In this article we take a look at Western Union exchange rates & international money transfer services compare to other options available to you.
BER Research WU are not the cheapest currency provider around but perhaps the most convenient with locations on practically every street corner especially in developing world, which is handy if you need to Transfer funds for Cash Pickup.
The table below compares at Western Union exchange rates & international money transfer services to banks and other services available to you.
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To send your first money transfer with Western Union, create a profile on wu.com or the mobile app.
Your My WU account will be activated after your first transfer and you can start earning reward points for every money transfer you send with WU.
After your first money transfer, it’s easy to send money again. Log in to your profile and select your recipient. If you are sending money to the same person, you can save your last recipient details on your profile. You can add or delete a recipient from your profile anytime. You also have the option to resend the same money transfer to that recipient.
In order to send funds for Cash Pickup, a sender provides his or her name and address, the recipient’s name, and a designated payment destination. Western Union then provides the sender a 10-digit Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN) that must be transmitted separately by the sender to the recipient. The recipient then proceeds to a Western Union agent office in the designated payment location, presents the 10-digit MTCN, and a photo ID. Money is then paid out to the recipient. If a recipient lacks identification documents, the sender and receiver can set up a pre-arranged password. Funds are paid out in cash, although if payment exceeds a local maximum or cash on hand, a check is issued. Alternatively, a sender may forward funds online to a recipient by using Western Union’s online site.
Send Money Online with Western Union
Disclaimer: Please note any provider recommendations, currency forecasts or any opinions of our authors should not be taken as a reference to buy or sell any financial product.
Its not cheap but its fast and convenient, only use when you really need to get money to someone quick
Western Union on line to send money from the US to Italy was a disaster.
First, you had to set up an account. Then after entering your data you were told that the “number” had to be sent by mail.
Then the number comes and you fill out the forms for a transfer using a credit card which, for some impossible to understand reason, is rejected.
You then try using your bank account and the “router number” for some impossible to understand reason is rejected. Calls to the system were not helpful. Basically they want you to do the post office money order for Mexico which is nice for a third world transfer but hardly useful for the US.
Never will try again to use this cumbersome, outdated, fretful, non-cooperative and expensive system. Screw it!
If I could give a minus here I would! No wonder its popular with scam artists cause their heads are up their yahoos. Expensive and their online service is tedious,inconvenient and unreliable. Need some compeititon.
I have 3 words. DON’t DO IT!!! it’s horrible. The worse service and they treat you like you are an idiot. They don’t deserve a 1 star, that’s too much of a rating for them. Word of advice, avoid the headache and for your money not being held by them and do a wire, a bank transfer, a deposit or send a ck by mail…
This is a review for WESTERN UNION (not a particular branch).
First time needing to use them. I was appalled at the ignorance. They had me running around town for a couple of days when the transaction could have happened in less than 10 minutes.
Costumer service: Non-existent
Knowledge of job: Poor
no stars!
Western Union gets a bad rap because it is favored by scammers as a mode of payment. It is also VERY expensive, costing about 10% per transaction. It is, however, about the only reliable way to quickly get money to someone else after bank hours since many convenience and liquor stores serve as agents and have long hours. I used it once to send money to my boy in college when my check didn’t arrive on time and he was about to take a flight. It took quite a while online and then I had to call a WU customer service agent who went through an interrogation (cordial but very thorough) to see if I was really who I claimed to be. They access your credit report and ask about old addresses, old jobs, etc. Before you use WU do a google search and find discount coupons. I found one for $5 off. My cost to send $300 was $24.90 after the coupon. Pricey, but not too many alternatives and it worked flawlessly. WU gets dissed as a ghetto financial parasite and the friend of scammers, but there is another way to look at it. It provides a service, does it well and can be very useful when no alternatives are available. NEVER EVER use WU to pay for anything in advance, that is a sucker trap into which victims fall over and over. If you want to send money to a relative or friend quickly, it can be a lifesaver. I paid about $25. They have to pay a comission to the paying agent and also support the customer service function which looks up your credit report and verifies your true identity. All that costs WU some bucks. $25 is high, but it isnt a total ripoff. Be sure your recipient has a drivers license or other govt ID or it will not work. I’d give WU five stars for service, which was flawless, but I take it down to three because of the high price.