Agent locations are places where you can transfer money using Western Union. Agent locations may be in supermarkets, grocery stores, check cashers, mailbox centers, drug stores, travel agencies, depots, and other retailers. In some countries, they may be in banks, travel agencies, post offices, airports, train, and bus stations, and currency exchange offices.
You can easily find a nearby Agent location using our online tool.
You will find it quick and easy to send money from one of our Agent locations: Fill out the required form and show the Agent clerk your identification card. Give the Agent clerk your payment in cash and sign the receipt.
Find out more about sending money from an Agent location.
You will need a current government-issued photo ID
You can usually send any amount you wish. However, for certain dollar amounts and transfers, you may have to provide additional information or documentation.
Find out more about sending money from an Agent location.
You can transfer money anytime at Agent locations during their business hours.
After you have sent your money transfer, follow these easy steps: Click on Tracking at the top of any site page. Type in the Sender’s name and the Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN) from the transaction.
Check your transfer status now.
No. 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.
Learn more about fraud awareness.
Find out more about receiving money at an Agent location.
Visit any site page and select Tracking from the top of the home page. You’ll need the name of the person who sent you the money and the Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN).
Generally, we pay your money transfer with cash but in some cases, payment may be made in the form of a money transfer check or pay out card.
As a Western Union Money TransferSM user, we value your business and take pride in delivering your funds to the intended recipient in a fast, convenient and reliable manner. However, there are individuals throughout the world who will attempt to use any system to receive payments in connection with fraudulent sales or solicitations.
Make sure you know to whom you are sending money. If you are purchasing goods or services and paying through the Western Union network, it is your responsibility to verify the reputation and legitimacy of the seller. Western Union is not responsible for the non-receipt or quality of any goods or services.
Discontinue a call if a caller instructs you on how to respond to questions asked by Western Union.
Security is everyone’s responsibility. Stay informed about consumer fraud trends.
Remember, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Be wary if you are required to pay a fee before receiving a loan. Beware of sweepstakes, prize or lottery company representatives who tell you to transfer money to them in order to claim a prize you’ve won. There are many companies running fraudulent contests that ask you to transfer them money but give you nothing in return.
Beware of unsolicited letters or emails from a Nigerian or other foreign government officials requesting assistance in the transfer of excess funds from a foreign country into your bank account.
Beware of telephone calls from the police claiming someone you know has been in an accident or arrested and is requesting money.
Beware of unsolicited letters or emails offering an unrealistic price for expensive or difficult to find merchandise.
Make sure you know to whom you are sending money. If you are purchasing goods or services and paying through the Western Union network, it is your responsibility to verify the reputation and legitimacy of the seller. Western Union is not responsible for the non-receipt or quality of any goods or services.
If you receive an email from a company representing itself as Western Union and you are not sure it was sent by Western Union, do not click on any links in the email. This may be a “phishing” attempt to fraudulently acquire sensitive information from you. Instead, immediately forward the suspicious email to spoof@westernunion.com.
Western Union will never send you an email asking for your user ID, password or credit card details.
The “Test Question” feature in the Western Union® Money TransferSM service is designed for emergency situations where the receiver does not have proper identification (e.g. his or her wallet and identification have been stolen). It should never be used as additional security to time or delay the payment of a transaction. In many locations, Western Union will pay the receiver whenever the receiver shows proper identification, even if the receiver does not know the answer to the test question.
Western Union does not offer an escrow service or any type of “purchase protection” policy. Western Union’s business is to transfer funds from a sender to a receiver. We caution people who use our services against sending money to people they don’t know. It is the sender’s responsibility to know the party to which the funds are being sent. Using a fictitious name or changing the Receiver name after the money transfer has been sent is not a guaranteed means of securing funds. If a receiver presents proper identification with the same name as on the money transfer, payment will be made.
Be wary of 3rd party “collection” or “holding” services unless they are a reputable, licensed escrow service. Western Union is not an escrow service, should not be used as an escrow service and is currently not affiliated with any escrow services.
For online auctions, examine seller feedback 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 if you are uncertain or suspicious of a telephone, mail or email solicitation.
If you feel you have been the victim of fraud, you can contact your local police.
Western Union employs a variety of technique, including SSL technology, to keep your personal information safe.
Additionally, the following tips can help keep your password secure:
You can further protect your passwords by making sure that your virus-scanning software is kept up to date, and by running anti-spyware programs. These programs can help protect you from viruses or other malware that could compromise your identity even though your computer may seem to be working fine.
If you use Microsoft Windows, make sure your Windows updates are enabled to help keep your operating system protected. You can learn more about Microsoft Windows updates at https://www.microsoft.com.
Use extra caution when entering your password on a computer that does not belong to you. Viruses, spyware, or the browser settings might be used to compromise your account by recording your user name and password.
You can check the status of your money transfer by clicking Track Transfer on our website. All you need is the sender’s name and the tracking number (MTCN).
After the money transfer has been sent, you can use the Track Transfer service on our website to check the status. All you need is your name and the tracking number (MTCN).
Just use the Track Transfer service on our website to track the status of your money transfer. All you need is the sender’s name and the tracking number (MTCN).
There are a few reasons why a money transfer might be on hold. If its been less than 30-40 minutes since you completed it, it may not be fully processed yet. Please wait a few more minutes and then check the status again.
Sometimes we need to confirm the sender’s identity before we can process a money transfer. If this is the case, we’ll send the sender an online web receipt and an email asking them to call us. Once we’ve confirmed the sender’s information, the transfer will be completed and the receiver can pick up the money.
Registering to receive transfers in Colombia
The Government of Colombia will require you to register if you receive a transfer in Colombia that exceeds its cash and frequency limits.
If you know you need to register, you can call Western Union’s Colombian partner, Giros y Finanzas, at any of the numbers below.
You can also wait for Giros y Finanzas to call you. They will try to contact you up to 3 times in the 15 days after we send the money. If Giros y Finanzas cannot reach you after 3 tries, we will cancel the transfer and refund the sender.
Giros y Finanzas contact numbers in Colombia (country code +57):
Giros y Finanzas contact numbers outside Colombia:
Giros y Finanzas office hours of operation, Colombia Time (COT) (UTC -5):
Giros y Finanzas may ask you to provide the following:
Receiving money in Argentina
If you receive a money transfer in Argentina, you need to complete a one-time registration within 90 days of getting it.
Also, if you receive 2 additional transfers within that 90-day period (a total of 3 transfers), you will need to register before you can pick up the third transfer.
To get you registered, we will contact you within 24 hours of the transfer at the number provided by your sender. You will be asked to provide additional identifying information on an online form used for registering transfers.
Receiving money to your bank account in China
If you’re the receiver, you may need to complete a one-time registration before you can receive money.
If you need to register, you will be contacted within 24 hours by us at the number provided by your sender.
To register and confirm your identity, you will need:
If the receiver cannot be contacted within 3 days, we will not be able to complete the transfer, and the sender will be issued a refund.
You can also call Customer Care at 4008190488 or 02168664622 to provide your identity information.
My WU is a free loyalty program from Western Union.
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.
Via the My WU portal:
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.
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.
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:
a. Valid government-issued photo ID is needed to verify your identity.
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.
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.
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.
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.