How Much Does it Cost to Send Money with Western Union?

Last Updated on October 6, 2025 | Prices Last Reviewed for Freshness: November 2025
Written by Alec Pow – Economic & Pricing Investigator | Content Reviewed by CFA Alexander Popinker

Educational content; not financial advice. Prices are estimates; confirm current rates, fees, taxes, and terms with providers or official sources.

The total you pay when sending money with Western Union is a mix of the visible transfer fee, any card or cash agent charges, and the exchange rate margin that is baked into the conversion. This guide maps those pieces, shows realistic examples across popular corridors, and highlights when Western Union can be cheap, when it gets pricey, and how to minimize what you spend.

Fee structures change by corridor, payment method, payout method, and channel. Online bank-to-bank sends often cost less than card or in-person cash payments, and cash pickup on the receiving side can be faster yet more expensive than delivery to a bank account or mobile wallet. The difference can be dramatic, which is why two people sending the same $500 can end up with different totals and different amounts delivered to the recipient.

You will see numbers from Western Union’s own guidance, independent comparisons, and remittance policy sources. We also include one worked bill so you can sanity-check your next transfer in under a minute. Keep your receipt. Ask for a quote. (Spoiler: the exchange rate usually does the heavy lifting.)

Article Highlights

• Online Western Union fees often run $0–$15+, with agent and card options higher; occasional promos make fees $0 on select routes.
• The exchange rate margin is usually the biggest part of total cost on cash-based services; digital routes tend to have lower FX margins.
• Bank wires cost roughly $20–$50, so Western Union can be cheaper on the fee line—yet FX still determines the real total.
• Small sends favor low fixed fees; big sends favor low FX margins—always compare delivered amount.
• U.S. rules require pre-payment disclosures with fees, rate, and the expected amount the recipient will receive, which lets you comparison-shop.

How Much Does it Cost to Send Money with Western Union?

Across common corridors, Western Union headline fees range from $0.99 to the low tens of dollars for online sends, with in-person agent transfers higher. UK comparisons show online fees from £0 up to £5.90 to India, while UK to US can reach £51.90 when you pay by card or at an agent. Hong Kong to UK and Singapore to China comparisons show similar spreads that depend on pay-in and pay-out choices.

Promotions can drop the transfer fee to $0 for online sends to select countries for a limited time. This reduces the visible fee but not the exchange rate margin, so the FX still decides the real total. You’ll see these promotions rotate throughout the year.

Real-Life Cost Examples

USA to Mexico, bank pay to bank deposit. You send $500 online from Texas using a bank account. A promotion applies, so the transfer fee is $0. The exchange rate offered is 2.8 percent weaker than the mid-market rate. Your effective cost is roughly $14, which is what you pay via the margin. World Bank materials define total cost exactly this way, fee plus FX margin, which is why a “free” transfer still has a real price.

Small vs large test, UK to India, cash pickup. A £50 send carries a small fixed fee at an agent, and a £1,000 send carries a larger fee plus a similar percent-level FX margin. Independent tracking in the UK reports online £0–£5.90 fees to India with larger in-person costs, while broader comparisons list Western Union at £0–£51.90 depending on method and speed. The margin scales with amount, so the big send pays more in absolute FX dollars even if the percent stays similar.

Cash vs online in the same corridor. A New Jersey sender pays with a debit card at an agent for a cash pickup in the Philippines. Card funding and cash payout raise the fee, while an online bank-funded send to a bank account in the same corridor is cheaper on the fee line. If a promo code drops the fee to $0 online, the online route wins unless the FX offered is materially worse.

Limits matter. If you hit an online limit on amount or frequency, Western Union may require additional verification or redirect you to an agent. Third-party guides note that limits exist and are shown in-app or at the counter. Hitting a limit often pushes senders into a more expensive method for that transaction.

Cost Breakdown

Total price has two big parts. The base fee is what you see as the transfer charge. The exchange rate margin is the invisible spread between the mid-market rate and the rate you receive. Policy work from the G20 and World Bank shows that the margin is often the largest driver of total cost in cash-based services and that fully digital sends tend to have lower FX margins on average than cash.

Payment method adds a layer. Paying by bank account is often cheapest on the fee line, card funding is faster but usually costs more, and cash at an agent can add the most. Payout method matters too. Bank deposit tends to be lower fee than cash pickup, while mobile wallet is usually priced between them. Western Union’s posts also benchmark typical bank wire fees, which helps frame why online MTOs are attractive for small and mid-sized amounts.

Extra items are small but real. Speed options, SMS updates bundled with premium tiers, or a receiving bank’s incoming fee can shift the final amount delivered. U.S. rules require remittance providers to disclose fees, the exchange rate used, and an estimate of what the recipient will receive before you pay—see the model disclosure forms—which is why your receipt lists those fields.

One-page table you can scan

Factors Influencing the Cost

You might also like our articles about the cost of a credit card, an ATM machine, or a personal check cashing.

Amount and tiers. Many fee schedules include bands. A small fixed fee hurts tiny transfers because it is a big share of $50, while the same fee looks minor on $1,000. The FX margin grows with amount, so percentage matters more than a waived fee for larger sends.

Countries and corridors. Some routes are cheaper to serve. Digital corridors with deep competition often show lower total cost, while routes with more cash pickup and weaker banking coverage skew higher. World Bank corridor pages explain how total cost combines fee and FX margin and why the same brand quotes different totals across lanes.

Channel and method. Online with bank funding to a bank account tends to be the lowest total; agent card-funded to cash pickup the highest. Western Union also runs online promotions that waive fees in select countries; these can be attractive for small amounts where the margin in dollars stays modest.

Rules and disclosures. U.S. remittance regulation requires clear pre-payment disclosures with fees, rate, and the estimated amount to be received. If a quote seems off, ask for the mid-market rate and compare it to the offered rate before you confirm.

Here is one long sentence that captures your checklist: ask for the transfer fee, the exact exchange rate, the mid-market reference at the moment you pay, the pay-in and pay-out methods, any promotion that changes the fee, and the estimate of what the recipient will actually receive.

Alternative Products or Services

Wise. Uses the mid-market rate and charges a transparent fee that scales with amount, often around a few dollars on $1,000 for common pairs, which can beat a low fee with a large FX margin on bigger sends. For tiny transfers, Western Union’s $0–$0.99 fee offers can compete—compare delivered amount, not only the visible fee.

Banks and wires. Banks charge $20–$35 to send domestic wires and $35–$50 for international wires, then often add an FX spread. Wires move same day but cost more at small amounts.

Other MTOs and wallets. MoneyGram, Xoom, WorldRemit, and card-linked wallets are competitive on certain lanes and payout types. The right pick changes by corridor and whether you need cash pickup. Independent roundups show Western Union still shines for cash availability at scale, while fee-first digital players win on bank-to-bank for larger tickets.

Worked total you can copy. Suppose you send $500 from the U.S. to a bank account in India during a $0 online fee promo. If the offered rate is 2.5 percent off mid-market, the hidden cost is about $12.50. If a competitor charges a $6.50 explicit fee and zero markup, that competitor is cheaper on this amount. The delivered amount decides.

Answers to Common Questions

How does Western Union calculate the total I pay?

It combines the transfer fee with the exchange rate margin, which is the spread between the mid-market rate and the retail rate you receive.

Are online transfers cheaper than agent locations?

Often yes on the fee line, especially during promotional periods, though the exchange rate still controls the total.

What are typical bank wire fees if I use a bank instead?

Domestic wires often cost $20–$35, and international wires $35–$50, before any FX spread.

Do providers have to show me the rate and the received amount?

Yes—disclosures before payment include fees, the exchange rate used, and an estimate of what the recipient will receive.

Why do two identical transfers cost different amounts?

Payment method, payout method, corridor, and promotions change both the visible fee and the FX margin, which shifts the delivered amount.

Prices and policies verified as of October 2025. Check the on-screen quote, then compare the offered rate to the mid-market rate before you send.