Western Union money transfer

[Cordoba]

Boing, boing...

WU: 1.00 USD = 210.35 ARS

CCL is $213-$214 so it might pay to wait.

 

[IslandTime808]

Hi, I know this is a pretty basic question. Going to Argentina for the first time (from USA) ...can someone please do a walk through on how to create a Western Union account and send the money to yourself that you can pick up at a local Western Union in Argentina? Would love to have it figured out before leaving in a couple weeks

Thank you.

 

[steveinbsas]

Hi, I know this is a pretty basic question. Going to Argentina for the first time (from USA) ...can someone please do a walk through on how to create a Western Union account and send the money to yourself that you can pick up at a local Western Union in Argentina? Would love to have it figured out before leaving in a couple weeks

Go to the Western Union US website and create the account. When you are ready to make a transfer all you have to do is send the money from your bank to yourself, providing WU with all of the details as the sender and the recipient, as well as the amount you want to send You will not actually send the money to your Western Union account.

The funds will be withdrawn from your bank and you will be able to pick up the funds in a matter of minutes at any Western Union agency (provided they have sufficient cash on hand at the moment) simply by showing your government issued ID and providing the transfer/tracking number. The name on your ID and the transfer must match exactly!

Before you make a third transfer you will have to complete an on line form with your details as the recipient. It may include a "declaration" that you are not a polical person (or something like that). As soon as you make the first transfer you should see a notice about doing this. I suggest you complete the form ASAP.

PS: Check this thread often to find the latest "promo code" which will eliminate the transfer fee!

 

[steveinbsas]

Go to the Western Union US website and create the account. When you are ready to make a transfer all you have to do is send the money from your bank to yourself, providing WU with all of the details as the sender and the recipient, as well as the amount you want to send.

After you make the first transfer, it will be easy to log into your account and make additional (repeat) transfers to yourself with just a few ,as all of your details as the sender and the recipient will be saved. You can repeat any previous transfer by clicking on it in your account history and you can change the amount and the method of payment as desired.

PS: You can also use the latest "promo code" to eliminate the transfer fees. Keep checking this thread for the latest (valid) code which, at the moment, is DIGITAL0FEE. (with a ZERO).

 

[SecretShopper]

Why go through the trouble of using a bank account when you can simply use a debit card?

 

[steveinbsas]

Why go through the trouble of using a bank account when you can simply use a debit card?

If this question is based on my recent posts answering IslandTime808's question, please note, I didn't actually suggest which method of payment to use when making Western Union transfers, and what follows is meant to avoid any confusion.

Anyone making a Western Union transfer online to send money to Argentina for cash pick up or to a bank account here can select from several payment options. Both making a transfer "from the bank account" or using a debit card entail withdrawing funds from their bank account ('cause that's where the money is).

In some cases, withdrawing the funds directly from the bank account could be an indispensable alternative to usig a debit card. If someone's debit card has expired or the card is lost or stolen, they would still be able to make a WU transfer directly from their bank account while they are waiting to receive a new card with a new security code.

I'm sure Secret was not suggesting using a debit card at an ATM to get cash in Argentina. That would avoid all the trouble of using Western Union. Hopefully, no one will interpret it that way, but a newbie, not knowing the enormous difference in the official rate versus the WU rate just might, and they would get about 50% less in that case..

Until recently, sending funds that were withdrawn from the bank account was the only way to transfer funds without paying a fee. The minimum fee for each transfer using a debit card was $10 USD. I'm sure this was a desirable option for more than one baeconomizer.

Now the fee to use a debit card is $2.99 if usng a debit card and zero if using a valid promo code.

If I understand correctly, like the debit card details (with the exception of the security code), the bank account details, once entered in the sender's WU account are saved and, unless I am missing something, it should be just as easy to initiate repeat transfers from the bank account as it is using a debit card.

PS: As I wrote in my second post, it is possible to change the payment method for each transfer as desired, though it would be necessary to provie WU with the bank's name and routing number, as well as the account number, prior to making the first WU transfer directly from the bank account.

 

[steveinbsas]

After you make the first transfer, it will be easy to log into your account and make additional (repeat) transfers to yourself with just a few ,as all of your details as the sender and the recipient will be saved. You can repeat any previous transfer by clicking on it in your account history and you can change the amount and the method of payment as desired.

The word "clicks" should have been included in this sentence:

...it will be easy to log into your account and make additional (repeat) transfers to yourself with just a few clicks...

 

[IslandTime808]

Go to the Western Union US website and create the account. When you are ready to make a transfer all you have to do is send the money from your bank to yourself, providing WU with all of the details as the sender and the recipient, as well as the amount you want to send You will not actually send the money to your Western Union account.

The funds will be withdrawn from your bank and you will be able to pick up the funds in a matter of minutes at any Western Union agency (provided they have sufficient cash on hand at the moment) simply by showing your government issued ID and providing the transfer/tracking number. The name on your ID and the transfer must match exactly!

Before you make a third transfer you will have to complete an on line form with your details as the recipient. It may include a "declaration" that you are not a polical person (or something like that). As soon as you make the first transfer you should see a notice about doing this. I suggest you complete the form ASAP.

PS: Check this thread often to find the latest "promo code" which will eliminate the transfer fee!

Thank you! Just a quick clarification point: How do I send the money to myself if it doesn't go to my WU account?

 

[jblaze5779]

WU does not hold you money. They just buy and sell currencies. You tell them how many pesos you want to buy and they tell you how many pesos per dollar they will give you. you give them the money and you pick up the pesos either in your Arg bank account or in person in Argentina at any number of pickup spots.

 

[steveinbsas]

Thank you! Just a quick clarification point: How do I send the money to myself if it doesn't go to my WU account?

There are never any funds in your Western Union account. You can use the WU service to sed funds from your bank account to any person you choose, including yourself. The funds can be sent to an individual's bank account (including the sender's if you are sending money to yourself) or they can be picked up in person at a Western Union agency anywhere in the world that there is one.

You must have a Western Union account to make online transfers, but the recipient does not have to have a Western Union account to pick up the funds in person or even to receive the funds in their bank account.

Someone other than you could go to a Western Union agency and pay for the transfer in cash to send money to you in Argentina, In that case, they would not have to have a Western Union account, either. Both the sender and the recipient would have to show government issued IDs when the funds are send and picked up.

All the recipient needs to take with them to pick up the funds in person is their ID and the Western Union transaction ( tracking) number. They willl be asked a few questions as the agent completes a form which they must sign. They will never be asked for the sender's Western Union account number or theirs, either, even if they have one and are the same person as the sender.

WU does not hold you money. They just buy and sell currencies. You tell them how many pesos you want to buy and they tell you how many pesos per dollar they will give you. you give them the money and you pick up the pesos either in your Arg bank account or in person in Argentina at any number of pickup spots.

If I understand correctly, and for lack of a better word, the funds are "held" (on the books in cyberspace) by Western Union until they are picked up in person or deposited in the receiver's bank account. After a period of time, if the funds are not picked up or the bank cannot process the transaction, the funds will be "returned" to the sender's bank or (at least I hope) be made available to the sender who paid for the transaction in cash.