You can only make minor typographical corrections to the receiver’s name on a regular money transfer as long as the money hasn’t yet been picked up. This can’t be done on a money order, bill payment, or prepaid money transfer.
You can send money online to a Western Union location for cash pickup, directly to your receiver’s bank account, or to your receiver’s mobile phone. After you’ve chosen your destination country, you’ll see the types of services available.
Learn more about how to send money online.
Here are a few ways you can send money online using Western Union:
If your money is needed within minutes, you can send online using your credit or debit card. Receivers can pick up cash at Western Union locations worldwide, depending on the hours of operation at that location.
You can pay using your debit or credit card.
Supported cards are: Visa, MasterCard, Maestro and Visa Electron. Please contact your bank to ensure your card is enrolled for secure authentication.
You can send up to 99 999 ISK within a 5 days period before we need to verify your identity.
After that is finished, your send limit will increase to 600 000 ISK per 3-day period.
Some card issuers may charge additional fees for using our services. Please contact your card issuer for more information.
Verified by Visa® and MasterCard SecureCode® help prevent unauthorized online use of cards. These services use personal passwords or identity information and are available for most cards from participating financial institutions.
Once your card is activated, your card number will be recognized whenever it’s used at participating online stores. A window will automatically appear, and your card issuer will ask for your password. You’ll enter your password to verify your identity and complete your purchase.
If you haven’t activated Verified by Visa® or MasterCard SecureCode®, your card can still be used on our site.
Your online receipt will show whether your transfer was approved. If we need more information before we can complete it, you’ll be asked to call us. When the transfer’s complete, you’ll get an email with your tracking number (MTCN).
Western Union uses the latest technology to ensure convenient and reliable online money transfers. We have upgraded our security standards to protect you from fraud when you pay online using a credit or debit card. This enhanced layer of security, aligned with the latest EU regulations and changes to security systems, helps card issuing banks to better identify and verify customers, allowing for convenient, smooth and reliable online transactions.
According to EU regulations, you have the right to easy, secure payments with no extra cost when you pay with a card issued in the EU2. You also have the right to a basic payment account if you are a legally residing in Europe. Learn more.
Your debit or credit card payment may be unsuccessful due to several reasons:
a) By your bank
Your bank may decline your payment due to:
If your bank declines a payment while making a Western Union money transfer, you need to contact your bank or log in to your online banking to resolve the issue.
b) By Western Union
Western Union may decline your payment for the following reasons:
Strong Customer Authentication (SCA), as mandated by the EU’s Revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2), requires payment service providers to authenticate digital payments.
SCA, also known as 3D Secure, is a multi-factor authentication that adds an extra layer of security to digital payments to reduce fraud. It asks you to authenticate your payment using PIN, password, or biometrics.
At Western Union, to meet the SCA requirements, we use multi-factor authentication to secure your online transfers.
Western Union uses Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) to secure online payments. To successfully authenticate your payment, please be sure of the following:
Please note that you can also pay for your money transfers using alternative methods. We’ll show your payment options when you start an online transfer.
Anyone who needs to send or receive money quickly uses Western Union. These include people supporting friends or relatives abroad, travellers and business people who need to make fast, international remittances.
Western Union agent locations are independent businesses that provide money transfer services to their customers on behalf of Western Union.
Western Union agent locations offer the ability to send money worldwide using cash.
You’ll need to complete a “To Send Money” form and pay the agent the amount you want to send, plus fees, in cash.
To pick up the money, the receiver will complete a “To Receive Money” form at any Western Union agent location and provide proper identification. The agent then pays the transfer amount to the receiver.
Sending money with Western Union from an agent location doesn’t require credit cards, debit cards or bank accounts. But you will need to show a valid ID.
You can usually send any amount. However, for certain amounts and transfers, you may be subject to additional security and asked to provide additional information or documentation.
Acceptable IDs:
Generally, we pay cash to your receiver. But, in some cases, payment may be made by cheque, or a combination of cash and cheque.
Other restrictions may apply.
Any time after the money has been sent, you can check your transfer status online. All you need is your name and the tracking number (MTCN) printed on your receipt.
You can check your transfer status online. All you need is the sender’s name and the tracking number (MTCN) printed on the sender’s receipt.
You can pick up your money at any agent location. You’ll need to complete a “To Receive Money” form with the following information:
Acceptable ID documents are also required.
Some restrictions may apply.
Each Western Union agent location determines its own hours of operation. Some have extended hours and some even stay open 24 hours.
Find a nearby agent location online or look for Western Union in your local telephone directory.
Western Union agent locations are independent businesses that provide money transfer services to their customers on behalf of Western Union.
Each Western Union agent location determines its own hours of operation. Some have extended hours or even stay open 24 hours.
Find a nearby agent location online or look for Western Union in your local telephone directory.
Registration is required for most services. After you register, sending a money transfer, payment or message can be done in minutes as your information will be pre-filled on the page. This saves you the time and trouble of typing it in each time you want to do a transaction.
No, it’s free to register
Registering to receive transfers in Colombia
The Government of Colombia will require you to register if you receive a transfer in Colombia that exceeds its cash and frequency limits.
If you know you need to register, you can call Western Union’s Colombian partner, Giros y Finanzas, at any of the numbers below.
You can also wait for Giros y Finanzas to call you. They will try to contact you up to 3 times in the 15 days after we send the money. If Giros y Finanzas cannot reach you after 3 tries, we will cancel the transfer and refund the sender.
Giros y Finanzas contact numbers in Colombia (country code +57):
Giros y Finanzas contact numbers outside Colombia:
Giros y Finanzas office hours of operation, Colombia Time (COT) (UTC -5):
Giros y Finanzas may ask you to provide the following:
Receiving money in Argentina
If you receive a money transfer in Argentina, you need to complete a one-time registration within 90 days of getting it.
Also, if you receive 2 additional transfers within that 90-day period (a total of 3 transfers), you will need to register before you can pick up the third transfer.
To get you registered, we will contact you within 24 hours of the transfer at the number provided by your sender. You will be asked to provide additional identifying information on an online form used for registering transfers.
You can send up to 99 999 ISK within a 5 days period before we need to verify your identity.
After that is finished, your send limit will increase to 600 000 ISK per 3-day period.
The process may take several days. After your identity is verified, you will receive a confirmation email. If you need to send money before your verification is completed, please visit a Western Union agent location.
As a Western Union Money TransferSM user, we value your business and take pride in delivering your funds to the intended recipient in a fast, convenient and reliable manner. However, there are individuals throughout the world who will attempt to use any system to receive payments in connection with fraudulent sales or solicitations.
Make sure you know who you are sending money to. If you are purchasing goods or services and paying through the Western Union network, it is your responsibility to verify the reputation and legitimacy of the seller. Western Union is not responsible for the non-receipt or quality of any goods or services.
Discontinue a call if a caller instructs you on how to respond to questions asked by Western Union.
Security is everyone’s responsibility. Stay informed. Keep abreast of consumer fraud trends.
Remember, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Be wary if you are required to pay a fee before receiving a loan.
Beware of sweepstakes, prize or lottery company representatives who tell you to transfer money to them in order to claim a prize you’ve won. There are many companies running fraudulent contests that ask you to transfer them money but give you nothing in return.
Beware of unsolicited letters or emails from Nigerian or other foreign government officials requesting assistance in the transfer of excess funds from a foreign country into your bank account.
Beware of telephone calls from the police claiming that someone you know has been in an accident or been arrested and is requesting money.
Beware of unsolicited letters or emails offering an unrealistic price for expensive or rare merchandise.
Make sure you know who you are sending money to. If you are purchasing goods or services and paying through the Western Union network, it is your responsibility to verify the reputation and legitimacy of the seller. Western Union is not responsible for the non-receipt or quality of any goods or services.
If you receive an email from a company representing itself as Western Union and you are not sure it was sent by westernunion.com or westernunion.ie, do not click on any links in the email. This may be a “phishing” attempt to fraudulently acquire sensitive information from you. Instead, immediately contact your local authorities.
Western Union will never send you an email asking for your user ID, password or credit card details.
Western Union does not offer an escrow service or any type of “purchase protection” policy. Western Union’s business is to transfer funds from a sender to a receiver. We warn and recommend people using our services to not send money to people they don’t know. It is the sender’s responsibility to know the party to which the funds are being sent. Using a fictitious name or changing the Receiver’s name after the money transfer has been sent is not a guaranteed means of securing funds. If a receiver presents proper identification with the same name as on the money transfer, payment will be made.
Be wary of third party “pickup” or “holding” services unless they are a reputable, licensed escrow service. Western Union is not an escrow service, should not be used as an escrow service, and is currently not affiliated with any escrow services.
For online auctions, examine seller feedback carefully and know the warning signs associated with fraudulent auction sales. Most online auction sites have safety guidelines or FAQs that can help you identify potentially fraudulent sales. Be wary if the seller is using a free email address or insists on accepting only one form of payment. Report any suspicious activity and file non-delivery of goods complaints with the auction site through which you purchased the item.
Remember that Western Union never acts as a guarantor of an auction buyer or seller’s performance.
Contact your government’s Office of Consumer Affairs if you are uncertain or suspicious of a telephone, mail or email solicitation.
If you feel you have been the victim of fraud, you can contact your local police or contact us on spoof@westernunion.com.
Western Union employs a variety of techniques, including SSL technology, to keep your personal information safe.
Additionally, the following tips can help keep your password secure:
You can further protect your passwords by making sure that your virus-scanning software is kept up to date, and by running anti-spyware programs. These programs can help protect you from viruses or other malware that could compromise your identity even though your computer may seem to be working fine.
If you use Microsoft Windows, make sure your Windows updates are enabled to help keep your operating system protected. You can learn more about Microsoft Windows updates at https://www.microsoft.com.
Use extra caution when entering your password on a computer that does not belong to you. Viruses, spyware or your browser’s settings might be used to compromise your account by recording your username and password.
In Microsoft Internet Explorer, you can view the security (SSL) certificate by following these steps:
In Mozilla Firefox, you can view the security (SSL) certificate by following these steps:
You’ll need a computer, an Internet connection and a printer* (*depending on your country of residence) at your retail location. Once you’ve installed the software we’ll provide, you’ll be able to offer money transfer services and earn a commission on every Western Union money transfer that’s sent or received from your retail locations(s).
Each time a consumer sends a Western Union money transfer, they’ll pay a transfer fee for the service. As a Western Union agent, you’ll earn commission on the transfer fee for every transaction you process. The more transactions you send or receive, the more you earn.
We’ll provide the fee tables. The system will automatically calculate the fee based on the amount of money sent, the service chosen and the destination country.
To send money: The consumer completes a send money form and gives it to the Western Union agent. The agent enters the consumer’s information into the Western Union system, checks their identification and collects the cash (including the sending fee). The agent ensures that the consumer signs the receipt and provides them with a copy.
To receive money: The consumer completes the receive money form and gives it to the Western Union agent. The agent enters the consumer’s information into the system, checks their identification and gives the consumer the funds and a copy of the receipt.
Yes, your customers will be able to send money to nearly 500,000 agent locations in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. You’ll also be able to pay out money that’s been sent from any Western Union location across the world.
Once you’ve been enrolled as an agent, Western Union will help you get started and make your first transaction. You’ll get a free starter pack with training and marketing promotion materials. We’ll provide your training and software for free. As a Western Union agent, you’ll have access to our Customer Care who’ll answer any questions you may have about offering our service.
While all money transfer agents have a responsibility to implement Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance procedures, Western Union has an industry-leading AML programme and provides first-class training and support to help you succeed as an agent and protect your business.
Many retail businesses make great Western Union agents. Agents in our network own businesses as diverse as convenience stores, financial services providers, newsagents, pawnbrokers and travel agencies.
Yes, but Western Union will handle this for you.
Any time after sending, you can check your transfer status online. All you need is your name and the tracking number (MTCN) printed on your receipt.
You can check your transfer status online. All you need is the sender’s name and the tracking number (MTCN) printed on the sender’s receipt.
You can pick up your money at any agent location. You’ll need to complete a “To Receive Money” form and include the following information:
Acceptable ID documents also are required. Some restrictions may apply.
When you send money internationally, your receiver will generally be paid in local currency. The exact amount will be calculated based on the exchange rate applicable at the time of shipment. However, for transfers to certain countries, the exact amount will be calculated based on the exchange rate applicable at the time of receipt.
Here are a few ways you can send money online using Western Union:
If your money is needed within minutes, you can send online using your credit or debit card. Receivers can pick up cash at Western Union locations worldwide, depending on the hours of operation at that location.
You can send up to 99 999 ISK within a 5 days period before we need to verify your identity
After that is finished, your send limit will increase to 600 000 ISK per 3-day period.
Find a nearby agent location online or look for Western Union in your local telephone directory.
You can cancel a money transfer only if it has not been picked up by your receiver. If you sent money to a bank account, you can cancel it if the transfer has not been completed by your receiver’s bank.
To request a refund, please call Customer Care, or if you sent the money in person, return to the agent location.
Refunds typically take up to 10 business days from the date they are completed.
If you have questions that are not answered here, please contact us by email via Iceland.customer@westernunion.com.
1 The amount of money refunded (amount sent and/or transfer fees) depends on the service chosen and reason for cancelation. If you have questions regarding the amount to be refunded, contact Customer Care. Please also see our Terms and Conditions for more information.
2 Please note that you need to be a legal resident of the EU, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom to be eligible for these rights.