France (EUR) | |||
| Credit card | $34 | 20.36% | |
| Bank account | $5 | 20.36% | |
| Cash (in-store) | $9 | 16.29% |
Sending money to India had moderately low exchange rate markups at 1.99%, while sending from USD to EUR had markups over 20% when we checked. Normally high markups are associated with low fees, but in this case sending to France includes both high credit card fees and poor exchange rates.
Anna Serio
Writer
I used Western Union several times to transfer money to my partner, who was living in Beirut while I lived in New York. I sent the maximum $5,000 amount three times and paid a $175 fee each time.
It isn’t the cheapest money transfer option out there, but it was the most convenient. My partner didn’t have a bank account in Lebanon, so he had to pick it up in cash, ruling out several other options. Lebanon is one of those countries that uses US dollars and the Lebanese pound, and I wanted to avoid paying for a currency exchange. Western Union let me do both without a headache.
There are many ways to send money overseas with Western Union, each with its own set of limits, fees and restrictions. Western Union’s online, phone and in-store options include:
Not all options are available for all markets.
You can send your transfer a few different ways, depending on the amount of fees you want to pay and how quickly you need it to arrive.
Pay for your transfer with a credit or debit card and have it sent for cash pickup. When using a credit or debit card you’ll typically pay a higher fee, but your money can arrive in as little as 10 minutes. However, your credit card may charge a cash advance fee, further increasing the cost of your total transfer.
Using a bank account to pay for your transfer is typically the cheapest way to send money, but is also almost always the slowest. Depending on verification needs you may have to wait longer while Western Union confirms you own the registered bank account.
| When sending from | Service | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Online | ||
| In Minutes, Three Day, and WU® Pay | $2,999 per transfer | |
| Next Day | $500 per transfer | |
| Mobile Money Transfer | $500 per transfer | |
| Bill Payments or Quick Collect | $2,500 per 7-day period | |
| Online FX International Payments | $10,000 per transfer | |
| Agent location | ||
| Services same as above | Typically no restriction | |
| Telephone | ||
| Services same as above | Between $300 – $2,500 |
Note: Limits may vary based on sending and receiving location, so always best to check with Western Union itself before sending.
Western Union offers several ways for you to send money. As a minimum you’ll need:
If your recipient is picking up cash in person, let them know to bring along a valid ID that matches the name you are transferring to.
You’ll need to create a Western Union online profile before you can send funds online. It’s free and relatively quick to register. If you don’t want to register online you can contact Western Union by phone and provide the necessary information that way.
If you prefer the security of a face-to-face transaction, visit one of Western Union’s 42,000 North American locations to transfer funds using cash, a credit or debit card.
Signing up and sending money through Western Union can be done online, in person or through the mobile app.
Money transfer locations near me
Large numbers of customer complaints is fairly standard for companies as massive and far-reaching as Western Union, but that doesn’t mean it can’t improve.
This is the most common type of complaint by users online, and there is little that Western Union can do besides educate its customers to help them avoid these situations. Typical scams through Western Union include:
To combat these types of scams, Western Union has started providing clear warnings on their website before a user sends a money transfer. This popup warning requires users to click Accept before sending their transfer. Also, Western Union has a specific Twitter account dedicated to fraud awareness that tweets about the newest and most relevant scams while they are popping up. Also, Western Union now operates 24/7 phone lines for customer support all over the world.
After a long investigation, in January 2017 Western Union agreed to forfeit more than $550 million and enter into anti-fraud agreements with many state and federal agencies. These lawsuits focused on Western Union’s aiding and abetting of wire fraud by failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program.
The outcome of the lawsuits lead Western Union to agree to:
Fraud can be reported to the FTC as well as your state’s Attorney General.
More on money transfer scams and how to avoid them
Between 2004 and 2010, Western Union was accused of allowing fraudulent transactions and received more than 550,000 complaints about fraud. Since then, Western Union has paid over $586 million in fines to settle this issue — as explained above. Being extra cautious by only sending or receiving money from people you know is a necessary extra step for your safety.
Western Union is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, and has been in business since 1851. The company originated as a telegram service, and moved onto offering standardized time services, stock tickers and eventually money transfers. In 1871, Western Union launched its money transfer service and has been growing it ever since through wire transfers, money orders and money transfers in general to over 200 countries.
Independent research of any brand is always a great idea before using it. We’ve done some of the footwork for you and compiled reviews from around the internet. These reviews are accurate as of February 11, 2020.
| Trustpilot | 4.1 out of 5, based on 17,130 customer reviews |
| CompareRemit | 2.1 out of 5, based on 195 customer reviews |
| Monito | 7.9 out of 10, staff reviewed |
| NerdWallet | 3.5 out of 5, staff reviewed |
| Google Play Store | 4.5 out of 5, based on 143,161 customer reviews |
| Apple App Store | 4.8 out of 5, based on 225,802 customer reviews |
| ConsumerAffairs | 3.6 out of 5, based on 2,350 customer reviews |
| Finder.com | 3.25 out of 5, staff reviewed |
Yes, Western Union has an app on both Google Play and the App Store. Features the app has includes:
| Google Play Store | 4.5 out of 5, based on 143,161 customer reviews |
| Apple App Store | 4.8 out of 5, based on 225,802 customer reviews |
More on the best money transfer apps
My WU is Western Union’s membership program and it is free to sign up for. Points can be earned by completing qualifying transactions, follow these steps to get started:
In the past, redeeming your Western Union My WU points earned you:
| 25 points | 50 points | 95 points | 140 points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redeem at an agent location | $2.00 | $4.00 | $8.00 | $12.00 |
| Redeem online | $2.50 | $5.00 | $10.00 | $15.00 |
Pro tip: Saving your My WU points to spend in larger amounts may net you greater rewards per point spent. Although it can be tempting to spend 25 or 50 points, save those points up if possible to reap even more savings!
Western Union offers plenty of useful transfer and cash pickup options when you need to send money domestically or internationally. Before you commit to sending your hard-earned dough, though, be sure to compare other available options to find the best deal. Although Western Union is often one of the most convenient options, it is always worth checking to see if there are additional companies with lower fees and stronger exchange rates for you to benefit from.
Yes, but only for businesses. You can read more about this in the Western Union Business Solutions review.
Your funds are safely tracked until in the hands of your recipient. If you’re sending money internationally, federal protections are in place that require Western Union to disclose all fees upfront and give you 30 minutes to cancel a transfer, assuming it hasn’t yet been picked up or deposited.
You have a few options: track online, through an agent or by telephone. All options require the same information, which is your MTCN. If you don’t have the MTCN, you can track transfers using:
Additional information may be needed, which is why tracking with the MTCN is the easiest option.
The MTCN, or Money Transfer Control Number, is Western Union’s unique tracking number assigned to your money transfer. Your receiver will need this number when picking up money at an agent location. The number can be found on your receipt.
