Western Union To Withdraw Money Near Me

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Western Union is one of the most well-known international transfer services in the world, but let's see how it compares to Remitly, an up-and-coming provider, to see which transfer service can take your dollar further.

The fees and rates used in this comparison are accurate as of 22 July 2019.

Quick verdict

Fees icon
Lower fees:
Remitly

The "Rate" and "Amount Received" displayed are indicative rates that have been supplied by each brand or gathered by Finder.

Exchange rates are volatile and change often. As a result, the exchange rate listed on Finder may vary to the actual exchange rate quoted for the brand. Please confirm the actual exchange rate and mention "Finder" before you commit to a brand.

Remitly

Remitly's fees are as low as $0 but go up as high as $99.99, depending on the currency, how much you're transferring and the speed of the transfer. Higher fees are applied on "express" transfers.

If you're sending through the slower option, the fees are generally between $2 and $4 and can even be free in some cases.

Western Union

Western Union's fees for an online money transfer vary greatly currency to currency and can either be a flat fee or calculated based on a percentage, so it's vital to check the currency you're exchanging using the Western Union price estimator.

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Winner: Remitly

Although there is a lot of variety with both, Remitly often has lower flat fees for slower transfers than Western Union.

Let's crunch the numbers: Sending $100 and $1,000 to the Philippines

To see how these two services stack up, let's compare how Western Union and Remitly fare for two different transfer amounts to the Philippines. Keep in mind, rates vary for other countries.

In this example, we'll be using the quickest transfer possible. This means Remitly's "express" option and cash pick-up with Western Union.

Sending $100 to the Philippines

	Remitly	Western Union
Transfer fee	$6.99	$12
Exchange rate	1 CAD = 38.53 PHP	1 AUD = 38.3786 PHP
Transfer speed	Minutes	Minutes
Total pesos received	PHP₱3,583.68	PHP₱3,377.32
Receiver gets	PHP₱206.36 more (around $5 CAD)	PHP₱206.36 less (around $5 CAD)

Sending $1,000 to the Philippines

	Remitly	Western Union
Transfer fee	$6.99	$30
Exchange rate	1 CAD = 38.53 PHP	1 CAD = 38.1838 PHP
Transfer speed	Minutes	Minutes
Total pesos received	PHP₱38,260.68	PHP₱36,542.40
Receiver gets	PHP₱1,718.28 more (around $44 CAD)	PHP₱1,718.28 less (around $44 CAD)

In both cases, Remitly ends up giving your receiver a few extra pesos in their pocket. The exchange rates are quite close, but it's mostly Remitly's lower fees that win out in the end.

Remitly

Remitly will normally add a margin to the exchange rates which varies for each currency. The margin normally sits between 0.4% and 2.5%.

For example, if you want to send money to Brazil:

Mid-market rate: 1 CAD = 2.8502 BRL
Remitly's exchange rate: 1 CAD = 2.8200 BRL

Making it a margin of 1.06%.

Remitly often runs promotions which offer an exchange rate better than the mid-market rate for your first transfer on certain currencies.

Western Union

Western Union also adds a margin, but it tends to be quite a bit higher, ranging from 1% to 6%.

For example, if you want to send money to Brazil:

Mid-market rate: 1 CAD = 2.8502 BRL
Western Union's exchange rate: 1 CAD = 2.7188 BRL

Making it a margin of 4.61%.

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Winner: Remitly

Remitly will often offer much better exchange rates than Western Union with a smaller margin added on.

Remitly

Remitly offers an "express" option which will get your money to the destination near instantly, but it does come with a higher fee. If you opt for the cheaper "economy" option, you're looking at a transfer time of 2-5 business days.

Western Union

Some Western Union transfers arrive the same day, while some take up to 5 business days. It also depends on the transfer and receiving method but in general, bank account to bank account transfers will take the longest and be the cheapest.

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Winner: Tie

Both Remitly and Western Union can transfer your money quickly, but they also take up to 5 business days for some transfers.

	Payment methods	Receiving options	Maximum and minimum transfers	Transfer speeds	Currencies
Remitly	Bank transfer, debit card, credit card	Bank account, cash pick-up	Minimum: $10 Maximum: $18,000	3 – 5 days	30+ currencies
Western Union	Bank transfer, cash transfer, debit card, credit card	Bank account, cash pick-up, mobile wallet	Minimum: $1 Maximum: $7,500	Same day	95+ currencies

Remitly

Once you have an account with Remitly, you log in on either the website or through the app, then enter the amount, currency, recipient's information and your payment information. After that, Remitly will convert and transfer.

Western Union

After registration, open your profile and choose the "send money" option. After you've entered your receiver's details, which includes bank name and code as well as their bank account number if a bank transfer, you choose your payment method. Once you've paid, Western Union will transfer the funds. You also have the option to send money in-store at an agent location.

Remitly offers both lower fees and better exchange rates, with the option to send money just as fast as Western Union. However, it doesn't offer as many currencies as Western Union and this could be the deciding factor.

It's a good idea to compare a range of international money transfer services before committing to any provider to make sure you're getting the best deal possible.

Looking for more options?

Use our calculator below to compare additional providers and see if you can get a better rate elsewhere.

The "Rate" and "Amount Received" displayed are indicative rates that have been supplied by each brand or gathered by Finder.

Isabel Sandercock-Brown is an international money transfers writer at Finder. She's written for a number of organisations, from the Salvos to Bumble. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Technology, Sydney.

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