Frequently Asked Questions

You can only make minor typographical corrections to the receiver’s name on a regular money transfer as long as the money hasn’t yet been picked up. This can’t be done on a money order, bill payment, or prepaid money transfer.

You can send money online to a Western Union location for a cash pickup, directly into your receiver’s bank account, or to your receiver’s mobile phone. After you’ve chosen your destination country, you’ll see the types of services available.

Learn more about how to send money online.

Here are a few ways you can send money online using Western Union:

• Money in minutes

If your money is needed within minutes, you can send online using your credit or debit card. Receivers can pick up cash at Western Union locations worldwide, depending on the hours of operation at that location.

If your receiver lives in a country where we offer mobile money transfer, you can send money to their mobile phone in a matter of minutes. Make sure your receiver has activated a mobile wallet with one of our partner mobile operators in their country.

• Money available in 1 or 2 days

If you send money to a bank account, your money is generally available within 1 or 2 days, depending on your receiver’s country. Learn more about sending money to a bank account.

Pay for your money transfer in the following ways:

a)      Card

You can pay using your debit or credit card.

Supported cards are: Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, and Visa Electron. Please contact your bank to ensure your card is enrolled for secure authentication.

b)      Bank transfer on wu.com

You can pay for your money transfer using your online bank account. After you have entered your transfer details, you will be redirected to your online banking via Klarna, Trustly, or iDeal depending on your country.

c)      Bank transfer from your account to Western Union

Enter your transfer details on wu.com and log in to your online banking to pay for your transfer.

1.      Select bank transfer option

2.      Review and confirm your transfer. Your receipt with your transfer information, reference number, and Western Union bank details will be shown to you and sent to your email address.

3.      Log in to your bank website or mobile app. Use the beneficiary information on the receipt page and make the payment via bank transfer. (Please ensure the information you provide matches the information on your Western Union receipt.)

4.      Once Western Union receives your payment, a confirmation email will be sent to your email address.

This service is available for certain countries. Usually, money is deposited into the receiver’s bank account within 1 or 2 business days. Money may be deposited on the same day or in up to 3 business days, depending on when and where it’s sent.

After you send money, ask your receiver to contact their bank or check their bank statement to verify the deposit.

Learn more about sending to a bank account.

If your receiver lives in a country where we offer this service, you can even send money to their mobile phone—so they can get their money quick and easy than ever. Make sure your receiver has activated a mobile wallet with one of our partner mobile operators in their country.

Check available destination countries and mobile networks.

You can send up to 1.000 EUR per transaction or within a 3-day period before we need to verify your identity. After your identity is verified, you can send up to 5.000 EUR per transaction and 50.000 EUR for bank transfer. The maximum sending limit will be displayed when you choose your receiver’s country on the send money page.

Some card issuers may charge additional fees for using our services. Please contact your card issuer for more information.

Verified by Visa^® and MasterCard SecureCode^® help prevent unauthorized online use of cards. These services use personal passwords or identity information and are available for most cards from participating financial institutions.

After your card is activated, your card number will be recognized whenever it’s used at participating online stores. A window will automatically appear and your card issuer will ask for your password. You’ll enter your password to verify your identity and complete your purchase.

Even if you haven’t activated Verified by Visa^® or MasterCard SecureCode^®, your card can still be used on our site.

Your online receipt will show whether your transfer has been approved. If we need more information before we can complete it, you’ll be asked to call us. When the transfer is complete, you’ll get an email with your tracking number (MTCN).

Western Union uses the latest technology to ensure convenient and reliable online money transfers. We have upgraded our security standards to protect you from fraud when you pay online using a credit or debit card. This enhanced layer of security, aligned with the latest EU regulations and changes to security systems, helps card issuing banks to better identify and verify customers, allowing for convenient, smooth, and reliable online transfers.

According to EU regulations, you have the right to easy, secure payments with no extra cost when you pay with a card issued in the EU¹. You also have the right to a basic payment account if you are a legally residing in Europe. Learn more.

Western Union uses Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) to secure online payments. To ensure the best experience when using Western Union, we ask our customers to consider the below:

• Make sure your card is enrolled for secure authentication by either contacting your bank or logging on to your online banking and selecting the option from your security settings.
• Ensure your contact information is up to date on your online banking and Western Union profile.

Please note, you can also pay for your money transfers via alternate payment options available for your country, including Klarna, Trustly, iDeal, Faster payment, Apple Pay, and WU Pay. Your payment options will be shown to you when you start an online transfer.

Your debit or credit card payment may be unsuccessful due to several reasons:

a)      By your bank

Your bank may decline your payment due to:

• Insufficient funds in your bank account.
• Unusually large payment exceeding your bank limits.
• Your card may not be enrolled for secure authentication.

If your bank declines a payment while making a Western Union money transfer, you need to contact your bank or log on to your online banking to resolve the issue.

b)      By Western Union

Western Union may decline your payment for the following reasons:

• Exceeding the transfer limit set for the country you are sending money from.
• To protect you from fraud or consumer scams.

You can make up to 5 transfers to the same receiver on Alipay wallet within a 30-day period starting from the date of the first transfer. If it’s urgent, you can always choose a different payout method such as bank account or cash.

You’ll need to set up your Google Pay account to complete your transfers.

To set up your account, simply follow these steps:

1. Download Google Pay on your android device.
2. Select Get Started.
3. Choose your preferred payment method.
4. Enter and verify your card¹

¹ You can add up to 5 valid Mastercard or Visa debit, or credit cards.

You can make faster payments using your Google Pay.

Note: First, you’ll need to set up your account.

Then to use Google Pay for your transfer, follow these steps:

1. Select Google Pay as your payment method.
2. Add your receiver’s details.
3. Click on Pay with GPay on the review page.
4. Choose a card linked with Google Pay.
5. Continue to make the payment.

Note: Currently, this feature is only available on android devices and website