Has anyone tried sending money online through Walmart? I’m curious if you've noticed their new conversion rates—it used to be so straightforward, like sending USD to Mexico where you'd just get the exact amount you sent minus a tiny $3 fee, and that was that.
Jerry Campbell3 said:Try Change Wu, or maybe just stick with MoneyGram.
It’s really no big deal—I don't actually work with them much anymore—but a friend of mine wanted to send something via Western Union, so I decided to check things out since he was asking how everything has changed lately.
Jerry Campbell3 said:I wouldn't know about that specific issue. My clients are pretty much used to paying me through Western Union, so a while back I had a guy send some money to my wife, and she was able to withdraw Euros without any drama. That was maybe two weeks ago. The transfer came from Canada, though, so I'm not sure what kind of currency the Canadian guy actually sent.
The sender likely sent dollars because they've started checking which currency is standard for the destination country—if you're sending USD, they apply a terrible exchange rate to balance things out. It wasn't always like this; you used to just pay the exact amount on your card plus a $3 fee.
I haven't dealt with currency conversion before—previously, I was just sending Euros over to Mexico, and the recipient could choose to pick up either Euros or Dollars depending on what they needed. Now, suddenly, they won't let me send Euros at all, only USD, and they're hitting me with terrible exchange rates. What happened to the Western Union site? It feels like everything has been completely overhauled overnight.
It’s been a while since I last used Western Union—I just hopped onto their site and realized the whole interface has changed. I was trying to send some Euros like I used to, but now it's calculating everything in US dollars and hitting me with a massive $200 conversion fee on a $2,000 transfer. Is there any way to get those old rates back, or is this just the new reality? They've completely messed up the Euro transfers I used to handle so easily—plus, it's confusing because before, my recipient in Mexico could just pick up Euros, but now it's forcing a conversion into Dinars immediately. Why the sudden change?
Quick question—has anyone ever actually filed a formal claim when a package gets stuck at US Customs? It’s sitting there for two months now for no reason at all—there's nothing in there even worth taxing, honestly—but it's just stalled. I've done my homework online and called both USPS and Customs, but they're just pointing fingers at each other. They keep telling me to file a claim, but I'm wondering what the actual outcome looks like... does it eventually get released to its destination, or do they just send it back to me? Basically, does anyone know how this whole claims process actually plays out?
I've already sent my second email regarding the reimbursement for the USPS package I sent through here—you can see the whole saga right here info@usps.com—but I haven't heard a single word back. Does anyone know what the typical wait time is, or if there’s another way to go about claiming this?
hiddenorca6 said:I run an online shop myself—and honestly, service levels have plummeted lately. I’ll send a standard package and a USPS Express shipment on the same day—$6.00 and wouldn't you know it—the basic one beats the Express one to the destination—$11 even though they were heading to the exact same city On top of that, they lost a certified package of mine—it's been a month of them "searching" for it...
I think it's time I switch over to FedEx
Apparently, they've hired a massive wave of new staff who don't have a clue what they're doing
The package was finally located after being stuck around for two or three weeks—it actually looped back through Tampa before heading to Washington, D.C.—and honestly, their incompetent delivery driver is to blame. As I mentioned earlier, this was via USPS, so I am currently in talks with them through info@usps.com regarding how to file for compensation and how much I can claim, since they failed to deliver my USPS shipment on time and ended up being two or three weeks late.
I have a package coming in from Germany via UPS—does anyone have experience with their delivery? Should I expect it through USPS or a private courier service—and if it's a courier, which one specifically? Thanks!
Sending $2,000 via Western Union online—they only charge a $5 fee—and even with a 7.25 exchange rate, they still beat the rates you'd get at any local Western Union branch here in the States.
Carl Nguyen5 said:I just set up my Wu online profile, and they’re asking for a verification letter to get everything cleared—once that's done, I'll be able to send up to $5,000 a year. Is it actually okay to give my password to a friend living abroad so they can use my profile to send money to someone else via their own Visa debit card?
Andrew Patel2 said:Hey everyone, I'm a bit of a newcomer to this discussion.
My question is pretty straightforward; The updated forms from Western Union now require a Social Security Number, which basically means the IRS can easily track down whoever is receiving the funds.
I need to find a way to transfer 15,000 USD from abroad without getting hit by a massive tax bill... Before anyone starts jumping down my throat about tax evasion, please, just help me out if you know a way.
If I were to process this through a standard employment contract, I'd be looking at roughly $8,600 in taxes, which honestly feels absolutely insane.
Is there a specific threshold where the IRS doesn't really care about what's coming through Western Union? And is it even possible to pick up the cash without showing an ID, perhaps by using a different SSN?
Open three different online accounts under three different names—send copies of IDs for all three family members—and withdraw $5,000 annually from each. Since the unverified limit is only $1,000, you could send $5,000 from each account, though the fees will be higher since they'll likely convert everything into USD. $2430
I just set up my Wu online profile, and they’re asking for a verification letter to get everything cleared—once that's done, I'll be able to send up to $5,000 a year. Is it actually okay to give my password to a friend living abroad so they can use my profile to send money to someone else via their own Visa debit card?
ironcyclist58 said:I’m totally lost here... are you actually taking money or sending it? Especially since you mentioned those $300 guys you'd be paying.
I'm receiving, though I'm still scratching my head over one thing. When I sent money through a Western Union branch previously, they asked if the recipient wanted to collect in USD or Euros—so it doesn't make sense to me how he could receive Euros when I can only send in Dollars. If I withdraw at a local branch, maybe they'll allow Euros there? Or is it strictly Dollars at the banks and the post office?
electricbadger9 said:I’ve only dealt with the Post Office, and they deal strictly in US dollars—not sure how the other guys handle it. You can't dodge the exchange rate because they just slap on that Western Union fee and call it a day. That's their whole racket. I just went back and crunched the numbers on my transfers from the last few months, and I was mostly seeing around $1.10 to $1.12 per Euro. But the one I got about ten days ago? It hit $1.15. Total rip-off.
I highly doubt any bank here would pay out in Euros—Bank of America certainly doesn't—and regarding the rate, it seems more practical to go into a branch to collect the cash. They charge me a fee, $300 but when I factor in his fees against my specific rate, $267 the bottom line ends up being exactly the same. Honestly, I doubt anyone in the US is paying out in Euros anymore.
electricbadger9 said:Sure, you can do that, but you better listen to what Mephisto is telling you—the exchange rate is absolute garbage. You’d end up getting about $2.50 per dollar, and they only pay out in US dollars.
Aha—I'm still a bit confused. When I used Western Union to send money to Mexico, they asked if the recipient wanted to pick up pesos or dollars. So, is there really no way to dodge that 7.30 rate, even at a bank? And when I go to withdraw at a local branch, does the MTC rate apply, or is it totally independent of my personal account?
Alexander Thompson said:Just a little heads-up... I really hope you didn't give those folks your card number or the CVV, or maybe even a photo of the front and back?
I mean, if you both have bank accounts, you wouldn't even need Western Union, so the whole story feels a bit shaky to me 🤷
Let me know how it turns out 👍
He’s someone I work with all the time—we usually just use direct transfers or PayPal, so there shouldn't be any issues.
I definitely don't want the IRS breathing down my neck over 2,600 dollars; under these new regulations, they'll squeeze anyone for no reason at all.
So, he'll send the Western Union online, pay a 30 dollar fee, and then I can just pick it up at the post office using an MCC number without extra commissions—is that actually doable?