Western Union

How can I verify if someone actually sent me money?
Last time they gave me a specific reference number, but this time they didn't. Is that number mandatory, or should I just go ahead and ask at Western Union?

So, I’ve got a few things bugging me about using Western Union to move some cash.

Can you actually send money through the post office, or am I stuck strictly dealing with banks?

And if I go the bank route, do I seriously need to be a customer there with an actual account?

From what I can gather, all I really need is my ID or passport, the amount I'm sending, the recipient's name, and whatever country they're hanging out in.

But here's the kicker—since I'm sending this abroad and we're talking different currencies, do I pay in US dollars, or do I have to deal with whatever local currency they use over there?

Tyler Bennett73 said:So, I’ve got a few things bugging me about using Western Union to move some cash.

Can you actually send money through the post office, or am I stuck strictly dealing with banks?

And if I go the bank route, do I seriously need to be a customer there with an actual account?

From what I can gather, all I really need is my ID or passport, the amount I'm sending, the recipient's name, and whatever country they're hanging out in.

But here's the kicker—since I'm sending this abroad and we're talking different currencies, do I pay in US dollars, or do I have to deal with whatever local currency they use over there?

You can send money via Western Union regardless of which bank you use; honestly, you don't even need an account. Though, lately, they've started requiring your ID number and Social Security number as the sender.
You also need the recipient's exact address. You pay in US dollars, and they receive their own local currency. Once it's done, you get a tracking code to give to them, which is absolutely necessary if they want to pick up the cash.

What kind of "trick" is going on with these currency conversions? Every once in a while, I get paid in Euros, but they always end up paying me out in Dollars at a truly pathetic exchange rate. Is this just the standard bank or post office rate, or is Western Union the one actually pulling the conversion strings?

I honestly think their exchange rates are just pathetic, or maybe they’re just hitting people with some insane commission fees. I don't know what kind of fancy terminology they use to hide it, but I personally know folks who sent over roughly $200 and ended up losing anywhere from $100 to $67 in fees alone.

Of course, that fee is absolutely outrageous—sometimes it practically equals the amount you're trying to send! But honestly, in my specific situation, I don't really mind the fee, the commission, or whatever label you want to slap on it, because most of the time, I'm not even the one footing the bill. What actually bothers me is when someone sends me Euros, yet I end up receiving the payout in Dollars where I barely get about $2.25 per Euro. Losing fifty cents on every single Euro adds up significantly when you're dealing with larger sums. I actually went down to my local Chase branch and the post office to ask if I could just receive the funds directly in Euros, but they told me the payout has to be in our domestic currency, and then I'd just have to go out and buy the Euros myself.

Yeah, you're right, their fees are huge and the exchange rates are just brutal—I think the spread is probably north of 10%.

So, I guess you'll pretty much have to bump up your service prices if you're planning on using them for payments.

I mean, I don't really get it, though... why wouldn't they just use PayPal or something similar? 🤔

A couple of questions

1. If someone from the European Union sends me Euros, can I receive them in Euros here? When I sent money over to Mexico once, they asked if the recipient wanted Euros or Pesos.

2. I’m a bit confused—I checked the Western Union website, and their calculator says if I send $2,600, the fee is $30. However, when I went into a branch in San Francisco, they were asking for a different amount entirely.$320 ??? When I asked why the online rate was only $30 compared to what they wanted,$320 they basically just told me, "Well, you should just do it online then." What's the catch there?

Could anyone lend me a hand?

Which exact calculator are we talking about?

ironcyclist58 said:Which exact calculator are we talking about?

https://www.westernunion.com/en/us/western%20union

On the right side under "send money online"—if you plug in something like $2,800, the fee shows as $30—but if you walk into a physical branch, they're asking for $140. I haven't used the online option before, so I'm not entirely sure if that's accurate.

Yeah, that’s just for the online stuff.
The fee difference is probably because you aren't paying an agent's cut when you do it digitally.
Just a heads-up though, if you send it online, your bank is going to flag that transaction as a "cash advance." You'll end up getting hit with those extra fees from the bank or credit card company, which pretty much eats up whatever you thought you were saving by skipping the agent...

ironcyclist58 said:Yeah, that’s just for the online stuff.
The fee difference is probably because you aren't paying an agent's cut when you do it digitally.
Just a heads-up though, if you send it online, your bank is going to flag that transaction as a "cash advance." You'll end up getting hit with those extra fees from the bank or credit card company, which pretty much eats up whatever you thought you were saving by skipping the agent...

He’s sending it directly to my USD account at Chase—how much is Chase going to charge me for that?

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 👍

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?

Yeah. The sender covers all the fees and commissions.
The only thing I'm unsure about is the currency (you should check with the agent). If they end up converting it into US dollars, I doubt you'll get a great exchange rate...
Just make sure to give the sender a heads-up about that "cash advance" fee. It probably won't just be $30; it'll likely be closer to $100.

Carl Nguyen5 said:He’s sending it directly to my USD account at Chase—how much is Chase going to charge me for that?

Carl Nguyen5 said: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?

If you could just make up your mind, answering would be a whole lot easier....

Carl Nguyen5 said: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?

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.

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?

Look, just ask the agent you’re planning to work with which currencies they actually payout in. It really comes down to them... not everyone supports every currency