Western Union has a lot of safety and security regulations at the store to pick up funds. They are very specific about the kinds of ID’s they accept as valid documents to receive the funds.
If your ID does not match with all the regulations by Western Union. The agent at the store can deny paying you the transfer. In many cases, people have misspelled names that prevent them from receiving a Western Union.
But what if your ID has expired? Will the agent at the store let you go pickup the funds with an expired ID or do you need to request to send the transfer back.
Can I pick up western union with expired id
No, you will not be able to pick up a Western Union with an expired ID. Western Union requires that you show a valid government issued ID to pick up the funds.
The “Valid” part means that it should not be an expired ID. There are many regulations that have to be followed as far as the ID is concerned. These ID regulations apply to both the senders and receivers.
In case the sender is going to the store to get the funds back. He would also need to show a valid ID to get the funds.
Western Union Requirements to Pick up Funds
Western Union has the following ID requirements to pick up a money transfer.
- It has to a government Issued ID
- It has to be valid
- It needs to be a photo ID
- It needs to match the receivers name exactly as it appears on the transfer
If any of these conditions are not met. Western can deny paying funds at the store. How religiously these rules are followed, depends on the particular store. If it’s your lucky day, you might find a store agent that lets you go forward with an expired Id or a slightly mismatched name.
But it is highly unlikely. In most cases you will have to look for alternate ways to pickup the funds.
Do you Need 2 IDs to Pick Up a Western Union?
If you are receiving more than $5000 in the US. You will be required to show 2 different IDs at the store. This extra security measure is due to the large amount involved. Western Union deals with scammers all the time.
Having an additional ID for transfers greater than $5000 enables them to stay clear of any reimbursement requests filed in the future.
For cash pickups below the $5000 mark. You should be able to receive funds with only one valid government issued ID.
Have an Expired ID ? – Alternate ways to get the funds
So let’s suppose you don’t have a valid ID, and you need the funds. What are some of the workarounds you can do to get the funds?
Setup a Test Question on the Transfer
Test questions on Western Union transfers are like passwords. Western Union allows a test question on sender’s request, in case the receiver has an expired ID or no ID at all.
You can read more about test questions in this article. It mentions all the transfers eligible for pickup without an ID.
Route the Transfer to Your Bank
If you don’t have an ID and you can’t use a test question on your transfer. You can always request the sender to transfer the funds to your bank instead of a cash pickup.
This request has to be made by the sender, and it can be done online or by calling a Western Union Customer Support Rep. On the downside, for a transfer to be transferred to your bank.
It can take from 0 to 4 business days depending on the specific transfer.
