Frequently Asked Questions

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:

• Tracking number or MTCN
• Sender’s name
• Sender’s address
• Receiver’s name
• Receiver’s address
• Expected amount

Acceptable ID documents also are required.

Some restrictions may apply.

You can pick up your money transfer at any nearby agent location with one of the following:

• Your passport¹
• Your UK, EU, or EEA driver’s license.
• Your, EU, or EEA residence card.
• Your EU national ID card with the exception of the UK
• UK Application registration card

¹We also accept temporary or emergency passports.

When you send money internationally, your receiver generally will 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:

• Money in minutes:

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.

If your receiver lives in a country where we offer mobile money transfer, you can send money to their mobile phone in minutes. Make sure your receiver has activated a mobile wallet with one of   our partner mobile operators in their country.

• Money available in 1 or 2 days:

If you send money to a bank account, your money is generally available in 1 or 2 days, depending on your receiver’s country. Learn more about sending money to a bank account.

You can send up to 1000 EUR per transfer from Italy if your identity hasn’t been verified.

After a successful identity verification, you can send up to 5000 EUR every 3 days.

Find a nearby agent location online or look for Western Union in your local telephone directory.

If your receiver lives in a country where we offer this service, you can send money to their mobile phone. Make sure your receiver has activated a mobile wallet with one of our partner mobile phone operators in their country.

Check available destination countries and mobile providers.

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.

* 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.

Refunds are done in the original form of payment and within 5-7 business days from the date they are processed. You’ll be notified when your refund is credited to your bank account, credit or debit card, or when it is ready for pickup.

Please note: To pick up your refund, you’ll need to visit one of our agent locations with your government-issued ID and tracking number (MTCN).

Your transfer is complete when your receiver picks up the money from an agent location or when the transfer amount is credited to your receiver’s bank account, credit or debit card, or mobile wallet.

For quick resends, access to your transfer history, and other benefits, we suggest you sign up with westernunion.com or download our app if you haven’t done so already.

We need to double-check a few details before we send your transfer. This is a standard process, and sometimes takes longer than usual.

If necessary, we’ll reach out to you. Otherwise, no further action is needed.

For online transfers, we’ll notify you when your transfer status has changed. For transfers at agent locations, you’ll need to check your transfer status after some time for any updates.

In case your transfer status shows In Progress for more than 48 hours, contact us.

Sometimes we might need additional information to verify your profile or transfer details. To do so, we may reach out to you via a phone call, SMS, or email. Alternatively, you can send us your documents on id@westernunion.com (as PDFs or JPGs).

To avoid any further delays, please send clear and easy-to-read scans of your documents.

Photo ID

You can send us any of the following documents:

• Your passport¹
• Your UK, EU, or EEA driver’s license.
• Your UK, EU, or EEA residence card.
• Your EU national ID card with the exception of the UK
• UK Application registration card

Note:

• You must send a copy of both the front and the back of your ID document.
• Your information must match that on your ID document.
• Your signature on your ID document or signature page must be visible (if applicable).

¹We also accept temporary or emergency passports.

To open a Western Union Digital Banking account, please provide the following:

• Phone number
• Email address
• Government-issued photo ID (e.g., passport or national identity card)
• Tax information. Example: Tax Identification Number (TIN)²

² This information is mandatory for Italian and Romanian users.

To open a Western Union Digital Banking account, complete the following steps:

1. Open the WU app and set up a password.
2. Enter your phone number and verify it with the 6-digit code sent to you.
3. Set up a passcode and complete your biometric authentication.
4. Enable access to your phone camera and enable device location.
5. Scan your ID document from different angles.
6. Then confirm the information you have provided, adding a few more details such as your first and last name, date of birth, gender, and complete postal address, among others.
7. Take a selfie in good lighting.
8. Fill out a few more details about employment, preferences and your tax ID.
9. Click Submit.

We will notify you as soon as your application is complete.

Currently, we are unable to provide the specific reasons for a declined application. Please contact customer care for more information.

Currently, Western Union Digital Banking app is available in Germany, Romania, Italy and Poland.

It will take around 15 minutes to submit your application.

We are sorry we could not process your application due to issues with the provided information. Please re-submit your information or reach out to our customer care.

If you are an existing Western Union customer, log into your Western Union profile to set up your Digital Banking account. You must provide some additional personal details, set up a password and verify your identity.

Please note that your Western Union profile will be upgraded to a Western Union Digital Banking account.

To open a Western Union Digital Banking account, you must have a personal bank account¹ and not be a US taxpayer. You must be at least 18 years old and reside in one of the following countries:

• Germany
• Romania
• Italy
• Poland

¹ A personal account is used for one’s daily and regular expenses, such as rent, utilities and groceries. In other words, for purposes other than business and only to be used by the users themselves.

When you open a business premium account, you will receive a physical debit card and you will also be able to:

• Open five additional accounts and choose from over 13 currencies.
• Get a competitive interest rate.
• Access to two free ATM withdrawals a month.
• Get the best exchange rates for card transactions.

• Your passport¹
• Your UK, EU, or EEA driver’s license.
• Your UK, EU, or EEA residence card.
• Your EU national ID card with the exception of the UK
• UK Application registration card

• You must send a copy of both the front and the back of your ID document.
• Your information must match that on your ID document.
• Your signature on your ID document or signature page must be visible (if applicable).

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 send up to 1000 EUR per transfer from Italy if your identity hasn’t been verified. After a successful identity verification, you can send up to 5000 EUR every 3 days.

This service is available for certain countries. Usually, money is deposited into the receiver’s bank account in 1 or 2 business days. Money may be deposited the same day or in as many as 3 business days, depending on when and where it’s sent.

After you send money, ask your receiver to contact their bank or check their bank statement to verify the deposit.

Learn more about sending money to a bank account

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.

* 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.

Here are a few ways you can send money online using Western Union:

• Money in minutes:

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.

If your receiver lives in a country where we offer mobile money transfer, you can send money to their mobile phone in minutes. Make sure your receiver has activated a mobile wallet with one of our partner mobile operators in their country.

• Money available in 1 or 2 days:

If you send money to a bank account, your money is generally available in 1 or 2 days, depending on your receiver’s country. Learn more about sending money to a bank account.

Find a nearby agent location online or look for Western Union in your local telephone directory.

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:

• Tracking number or MTCN
• Sender’s name
• Sender’s address
• Receiver’s name
• Receiver’s address
• Expected amount

Acceptable ID documents also are required.

Some restrictions may apply.

You can pick up your money transfer at any nearby agent location with one of the following:

• Your passport¹
• Your UK, EU, or EEA driver’s license.
• Your, EU, or EEA residence card.
• Your EU national ID card with the exception of the UK
• UK Application registration card

If your receiver lives in a country where we offer this service, you can send money to their mobile phone. Make sure your receiver has activated a mobile wallet with one of our partner mobile phone operators in their country.

Check available destination countries and mobile providers.

You earn 5 My WU points every time you send money. The more transfers you make, the more reward points you earn. You can redeem the points for transfer fee discounts¹ on your future money transfers. ​

You can check your My WU points in any of the following ways:

You can send money with Western Union:

• Online using our website or the Western Union mobile app.
• In person at a Western Union agent location.

 Online using our website or the Western Union mobile app

To send your first money transfer¹ with Western Union, create a profile on our mobile app or website.

1. Log into your Western Union profile or register if you are a new user.
2. Select Send money.
3. Select the receiver’s country and enter the amount and currency.
4. Select how your receiver would like to get the money:

• • Cash pickup
  • Bank account deposit
  • Mobile wallet  

5.       Choose your payment method²: 

• • Credit³ or debit card
  • Bank account
  • Cash at a Western Union location
  • Mobile wallet

6.       Review the transfer summary

7.       Select Submit.

Tips:

• Service availability may be different for each receiver’s country⁴.
• You can add or delete the details of your receivers in your profile.
• You have the option to resend the same amount to your receivers.

At an agent location or in-store

If you want to send money in person, visit a Western Union agent location and pay via cash or a debit card⁵. 

If you want to send cash, you can still start your money transfer online with our pay in-store service to save time and then pay in cash at one of our agent locations. 

 To pay in-store:

1. Log into your Western Union account on westernunion.com or the Western Union app.
2. Select Pay in-store.
3. Go to a nearby agent location and provide your phone number and pay to complete the money transfer.

You can check the status of your money transfer using our Track a transfer service.

Superscripts:

¹ You must be at least 18 years old to send or receive money with Western Union. 

²The payment and receiving methods are different for each country.

³Card-issuer cash advance fee and related interest charges may apply. Use a debit card to avoid these fees and charges.

⁴We might ask you to verify your identity depending on the service, send amount and the receiver country.

⁵ This service is available only at some agent locations.