Western Union Money Transfer   - Receiving payment in India               Home

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Western Union is one of  the oldest and largest money transfer networks worldwide. It is one the safest way to receive money since it is not possible to reverse the transaction, especially if the amount is received in cash. However the exchange rate for payment received through Western Union is usually the lowest of all money transfer methods. Western Union does not have a permanent office in India, it only has a liaison office in New Delhi. This office distributes the Western Unions software to its agents in India, which enables them to receive the money transferred. No payment is made directly from the Western Union office. Western Union cannot be used to send money from India.

How money transfer through Western Union works

The sender can make payment in cash and you can receive payment in cash within 15 minutes. As of March 2006,  Western Union has more than 25,000 agent  in over 3500 cities and towns in India. There are more than 1200 agent locations in Mumbai, but most agents are located in South Bombay (where a very small part of  Mumbai's population stays) and Western Suburbs. However,  I have spent several hours trying to receive payment for a very small amount due to lack of correct information and poor service by their agents in India.

Though Western Union has a large advertising budget, their user interface could do with some improvement

Their website is extremely slow when accessed from Mumbai , India

You can find out the status of  a payment to you from their website. You should know the exact name the sender has written on the form while sending. A difference of a single digit or space will give invalid results.  

Check status of your Western Union Money Transfer 

It will show whether the sender has sent the amount, whether receiver has picked it up and exchange rate

It is advisable to contact Western Union agents phone number , they will check whether the information provided by the sender  is valid and inform you on phone. This can be obtained from the Yellow Pages. Their toll free number has stopped working (as of January 2006). . The Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN) is a ten digit number which all agents ask before confirming that the amount has been sent to you. If  the sender has not sent the complete number, they will ask you to get the correct number, before releasing the payment. In some cases, however, if you provide the correct answer to the secret question, they may give you the money sent.  Also ensure that the sender is an individual. The amount will not be released if the sender is a company like RentaCoder or GetaFreelancer.

We get many requests asking for the addresses of Western Union agents  How to find the Western Union agent address 

Most of the agents are local travel agencies or money changers, who will fax your form to their head office. Their head office will then fax back a confirmation. Though the agents office is open till late in the evening, you may not get payment, if their head office is closed.

Western Union now  has a tie-up with Canara Bank, which offers better service compared to the agents. If you have a bank account with Canara Bank, you do not have to provide any proof of identity. They confirm the transaction verbally on phone with their head office and directly credit the amount to your account. However the bank is open only in the morning.

The exchange rate offered by Western Union is usually lower than that of  wire transfer.

If  you have any query , feedback or suggestion, or  wish to share your experience with us, please post on our money transfer forum 

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