Frequently Asked Questions

Currently it is not available to receive money online. For other options please click Receive money

You can find the status of your money transfer using Track a Transfer on WU.com. Or you can call Western Union’s representative GraceKennedy Customer Service Center 876 926-2454, or write an email to wuonline@gkco.com

Please get these details ready:

• The sender’s full name (that is, first, middle and last names).
• The country where the money was sent from.
• The tracking number (MTCN – Money Transfer Control Number)
• Amount Accepted
• Acceptable ID documents are also required.

For more information, do check with your nearest Western Union agent location.

Money transfers will generally be paid in cash. The receiver may choose other ways to receive funds and some money transfers may be paid to accounts.
Other restrictions may apply. Please contact Western Union agent to get more information about restrictions.

All fees are paid by the sender. Receiving money is free of charge unless the receiver chooses to receive the money in a different currency or to a device or an account which was not part of the send transaction. Western Union may make money from foreign currency exchange.

The Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN) is a unique number assigned to your transfer. Your receiver will need this number when they pick up their money, and it can also be used to track your transfer.

Yes. Only use Western Union to send money to friends and family. Never send money to someone you have not met in person. Scammers sometimes encourage people to transfer money. Do not transfer money to anyone who asks you to send them money:

• For an emergency situation you haven’t confirmed.
• For an online purchase.
• For anti‐virus protection.
• For a deposit or payment on a rental property.
• To claim lottery or prize winnings.
• To pay taxes.
• For a donation to charity.
• For a mystery shopping assignment.
• For a job opportunity.
• For a credit card or loan fee.
• To resolve an immigration matter.

If you transfer money, the person you’re sending it to gets the money quickly. After the money is paid, Western Union may not be able to give you a refund, even if you are the victim of fraud, except under limited circumstances.

If you receive an email from anyone claiming to be from Western Union and you are unsure about it, do not click on any links in the mail. This may be a “phishing” attempt to acquire sensitive information from you. Instead, immediately forward the suspicious mail to wuonline@gkco.com.
Western Union will never send you e-mails to ask for your user ID, password, or credit card details.

Test question is not available for payout in Jamaica.

Western Union does not offer escrow or buyer protection. To help protect yourself from fraud, never send money to someone you don’t know. If you suspect you may have been the victim of fraud using Western Union, contact us immediately at Western Union representative GraceKennedy Customer Service Center (876) 926-2454 or email wuonline@gkco.com.

For online auctions, examine feedback about the seller carefully and know the warning signs associated with fraudulent auction sales. Most online auction sites have safety guidelines or FAQs that can help you identify potentially fraudulent sales. Be wary if the seller is using a free email address or insists on accepting only one form of payment. Report any suspicious activity and file non-delivery of goods complaints with the auction site through which you purchased the item.
Remember that Western Union never acts as a guarantor of an auction buyer or seller’s performance.

Contact your government’s Office of Consumer Affairs and police station if you are uncertain or suspicious of a telephone, mail, or e-mail solicitation.
If you feel you have been a fraud victim, contact your local police immediately.

• Always make sure you know who you are sending money to. If you’re purchasing goods or services through Service Provider’s remittance services powered by Western Union, it’s your responsibility to verify the legitimacy of the seller. We are not responsible for the quality or non-receipt of any goods or services.
• Discontinue a call if a caller coaches you to respond to questions asked by Western Union.
• Security is everyone’s responsibility. Stay informed. Keep abreast of new fraud trends.

Remember, if it seems too-good-to-be-true, it probably is.

No. Remember, to protect yourself, never send money to someone you don’t know. If you think you’ve been scammed, contact us immediately at Western Union representative GraceKennedy Customer Service Center (876) 926-2454 or email wuonline@gkco.com

Learn more about fraud protection.

Western Union Agent Locations are independent businesses that provide money transfer services to their customers on behalf of Western Union. In Bahrain these are Exchange houses and Banks.

Use this link to find an Agent location near you.

You’ll need to provide a valid identification document, transaction details, and pay the agent the amount you want to send, plus fees, in cash.

Western Union Agent Locations offer the ability to send money worldwide using cash.

You can usually send up to 7,500 USD. However, for certain amounts and transfers, you may be subject to provide additional information or documentation.
You will be required to provide a valid identification document Bahrain National ID for sending money at a Western Union Agent Location.
Acceptable IDs are subject to the Central Bank of Bahrain rules and regulations.

My WU is a free loyalty program from Western Union. You can register on westernunion.com or our mobile app.

You can register to My WU loyalty program in 2 ways

• By clicking the box “Enroll to My WU program” during your registration on www.wu.com for online transactions.
• At cash counter while sending money from our Agent locations.

• Transfer fee discounts on qualifying money transfers.
• Special promotions on money transfers.

Learn more about My WU program.

Earning reward points is currently disabled in the program. If you are a My WU member, we will notify you about our new rewards program.

Earning reward points is currently disabled in the program. If you are a My WU member, we will notify you about our new rewards program.

Yes, you can continue to redeem your My WU points until their expiry.

On our website and app:

1. Log in to your Western Union profile.
2. Go to Menu and select My WU.
3. Select Redeem points.
4. Select Yes in the popup.
5. Select Use reward.

The discount will be automatically applied to your next transfer fee.

Via the My WU portal:

1. Log in to your profile and go to My WU Rewards.
2. Go to the Rewards section to view your reward options.
3. Choose your reward and select Use reward.

The discount will be applied automatically to your next transfer fee.

You can use your My WU points till they expire as per My WU terms and conditions.

It’s important for you to know your My WU number and keep it handy, so that you can leverage the benefits of the program. You can find your My WU number printed in the receipt of the transaction you register to the program with, in the last transaction receipt (assuming your profile was looked up), by contacting customer service, or by logging in to wu.com site.

You should double check the data that you are using to login (i.e. Last name + My WU number , or Last name + Email) and make sure they match the latest information that you have provided to WU. If you cannot validate or are unsure of the information provided to WU, you can call the support line to retrieve/update the relevant data points, including My WU number, Email address and Phone number. Using My WU number or email address (together with your last name) is the most reliable way to check your balance and/or redeem rewards.

WU has tried to merge matching/duplicate profiles and reconcile point balances, contacts, etc. This is a very complicated task and, in some cases, some profiles were kept separately. For a smooth experience, members are invited to merge their duplicate accounts (by calling the support line) and update their main profile, so for the balance and reward redemption features to work as expected.

In this case you are using a non-unique lookup criteria: phone number (together with your last name) and chances are that you have unintentionally (1) registered more than once with the same phone, (2) provided a wrong and/or dummy phone number OR (3) provided a phone number that was somebody else’s. Best way to address these challenges is by contacting customer service to make sure your profile is reflecting the most current information, including last name, email address and mobile phone number. Using My WU number or email address (together with your last name) is the most reliable way to check your balance and/or redeem rewards.

To protect our customers, we review every money transfer to make sure it’s safe. For a variety of reasons, we may ask you to provide us with more information before we can allow you to continue using our services.

We need additional information to understand why you use Western Union and the relationship between you and the person or entities you’re transacting with. The more information you provide, the quicker we’ll be able to complete your request.

To have access to our services again, follow the steps below:

1. Gather the required documents. Please note that these will vary depending on your reason for using Western Union and your relationship to the person or entities you’re transacting with. At minimum you must be prepared with your government-issued photo ID, documents that relate to your purpose for using Western Union, proof of the source of the funds, and any additional documents that may provide support for the answers provided on the questionnaire. For more information, go to Help section at westernunion.com.
2. Go to westernunion.com/gcr and start the customer questionnaire.
3. Complete the customer questionnaire:

• Personal information:
  – Provide your first, middle (optional) and last names as they appear on your ID.
  – Share your current email, physical address and mobile number. Please make sure you provide an active email address for communication purposes.
  – Specify your country of birth.
  – Select your occupation and provide additional clarification if needed.
  – Enter a recent tracking number (MTCN) if available.
  – Upload a copy of your valid government-issued photo ID.
• Relationships:
  – List people or entities you’ve transacted with using Western Union.
  – For each person or entity, enter the full name, relationship, purpose of transaction and upload supporting documents.
• Source of funds:
  – Choose the source of funds from the drop-down list and upload supporting documents.
• Third party details (if you are transacting on behalf of someone else) (if applicable):
  – Explain the purpose of transaction(s) and your relationship to the third party.
  – Provide the details related to the third party.
• Fraud (if applicable):
  – Indicate if you’ve been a victim of fraud or scam.
  – If yes, share a brief description of what happened.

4. Review the accuracy of the information you provided.
5. Select Submit questionnaire to complete the process.

a. Valid government-issued photo ID is needed to verify your identity.

• Examples: passport, driver’s license, national ID.

b. Source of funds is needed to make sure that the money transfers are not related to illegal acts and correspond to the nature of your activity.

• Examples: at least the latest 3 months of bank statements, at least the latest 3 months of pay slips, employment contract with salary, loan papers, sale agreement, winning receipt, tax return statement, etc.

c. Purpose of money transfer or intended use of money is needed to understand the basis for making the payment and the type of relations between the sender and the payee.

• Examples:
  • Personal remittance/family support – the following documents are suitable to prove relationship: pictures with persons you transacted with, marriage certificate, counterparty’s birth certificate, counterparty’s government issued ID, etc.
  • Business remittance/payment for goods/services – bills, receipts, sale or purchase agreements, etc.
  • Education – evidence of tuition fees, etc.
  • Medical expenses – hospital bills, pharmacy receipts, health insurance premiums, etc.
  • Charity support – written acknowledgment from the charity, etc.
  • Purchase home – purchase agreement, mortgage documents, etc.
  • Gift – receipts, etc.
  • Travel expenses – travel tickets, hotel bookings, etc.

d. Third party activity (sending or receiving money on behalf of individual or business) information is needed to understand the purpose and nature of your relationship with Western Union.

• Examples: business registration documents, letter of authorization by the company or notary, bank statement showing access to third party funds, etc.

After we’ve received your completed questionnaire and required documentation, we’ll email you a response within 3 business days.

In case we have additional questions, we may contact you via the email address provided in the questionnaire.

We’re committed to the security of your personal information. We use organizational, technical and administrative safeguards that comply with applicable government laws and regulations to secure your personal information. We also restrict access to the personal information that we process to only our employees, agents and representatives that have a business need to know it. For more information, read our Terms and Conditions and Online Privacy Statement.