Western Union is the best money transfer provider in the world. They have the largest and longest running company in this platform. This service will allow you to send and get money from over 500,000 agent locations in more than 200 countries globally. You will also be given the choice to send money digitally with Western Union’s website and their phone app.
You’ll be able to fund the transfer using: cash, debit, credit card, or from your bank account. People who are receiving will be able to get money in cash at an agent location, bank account, or mobile wallet in about 130 money currencies.
Compare this money transfer service to other competitors like Remitly, Xoom, and TransferWise.
Western Union Netspend Prepaid $20 Bonus & Referrals
There is an offer for the Western Union Netspend Prepaid Mastercard. After you’ve activated your card, you’ll be able to invite your friends and family to gain $20 for every qualified referral they make. Your referrals will have to fund their new card with at least $40 in cash or from a direct deposit. Then the both of you will gain a $20 credit.
- See the referral offer here (scroll down near the bottom to see it)
- Being a cardholder will enable you to get an unlimited number of “Refer a Friend” rewards while it’s still open.
- There won’t be a reward that will be given to either party if the referred person has another Netspend managed card. If they use this card for value load, expenses, cash withdrawls, or incurrect a balance inquiry at any given time in the 180 calendar days before the $40 load requirement is completely met.
- Cash reloads and direct deposits will only count with this minimum load qualification.
- You have to wait about 2 business days for the $20 credit to show up on both of your card accounts.
- If a cardholder accrues $600 or more in Refer–a–Friend rewards in a calendar year, Netspend will mail cardholder an IRS Form 1099–MISC reflecting the total Refer–a–Friend rewards for such calendar year.
- The cardholder acknowledges that by referring a friend with this program, they are giving non-public information.
- Referred person acknowledges that payment of the referral can mean the cardholders knowledge of the referee is establishing a Card Account with them.
- MetaBank and Mastercard are not affiliated in any way with the Refer–a–Friend rewards program and do not endorse or sponsor this program.
Feel free to leave your referral code down in the comment section down below.
Western Union: In a Nutshell
| Transfer Limits | Depends on the receiving country |
| Sending Channels | The Western Union website Download theWestern Union mobile app Western Union agent location |
| Payment Options | Bank account Visa, MasterCard and Discover cards Cash at agent locations only |
| Delivery Options | Bank & mobile wallet deposit Cash pickup at an agent location Other options available in certain countries |
| Transfer Speed | Minutes – 7 days |
(Visit Western Union for more information)
Fees & Rates
Keep in mind, that with any international money transfer service, they will come with transfer fees and exchange rates included.
Transfer Fees
Their fees can differ depending on how much you want to send, the sending and receiving countries, and payment methods. Typically, the most priciest combination will be to pay funds with a credit or debit card and getting money in cash. Fees at any agent location will normally cost more than sending money online. Hypothetically, if you send about $1,000 to Mexico, this is how much you would have to pay:
| Location | Fee |
| Cash pickup at a Western Union location | $4 from a bank account $15 from a credit or debit card |
| Deposit into a bank account | $14 |
Exchange Rates
Similar to lots of other international money transfer services, Western Union make majority of their profit when they charge an exchange rate that’s a little bigger than the mid-market rate. Remember, the bigger the transfer amount, the better the exchange rate you’ll receive. If you are able to group up a couple transfers into one large one, you’ll most likely to receive a better offer.
Transfer Speed
| Sending Method | Receiving Method | Average Speed |
| Cash in person | Cash pickup | Minutes |
| Credit or debit card online | Cash pickup | Minutes |
| Bank account online | Cash pickup | 1 – 2 days |
| Credit or debit card online | Bank account deposit | 1 – 2 days |
| Bank account online | Bank account deposit | 1 – 2 days |
| Cash in person | Bank account deposit | 1 – 2 days |
| Any method, online or in person | Mobile wallet deposit | Minutes |
Step-By-Step
You’ll be presented with a few options to send your money with Western Union. For each of these methods, you will need the following requirements such as:
- A Western Union account. It’s easy to set up, and it’s free.
- A valid payment method. That includes cash, bank account, and credit or debit card.
- Your recipient’s name and contact information.
- Your contact and payment information.
After you’ve created an account with Western Union, you’ll be able to initiate a transfer on the phone, or in person with an agent, or online.
Phone Transfer
Call the Western Union toll free number and provide the details of your transaction as well as your payment information.
In Person Transfer
Go to one of the Western Union’s 70,000 locations in North America to transfer funds using cash or a debit card.
Online Transfer
Go to the Western Union webpage and tap on “Send Money.” Pick the country you want to send to and put in how much you want to send, then pick how the receiver will be able to get their funds. After that, click “Continue,” then go into your Western Union account before you initiate your transfer.
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Conclusion
With Western Union, they will enable you to send money worldwide that can be received as cash in a few minutes. Bank account transfers will also be open for a smaller price. However, the delivery will take a couple days. Since this is a very large ranged agent global network, you can send your money to about anywhere you wish.
