Step-by-step guide to transferring money with Transferwise
- Create a free Transferwise account.
- Enter how much you want to send in euros (or another currency) or how much you want the recipient to receive in pounds.
- See both the exchange rate and the fee.
- Enter the recipient's bank details.
- Confirm the transfer.
Send money online or on our mobile app. You can also send money by calling 1-800-CALL-CASH® (1-800-225-5227) to send money within the U.S and to most international locations5. To send money online, register to create your Western Union profile.
Start your money transfer online, on our app, or at an agent location. Select 'Bank Account' as receive method and choose 'Bank Account' as your payment method. Select your 'Send to' country and enter your 'Send amount'. Provide your receiver's information and bank account details.
How much money can I send with Western Union?
| Service | Limit per transfer |
|---|
| Next Day | $500 |
| Mobile Money Transfer | $500 |
| Bill Payments/Quick Collect | $2,500 per 7 days to a biller (certain states have a limit of $400 only) |
| Prepaid Services | Limits vary by card issuer |
Western Union offers its international money transfer services to more than 200 countries worldwide. Western Union's global transfer network is the largest in the world, with more than 500,000 agent locations in 200 countries and territories, and more than 100,000 ATMs and kiosks across the globe.
To pick up the money, the receiver can go to any Western Union agent location. He will need to follow the agent's instructions and provide the tracking number (MTCN) and a valid ID document. The agent then pays the transfer amount to the receiver.
Banks don't share with WU the specific reasons for declined transfers. The decline could be related to the cash advance capability of your credit card, your credit card limit, a mistake when entering bank account information or other requirements from your bank.
How it works is simple. You go into the location, write down the name and location of the person you want to send money to and choose how much you want to send. Western Union will then assess a fee. That fee can be as much as 10% if you're sending a smaller amount of money.
How and Where to Report Scammers Using Western Union. If you have transferred money via Western Union and you believe that it was part of a scam, you need to call Western Union as soon as possible. If the money has not yet been paid then they can stop the transaction immediately and refund you.
Once the money is picked up, no trace to who they are or where they live is available anymore. That is one reason why the enforcement authorities will not even try to monitor agent offices, because the money can be picked up in any location that has a Western Union or Money Gram office.
How do I know if I can pick up the money? Simply click on “Track transfer” on our website to check the status of your money transfer. You will only need the sender's name and the money transfer control number (MTCN).
If the funds haven't been picked up by the receiver, you'll get a full refund, including the transaction fee. If your money has been picked up by the receiver and you suspect you are a victim of fraud, we encourage you to file an official fraud claim with Western Union and to report your situation to law enforcement.
Western Union takes safety seriously. As one of the most reliable and oldest financial services and communications companies in the world, we provide a wide variety of money transfer options to more than 200 countries.
If you have the recipient's account number and transit routing number, you can use online banking or an app to transfer money into their account. You might do this with someone you regularly send money to, such as a family member. This is also a great way to transfer money between your own accounts.
When transferring money using Western Union, the money is gone and there is no way to reverse the payment once the recipient of the funds leaves the Western Union office. With this in mind, you should use Western Union to send money only to people you know.
Using the Western Union serviceWestern Union money transfers are available 7 days a week at Sainsbury's Bank Travel Money Bureaux. You can collect money from the hundreds of thousands of Western Union agent locations in more than 200 countries and territories around the world.
How to send money online, on mobile or in person
- Venmo: Best rated for mobile.
- Zelle: Fastest for domestic transfers (tie with Google Pay).
- Google Pay: Fastest for domestic transfers (tie with Zelle).
- PayPal: Most popular online.
- Walmart-2-Walmart: Best for nonbank transfers.
We'll cover some of the cheapest, fastest and easiest ways to send money to someone without a bank account.
- Money Order. Money orders work a bit like checks.
- Walmart-to-Walmart.
- Western Union.
- PayPal.
- Venmo.
- Square Cash.
- Prepaid Debit Cards.
- Google Wallet.
Some of the most common bank transfer methods are:
- Online bank transfers. Log in to your online account and select the option for making a payment.
- Telephone transfers. Call your bank's telephone banking service.
- In-branch bank transfers.
How to Send Money Online
- Log in to your profile. If you don't have a profile, please register for free.
- Choose country, amount and delivery method (cash).
- Enter your receiver's name.
- Pay with your card.
- You'll get a confirmation by email. Save the tracking number (MTCN) to share with your receiver for pickup.
Money in Minutes service for pick up at an Agent location – generally delivered within minutes*. Next Day service for pick up at an Agent location is generally available the next day*. Direct to Bank deposit typically takes between 2 to 5 business days, but could vary, depending on country.
If you're doing this offline, you'll need to physically go down to the bank with the transfer details and talk to the teller. If it's an online transfer, you'll simply need to login to your Internet banking account and look for the 'Transfers' options.
- You can't.
- Western Union is the only one to unblock you. If you have misbehaved or used their systems for criminal purposes, they will NOT unblock you.
No. Only the person the money was sent to can pick up the money. Your ID is required. If you are unable to pick the money up yourself, you can request the sender to change the name to someone that can get the money for you.
To receive money anonymously without incorporating, your options come down to e-wallets, Ukash, and BitCoin. Person to person transfers with the mainstream e-wallets – Neteller, Moneybookers/Skrill, EcoCard, ClickandBuy, Click2Pay – are usually anonymous, but the recipient sees your email address or account number.
A: Yes. We need the MTCN (Money Transfer Control Number) and a valid government issued ID. Q: Can I pick up money without an ID? A: As long as the sender used a test question, and the clerk checked the "Pay without ID" box.
You can pick it up at any agent location. Look for the nearest one on our website. You'll need the tracking number (MTCN) as well as the sender's name, sender's country and transfer amount. You'll also need to provide an accepted form of government-issued photo ID to pick up the money.
