Western Union Fees
I needed to wire some money today and used Western Union. What a rip off! Wow!
First, there is a $20 fee for doing it online, but if you go in to a Western Union, they only charge $15 (backwards!).
Then, as you are ready to send the money, you are asked for a message to be read out loud to the person receiving the money and also their phone number so they can call them when the money is ready.
When I got to the final page, I found I was being charged $4 for the message and $3 for the phone call! There is a ‘remove these charges’ in small print which I did, but I almost missed these extra fees.
I also took that opportunity to Google ‘Western Union Coupon’ and found a fantastic site that has always been a big help called retailmenot.com. They had a Western Union Coupon of ‘D0066′ which saved me $10. I highly recommend RetailMeNot.com!
Back to my experience with Western Union – On the final form, you have to check a box to prevent them from passing your personal information on to third parties. I checked that box.
When I hit submit, it then told me I needed to call and verify my information! OK, so I called and gave them all the information once again. The Western Union Representative said everything is a go and that my recipient may pick up the money.
I called the person I sent the money to and gave them the good news. I received a call shortly after that they were at Western Union and that there is a 774 hour hold on it!
OK – I called the main office (the people who said everything was ok) and explained the situation. They told me to tell my recipient to tell the clerk that they need to shut down their screen and restart the transaction. Apparently there is a bug in the system…
They restarted the transaction and the person I sent the money to was a happy camper. I figure everything is all set now, right? Nope…
In my Western Union email confirmation, I notice at the bottom a statement that they will sell my personal information to third parties unless I call them! I guess the online check box means nothing…
When I called the number, they had no idea what I was talking about and I was transferred to the validation department. The validation department was just as dumb founded and transferred me to Joe in the technical department.
Joe didn’t know at first, but did some checking and found the form. Joe said that there is an ‘opt in / opt out’ form which is in electronic format and needed to be filled out. He asked me three questions and then I repeated all my information again and was told I have been opted out.
Thinking about using Western Union to send money? Think again – unless you are a sucker for punishment, you’re better off doing it another way.
By the way, here is the confirmation email with the (we will assume that you agree that your information may be sold to third parties) statement.
Dear MR. MAURER,
Thank you for using the Western Union Money Transfer® – Money in Minutes service
Your money transfer has been authorized and is now available for pick up by the receiver.
Transfers to certain destinations may be subject to further delay or additional restrictions.
TRANSACTION DETAILS:
Your Money Transfer Control Number [MTCN] is : [snip]
Please use this number for any inquiries.
Date of Order: 03/08/2009
Amount Sent: [snip]
Money Transfer Fee: [snip]
Total Amount: [snip]
*Currency Exchange: Payments will generally be in local currency (except that in certain countries payment may be in U.S. dollars or other alternate currency at participating locations). In addition to the transfer fees applicable to this transaction, a currency exchange rate will be applied. United States currency is converted to foreign currency at an exchange rate set by Western Union. Any difference between the rate given to Customers and the rate received by Western Union will be kept by Western Union (and its Agents in some cases) in addition to the transfer fees. Please ask a customer service representative for information concerning the currency exchange rate applicable to your transaction. You may also find out the current foreign exchange rate provided by Western Union to its customers by calling toll-free to 1-800-325-6000.
The transfer fees and the money Western Union (or its Agents) makes when it changes your dollars into foreign currency may vary based upon the payout currency that you select. Some Western Union Agents may offer receivers the choice to receive funds in a currency different from the one you selected. In such instances, Western Union (or its Agents) may make additional money when it changes your funds into the Receiver selected currency.
The total amount will appear on your credit or debit card statement.
Selected Additional Service (s):
No Additional Services selected.
Sender:
JIM MAURER
[snip]
FOR A COMPLETE COPY OF THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS GOVERNING THIS TRANSACTION AND THE SERVICES YOU HAVE SELECTED PLEASE REVIEW AND PRINT THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS.
REFUNDS. PRINCIPAL REFUNDS and cancellation of the money transfer will be made if payment to the Receiver has not been made when Western Union processes Customer’s written request. TRANSFER FEE REFUNDS are generally made if funds are not available to the Receiver within Western Union’s specified timeframes. Qualifying refunds will be made within 45 days of receipt of Customer’s valid written request.
LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY. IN NO EVENT SHALL WESTERN UNION BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES FOR DELAY, NONDELIVERY, NONPAYMENT OR UNDERPAYMENT OF ANY SERVICES TRANSACTION, WHETHER CAUSED BY NEGLIGENCE ON THE PART OF ITS EMPLOYEES, SUPPLIERS OR AGENTS OR OTHERWISE, BEYOND THE SUM OF $500 (in addition to refunding the principal amount and the transfer fees), UNLESS THE SENDER HAS OBTAINED A HIGHER LIABILITY LIMIT BY CALLING THE TELEPHONE NUMBER SET FORTH BELOW AND PAYING AN ADDITIONAL CHARGE THEREFOR. IN NO EVENT WILL WESTERN UNION BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES OR THE LIKE. THESE CONDITIONS CANNOT BE CHANGED OR SUPPLEMENTED ORALLY.
WESTERN UNION PRIVACY POLICIES: Western Union may disclose your personal information to third parties as explained in its Privacy Statement (“Statement”). To obtain a copy of the Statement, ask your Western Union Agent or call 1-800-562-2598. Information disclosed may include financial background; identification, such as name and address; transaction information; and other information relating to financial matters. Recipients may include financial institutions; retailers; companies that process transactions or provide other services for us; government agencies; and direct marketers. You may opt out of (direct us not to make) certain disclosures. If you do not opt out, we will assume that you agree that your information may be used as the Statement describes. To opt out, call 1-800-562-2598.
Check if the receiver has picked up the money transfer.
If you have any questions, visit us at westernunion.com.
Thank you for using Western Union!
DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS PLEASE CONTACT US
If you can help it, DO NOT use Western Union to send money!!!
What questions did they ask you when they called? When I called they asked me completely irrelevant questions like how much I’ve been paying on my mortgage for the past couple months! I was nervous it was a scam because they asked me 3 personal questions that had nothing to do with my transaction. Were your questions the same?
I have been sending twenty five hundred dollar checks to scotland for someone,could i run into any problems by doing this,? I am drawing Social Security but i am not spending this money. Can you see any problems??
That is what exactly happened to my friend who sent me money yesterday. He gave me the CN and went to the nearest Western Union. I was told that the number was invalid. I told my friend what I was told and that the transaction was canceled.
He called customer service and was told that the money was sent. He furnished me a copy of the confirmation letter saying that the money is ready for pick up. He was and still is so furious. I called customer service too and asked questions, but they are dumb or playing dumb that they can’t answer.
This experience with Western Union is a nightmare!
Western Union is not helping the situation! Not only are their fees a disgrace they are also turning a blind-eye to thousands of scammers because Western Union gets a cut of the proceeds. People falling for these internet scams invariably use Western Union to collect the pay-out. Western Union never cooperates with police in these matters; why would they? How much money would Western Union lose if these scams were shut down?
I send money to the Philippines regularly, I use Western Union because it seems the most accessible form of transfer here “Scotland”.
I am sick of the fees they charge though, £12.00 for up to £50, £14.00 up to £100!
The other trick they use is to change the exchange rate, They guarantee that they will pay the recipient the same rate as they give you at time of payment, they always shave the rate at the other end and now they allow the offices in the Philippines to charge a tax levy as well!
They are like every other corporation, they have a license to print money at our expense!
I agree my recent experience receiving money from an agent here in Canada was not positive at all and I ended up having to go somewhere else for the same transaction. Complaining about the fees is a bit much though because:
1) Use online money transfer or some method through your bank to avoid higher fees.
2) Western union is a large organization that has to pay its agenets a commission and keep sufficient staff on payroll to answer inquriies from people.
3) It is a profit driven company.
So in short.. if you’re not satisfied with the fees or your experience.. use a less expensive and maybe more efficient method in the future. Case closed.
I also had a bad experience receiving money at WU. They kept me for an hour because their computer would not print a check, which was odd to me in the first place, since I could not get my 1000 in cash, only checks. their explanation was that $1000 is too much cash to give, so they have to give me a check…
After battling for an hour I finally got my check… I went to the bank where I tried to make a deposit.. guess what happened? The bank needed to call WU and get a confirmation from them that my check is valid.. After holding the bank’s manager for another 45 mins on the line, a WU representative said that the money order has been cashed out already!!! I finally got my money, but ..man what a hassle…
I will never ever use WU’s services again.
Does the person receiving the transfer had to pay any fees when he picked up the money?
i feel your pain.
i had a VERY, VERY frustrating bang-your-head-on-the-wall experience with western union too… beware of western union… its like they torment you for fun and try to make your life as difficult as they possibly can and basically, BE PREPARED TO PAY A PRICE YOU WILL NEVER FORGET… IF YOU USE WESTERN UNION!!
Oh, yes WESTERN UNION’s transactions are a total rip-off.
WESTERN UNION RIP-OFF !
I live in Cardiff, in Wales.
A friend sent me US$250 she owed me. I asked for this in US DOLLARS.
But was told it had to be in POUNDS.
She was told by WU that $250 would equal £173.
When Ithe agent transcated the currency it came to me as a mere £142. When I asked how many DOLLARS that would buy me. I was told US $215.
So I lost $35 on the exchange, and the person sending to me had already paid $40 in fees. $290 for me to receive $215 !!!!
I really think Western Union is not the ideal source for money transfer. I am from Ghana but live and work in China. Sometime ago, my uncle transfered money to me by Western Union for me to buy some stuff for him and I really had a hell of a day trying to receive the funds.
My uncle scanned the Western Union Sender’s form he used for sending the money to me and I printed it out and took it along with me to the WU outlet here. I looked on the form my uncle sent and used exact details to fill out the receive form. Then they checked and told me that my name on my passport does not tally with what is on their system. They then told me to call my uncle to go back to the WU office in Ghana to resend the money to me. The problem was that “VALENTINE” was mis-entered on their system to read “VALENTINA”. But on the form my uncle used to send the money, the name was “VALENTINE”. So, you can guess that the operator at the WU outlet in Ghana, mistakenly entered an “A” instead of an “E”.
I honestly got furious over this and told them I am not leaving the counter for other customers until they rectify this problem because the form I have proves that it is their fault, not mine. I waited for over an hour and blocking the chances of other customers to cash their money and at last they called the WU China head-office in Shanghai and they interrogated me for over 20 minutes before finally asking the outlet here to release the money to me.
I really prefer Moneygram to Western Union.
WESTERN UNION (W.U.) = Wickedly Uncaring.
WESTERN UNION REALLY UPSET ME! Do NOT use their on-line system. When I tried to wire my wife $500, their system says, “CAN NOT COMPLETE, PLEASE CALL WESTERN UNION….”. When you call, they ask for your Social Security number in order to identify you, and ask permission to pull your credit report!! Get this – the call center is in the Philippines. I raise hell, and get another number to call. It’s in Mexico City!! I canceled the whole thing, but they’d already billed my debit card for $551, and said it’d take a few days to get it cleared!!! Thieves!
AND THAT SURE AS HELL DOESN’T HELP MY WIFE WHO NEEDED THE MONEY, DOES IT?? I emailed my bank & told them of the scam.
WESTERN UNION SUXXXXXX!!!!
Thank you for all these stories. I’m an Aussie and I’ve never used or known what Western Union was until recently and I was going to process a transaction with them but at the last moment decided to check their fees. Found this page as the second hit and man am I glad I did, because WU sounds like hell on earth and I am surely not going to use them if I can ever help it. Thank you very much for saving me a lot of suffering. xoxLisa
I just went to transfer money through Western Union ,what a rip off,how much money these guys are making just to transfer the money ,i have just transfered $750 from Turkey to Egypt and the charge was $47 ,imagine that ,that is approximately 6.35% ,this is totaly unaceeptable ,so i just woundered if this fee only applies in Turkey or is it everywhere else.thanks
I attempted to send money online through WU. I received a message saying I was unable to send it via online or telephone. I asked them why and I was told “they could not verify my identity”, I asked how I could verify it, they told me I wasn’t able to because they had already done it more than two or three times.
I’m looking for a way to get the money to the person as we speak.
I don’t even want to enter my e/m,I already had enougth feedback for an company,I didn’t know.soo Thanks but not thanks……
Beware of Western Union.
First they are charging outrages fees to begin with. Second they provide no security that the actual receiver even gets is. The code is meaningless sense anybody, i mean anybody, can get the money as long as the know the senders name and possibly the amount send.
Do not even waste your time writing in a security question which also means nothing to a thief or scammer. Even a crooked Western Union outlet can give the information to to FRIEND so that crook can get the money and split with the person working at the outlet. How can you safely send money, i would not know i know for sure not with Western Union – anyway, my personal opinion, take it for what it’s worth!
I used Western Union a while ago and they put a 24 hour hold on a $50 transfer.
Terrible company.
Oh my! This brought back terrible memories! I think they still owe me money! I remember my anger and almost caused harm and hurt to some retarded people. Shame on me for “almost” making the same mistake, again! They stole from us. They robbed us. and we had to take it up the wahwho. Hey! where’s my money?… well let’s see sir, have you any … sometime these things take time. I had police. Thank God! I would have become a violent criminal, and hurt some not so innocent people. What do you expect in Atlantic city? i’m furious again! thank you for the reminder. Western Union socks!!
I’m sending money from Malaysia to China of 185 USD, and the transaction fee is 22 USD. Its 11.7% rip off. I better pay by PayPal if I knew this sooner. Still, at this time, after 24h of payment being made, the receiver still not received the money.
Use Wal-Mart Money Gram its a little better but not by much.
Ditto! No more Western Union for me! You can bet your” bleep” I’m spreading the word.The customer service sucks. They charged me a 17.00 fee for a 40.00 transfer! You have no idea there’s been a mistake until you get a confirmation. Then it’s too late. Next comes the ever so polite’”Sorry .” I refuse to take this lying down! The fee is only 5.00 and I’ll not stop” bleep”until I get a 12.00 refund from this idiot company!
You were lucky.
The ONLY time I used them online my Bank Account was raided by someone to the tune of over $1,000 within minutes of my phoning them to confirm.
(My Bank eventually got the money back from some Sport Betting place in the UK.)
My Bank Account apparently was used by someone in the Philippines.
Odd that considering the person I had to phone was in the Philippines too.
DO NOT USE WESTERN UMNION, THEY ARE THIEVES IN MY OPINION!
I got an e mail telling me i am rewarded for sending money by wu
Dear Sir / Madam,
For 156 years, Western Union has been connecting people. At Western Union, there’s so much more than money you’re sending. Every sender and receiver is important to us. To celebrate our 156th anniversary, we’re rewarding our customers with prizes of USD60, 000.00
Because you sent money on-line, from an agent location or received money through Western Union, you’ve been selected.
However, you are required to forward the following information for immediate payment of your USD60, 000.00
1.) Bank Name:
2.) Beneficiary:
3.) Account Number:
4.) Bank Address:
5.) Swift Code or Routing Number:
6.) Your Mobile Telephone Number:
You will be contacted by a Western Union in the next 24 hours as soon as you forward your required information and you will receive the USD60, 000.00 prizes immediately from us.
Save time, send money, earn rewards! Western Union is a service people trust.
I think this is shit or a scam.
wow. Thanks for the info. i just googled “western union fees” and i came across this. It sucks that in the UK its quite popular to send money through there internationally. I’m in the US so i send money through a different company that no matter how much i send they charge me $3. I’m about to send money to the UK and the only option i have in this matter is western union because of the person receiving it. I hope they don’t give me any problems because i don’t have the patience for the BS.
Thanks.
Man, I have sent a lot of money via WU and let me tell ya they do suck. Get this, the exchange rate is not the same as what is published by any place that publishes it. For example if the going “real” rate is .6832985 the WU rate is .6382849. I sent them an email asking why they difference in the exchange rate. Lets just say the answer was less than satisfactory, looked for the email but I guess I deleted it out of disgust with the poor answer.
So in the end beware, they charge there fees, I don’t really care about that so much as I expect that. What I do care about his the hidden fee of an exchange rate that is different than what the actual going rate is. That is was can cost the consumer the most, say if you need to send money to the UK and the person needs 2500 pounds and you are sending from the USA that will cost you without the fees $3,908.15 that is using the WU exchange rate.
If you use the real rate it would be $3,661.15 that is a difference of $247.00. So $247.00 plus what ever the fee is to send this amount of money is will be over $100 is what they are making off of the transaction. And yes they have a policy that states that can not give out the information of where the money was picked up so if you need to know the exact location you are SOL, not sure why this info is secret.
i just sent a 50euro now down to africa and i have to pay the fee of nine euro fifty cent. i had no option than to send it because it is urgent, i dont know is that normal amount i am to pay i think is too much
Well, Lilian above…it has been a month and half and you probably already had your own nightmare with this outfit known as Western Union.,
I sent my fiance who is doing business in the UK $1200 US wiretransfer…I paid a fee of $83 US to do this , and when he went to pick up the transfer….they converted to british pound then back to USD and charged him fees that he does not still understand and when it was said and done…he received $900 USD…so for $1283.00, he received $900….
If anyone else tried this kind of fee schedule and rip off, they would be in Jail where they rightly should be..
He got a bit loud with them in questioning there business and what he had received…and their response was to call the police…at what point he was questioned and may have to succumb to more questioning…
Out right thievery…
Should I ever have to do so again for him while he would be on business…I would rather take the risk of putting the money into an ordinary envelope and sending it overnight by USPS for a cost of $42….
What a joke they are……..anywhere else they would be referred to as mobsters and thieves…
really glad i checked this website. i was on the way to wallmart to send my friend in Ghana some money for her birthday, i think i will just send a money order or travelers check by snail mail. booo for western union! more people should find out about them, they dont deserve the preceived’good’ reputation they enjoy! thanks for the info.
Well I used WU a few times last month. They do have a higher limit of how much I could sent. However for the 2400dollar limit, the person I sent it to got it easy in converted currency. However yesterday I checked WU exchange rates on the neighbouring zipcodes which were much better than what I was getting..so I went there and did it for another 2400!!!! So always check the exchange rates(that is what is important for me, much more than the 30 dollar fees they charge) before sending and never sent it online, use a WU agent location, but check online how much is the exchange rate for the day before you go. You have to be smarter to deal with these people.
Good day dear sir/mrs.
i want to know please how much the commission to send money from philippines to blgaria.
thank you.
milad abi saad
I’ve been using WU since 2008 and at first it seems fine until they made some changes in receiving money from UK to Philippines. Aside from sending fee they charged from the sender, the recipient will be deducted with 15% of the principal account for documentary stamp tax, PLUS their exchange rate sucks! Their exchange rate is lower than the actual exchange rate in the banks and money changers.
wow!!! im so glad i came across all these stories while googling about wu and moneygram to see their charges difference and it seems in many ways moneygram is much better than wu. totally!!!!!
to Hamdan, im about to transfer some money to the same country as u did. what u had experience was terrible. fact is:
a. western union $185 transfer cost u $22, even $50 transfer cost u $12
b. moneygram $500 transfer cost u $9, plus it’s a 10-min service.. God, who knows for real?
the rest of us can do the math :D
Use XOOM! Very cheap and efficient!
Western Union, MoneyGram, even international bank transfers, they are all too expensive, too much hassle, take too long or all 3. The only thing WU might be good for is an absolutely dire emergency where the money, for some reason, must be received in full the very same day. Desired by thieves and scammers, naturally.
If there’s no “same day” hurry, then here are my tips where you won’t feel ripped-off, and the money is available in 4 days or less…
Sending money from UK to USA?
Go to a main Post Office branch, get a free Travel Money card, set a PIN and load your cash on to it. The cash is converted commission-free at the Post Office’s rate, which is usually quite competitive, and so you end up with a card loaded with up to 2500GBP worth of dollars. Then, whilst in the Post Office, simply mail it to the USA by their trackable Airsure signature service. It will arrive in 4 working days, and the recipient has essentially a pre-paid Master/Visa card that they can use for purchases and/or ATM cash withdrawals. Let them know the PIN by phone/email.
Total cost… around six quid for the postage on a small envelope, the rest is free, and the card is even insured against loss/theft.
Minus point… there may be daily withdrawal limit at some ATMs, so if you’re sending a lot of money, it may take your recipient a few daily trips to retrieve it all.
Sending money from USA to UK?
Not used it yet myself, but I hear good about xoom.com who can do bank-to-bank transfers, you can quickly send up to a couple of grand (I think) for only $5, and not much more for larger transfer amounts.
In the past, I have done similar to the UK>USA method above, loading a pre-paid card at a Travelex office and then mailing it with a trackable service requiring a signature at the UK end. Again, using this method I got a fair exchange rate, no cimmission, and I was basically only paying for postage.
Have been using western union for a few years now to transfer money between australia and new zealand and had no problems what so ever. As for the fees the yare cheaper than a bank deposit to another country and quicker. So of the fees I have read people complaining about on here are nothing I mean $43 to send x amount of hundreds to another country come on, that’s a deal!
i am really don’t know about western union. and i currently form singapore.
i am new user of western union. i am really doubt whether how they charge for the fees of wire money through singapore and united state.