Western Union started off solely as a way to send and receive cash across distances. Back in 1851 when the company started, the only possible way to pay for a money transfer was cash at a retail store.
In today’s age, when trillions of dollars worth of business is done online. With debit and credit cards.
Western Union have launched their website, the mobile app and the TMT (Telephone Money Transfers) services to accommodate users who want to pay with their debit or credit card.
Can I Western Union Money with a Credit or Debit Card
Yes, you can make a Western Union money transfer with your debit or credit card on the website, the app of the phone.
All 3 platforms support debit and credits. However, there are a few differences in fee when you switch between the cards.
If you would like to predict the exact fee for a money transfer. You can check Western Union’s send money tool that tells you the fee estimates for money transfers.
However, a general pattern you would find in the fee suggests that debit cards are usually cheaper than credit cards.
Pro Tip: If you are simply looking for the cheapest payment method to transfer money. You can send the funds using your bank account. However, funds transfer through a bank account can take anywhere from 0-4 business days to be available for the receiver. So don’t use the bank if you are looking for an urgent money transfer.
Is using a credit card for Western Union a cash advance
Yes, when using a credit card for Western Union you can be charged a cash advance fee. This means, you can be charged a cash advance fee by the bank for the transfer on top of the fee Western Union charges you.
Cash in advance disclaimers are mentioned on the website or are read to you for a TMT by the customer support agent when you try to make the transfer.
The cash advance fee charged by the bank would not be mentioned on the app. Only your bank would be able to guide on the exact charges.
Which cards are accepted by Western Union
Western Union accepts all major credit card providers including Visa, Master and Discover Cards except American Express.
Discover cards can only be used on the website and the mobile app, but are not supported on the TMT transfers.
Can you pay western union with a card at the store?
Yes, some Western Union stores allow you to pay for a money transfer with a debit or credit card. So you don’t have to solely depend on cash for retail transfers. However, payment with a debit or credit card is not supported at all stores.
Western Union has over 500K locations working worldwide. Some of these stores are from giant companies like Walmart and RiteAid. Others might not be as huge or capable of taking credit cards as payment.
Unfortunately, there is no way to tell if a store would accept credit cards on Western Union website. So the only workaround available is to either call Western Union support to check if a store supports credit cards or you can call the store directly and tell if they accept cards or not.
Why won’t Western union accept my Credit Card
If your money transfers are being declined by Western Union’s app and the website. There are few troubleshooting steps you can take to hopefully solve the issue.
When Western Union declines a payment method, the error message that usually pops up goes along the lines “You payment cannot be processed with this payment method. Please use a different payment method. Or visit a Western Union Store”.
If you see this message try the following troubleshoot.
- Check with the Bank: The most commonly overlooked problem is the bank. If you are making a transfer for the first time or using a different device to make the transfer. The bank can stop the charges in suspicion of possible fraud. In this case, try to confirm with your bank if they are stopping the charges.
- Reinstall the app: If you confirm there is no issue with the bank. Try reinstalling the app. Sometimes the app can get some bugs which can be easily fixed by installing a fresh version either from the ios or the android store.
- Escalate to Customer Care: If this still does not solve the issue. Take a screenshot of your app. Where the error message pops up, and send it to webcare@westernunion.com The western union tech team would be able to fix the issue on their side.
