Send money confidently with Western Union to your family and friends in Colombia. If you are exploring how to send money to Colombia, this guide covers it all. Choose from cash pickup, bank deposit, or digital payment options, and track every step with convenient alerts. Understanding these different payment methods helps you choose the option that works best for your loved ones, whether they live in a major city like Bogotá or a rural area with limited banking infrastructure.
When you send money to Colombia with Western Union, the money arrives easily and securely so those you care the most about receive their money in Colombia the way that works for them.
What Are the Payout Methods Available in Colombia?
Western Union offers multiple payout methods in Colombia so recipients can receive funds the way that suits them best—whether in cash, to a bank account, or to a digital wallet. If you’re new to sending money internationally, understanding these payout options is the essential first step.
Cash pickup
Remains one of the most widely used methods, it allows your family and friends to collect funds in Colombian pesos at thousands of agent locations throughout the country. When choosing cash pick up as your payment method, share the Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN) with your recipient. They only need to present a valid government-issued ID and the MTCN at their preferred agent location in Colombia to retrieve the money. Colombia has an extensive in-store coverage through partners like SuperGiros, Acciones y Valores, and Efecty, offering thousands of locations nationwide.
To help your recipient prepare, you can share our online tool to find a Western Union agent location near them.
Bank deposit
These transfers are ideal for recipients who already have a bank account in Colombia as it eliminates the need to travel to a pickup location. When choosing Bank deposits,enter the recipient’s full name, bank name, and account number/type. Funds can be deposited to leading banks such as Banco Unión, Bancolombia and Davivienda, with delivery typically the same day or within 1 business day for many accounts.
For a complete walkthrough of this process, the guide on how to send money to a bank account explains each step from the sender’s perspective. This resource helps ensure you have all necessary information before initiating the transfer.
Mobile wallets
This payment method has grown significally in Colombia, offering a middle ground between traditional banking and cash-based transactions. It allows your family and friends to receive money directly into digital wallet apps like Nequi and DaviPlata. Simply select Mobile Wallet and provide the recipient’s wallet provider and number.
If you’re unfamiliar with this concept, understanding what a mobile wallet is provides helpful context.
Bre-B/Llave
Bre-B is Colombia’s new payment system, designed to make sending and receiving money more convenient. With Western Union, you can send money through Bre-B to participating banks and digital wallets across Colombia. You simply select Bre-B/Llave from our app or website, enter your receiver’s information, and the money will be directed to your family and friends, making the process simple and convenient for both senders and receivers.
This simple guide will help you learn how Bre-B works when sending money to Colombia.
Send Money to Colombia with Western Union
Western Union provides a variety of payout methods for you to send money to Colombia — giving you flexibility to choose what works best for your family’s needs. With one of the largest agent networks in Colombia and established relationships with local banks and digital wallet providers, Western Union offers reliable delivery across the country.
Getting started is easy. You can initiate a transfer online, through the Western Union mobile app, or at an agent location near you. During the process, you’ll just need to select your preferred payout method, enter your recipient’s information, and choose how you want to pay for the transfer.
Before you pay, we show the transfer fee and the estimated exchange rate to Colombian pesos (COP). Use our online price estimator tool to compare options. Always remember to verify and track your transfer with the MTCN on westernunion.com or in the app. You and your recipient can receive SMS or email updates when funds are ready for pickup, deposited to a bank account, or delivered to a wallet—making your money transfers to Colombia easy to monitor end to end.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, cash pickup is widely available throughout Colombia at thousands of authorized agent locations. Your family member simply needs valid government-issued identification and the reference number you provide after sending the transfer. You can check for nearby agent locations in Colombia using our location finder tool.
No, a bank account is not required to receive money in Colombia. Cash pickup allows recipients to collect funds in person using only identification and a reference number. Mobile wallets like Nequi and DaviPlata, or sending money with Bre-B also provide alternatives that don’t require traditional bank accounts.
Transfer timing varies by payout method. Cash pickup transfers are often available within minutes, making this the fastest option for urgent needs. Mobile wallet transfers typically arrive within minutes to a few hours. Bank deposits generally take one to three business days, depending on the receiving bank’s processing schedule and when the transfer was initiated.
Nequi and DaviPlata are popular mobile wallet applications in Colombia that allow users to receive, store, and spend money digitally. Nequi is operated by Bancolombia, while DaviPlata is operated by Davivienda. Yes, family members can receive international transfers directly to these wallets, if they have an active account linked to their Colombian phone number.
