You can send money internationally through Western Union online, through the mobile app, or at a physical agent location. The process takes just a few minutes once you have an account, and your recipient can receive funds via cash pickup, bank deposit, mobile wallet, or debit card depending on the destination country.
Three Ways to Send
Western Union offers three channels for international transfers, and each follows a similar basic flow: choose your destination, enter the amount, pick how your recipient will get the money, and pay.
Online at westernunion.com: Log in or create a free account, click “Send now,” select the destination country, and enter the amount. You’ll choose a delivery method (cash pickup, bank deposit, or mobile wallet), fill in your recipient’s details, and pay with a credit card, debit card, or bank account. After you confirm, you’ll receive a confirmation email with a Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN), which is a tracking number for your transaction.
Mobile app: Download the Western Union app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The steps mirror the website. Returning users can log in with Touch ID or their credentials and resend to saved recipients in a few taps.
In person at an agent location: Visit one of Western Union’s hundreds of thousands of agent locations worldwide. Fill out a send form, provide your government-issued ID, pay with cash or another accepted method, and you’ll receive a receipt with your MTCN. You can also start a transfer online and finish paying at a location if you prefer not to enter payment details digitally.
What Your Recipient Needs to Know
When you set up the transfer, you choose how your recipient collects the money. The options available depend on the destination country:
- Cash pickup: Your recipient visits a local Western Union agent location with a valid ID and, in most cases, the MTCN you share with them. This is the most widely available option globally.
- Bank deposit: Western Union deposits the funds directly into your recipient’s bank account. You’ll need their account number and bank details when you set up the transfer.
- Mobile wallet: In participating countries, funds go straight to the recipient’s mobile wallet account tied to their phone number. Before sending, check that the destination country and the recipient’s mobile provider are supported.
- Debit card: In some markets, funds can be sent directly to a recipient’s debit card, which is useful if they don’t have a traditional bank account.
Share your MTCN with your recipient after you send. They’ll typically need it (along with their ID) to pick up cash, and it lets both of you track the transfer status online or through the app.
Fees and Exchange Rates
Western Union charges a transaction fee plus an exchange rate markup, and both vary based on your funding source, the delivery method, and the destination country. For transfers up to $1,000, fees can range from under $10 to around $30. Paying with a bank account is generally cheaper than paying with a credit or debit card, and cash pickup transfers sometimes carry higher fees than bank deposits.
Beyond the upfront fee, Western Union applies a markup to the exchange rate. This means the rate you’re offered is slightly less favorable than the mid-market rate (the rate banks use when trading currencies with each other). In testing across multiple countries, NerdWallet found markups as high as 1.49%. On a $1,000 transfer, a 1.49% markup costs you about $15 in hidden currency conversion costs on top of the stated fee.
You can see the exact fee and exchange rate before you confirm any transfer. The pricing calculator on the website and app lets you compare costs across delivery methods so you can pick the cheapest option for your situation.
Transfer Limits and ID Requirements
How much you can send depends on whether you’ve verified your identity. Without verification, you can send up to $3,000 per day through the website or app. Once you verify by submitting a government-issued ID (driver’s license, passport, or state ID) and any other requested details, your limit can increase to $50,000 per transfer.
Even with verification, your actual limit may be lower depending on the destination country, currency, and payment method. For especially large transfers, Western Union may ask for additional documentation like proof of income or an explanation of the transaction’s purpose. This is a standard regulatory requirement, not a red flag about your account.
How Long Transfers Take
Delivery speed depends heavily on the method your recipient uses to collect funds. Cash pickup transfers are typically the fastest and can arrive within minutes in many countries. Bank deposits generally take one to three business days, though some corridors are faster. Mobile wallet transfers also tend to arrive quickly, often within minutes to a few hours.
Paying with a bank account on the sending side can add processing time compared to using a debit or credit card, since your bank needs to clear the funds first. If speed matters more than cost, paying by card and choosing cash pickup is usually the fastest combination.
Step-by-Step for First-Time Senders
If you’ve never used Western Union before, here’s the full sequence for an online or app transfer:
- Create a free account at westernunion.com or in the app. You’ll enter your name, email, and phone number.
- Verify your identity by uploading or entering details from a government-issued ID. Do this upfront if you plan to send more than $3,000 or want faster processing on future transfers.
- Start your transfer by selecting the destination country and entering the amount in U.S. dollars. The site will show you the converted amount your recipient will get.
- Choose a delivery method: cash pickup, bank deposit, mobile wallet, or debit card (where available). Each option shows its fee and estimated delivery time.
- Enter your recipient’s details. For cash pickup, you need their full legal name. For bank deposit, you need their account and routing information. For mobile wallet, you need their phone number.
- Pay for the transfer using a credit card, debit card, or bank account.
- Save your MTCN from the confirmation screen or email, and share it with your recipient so they can track or collect the money.
For repeat transfers to the same person, Western Union saves recipient details so you can skip the data entry and send in under a minute.
Tips to Keep Costs Down
Pay from your bank account rather than a card when possible, since card-funded transfers typically carry higher fees. Choose bank deposit over cash pickup as the delivery method if your recipient can wait a day or two, since deposit transfers are often cheaper. Compare the total cost (fee plus exchange rate) rather than the fee alone, because a low fee paired with a poor exchange rate can end up costing more overall. Finally, sending larger amounts less frequently is usually cheaper per dollar than making many small transfers, since fees don’t always scale proportionally with the amount sent.