Payment fees
Western Union Fee Calculator
There is no single Western Union fee: the same $500 can cost a few dollars sent online to a bank account, or several times that as a card-funded cash pickup — before the exchange-rate margin is counted. This estimator shows the sample fee band for your amount and payout method, so a $500 cash pickup plans around a fee of roughly $20–$33 rather than a made-up exact figure. Enter your amount below, then confirm the live price on wu.com before sending.
How much does Western Union charge to send money?
Western Union does not publish one fixed fee, so any page quoting you an exact fee for every transfer is guessing. The live fee depends on the corridor (which countries the money travels between), how you pay (a bank account is usually cheapest, a card usually most expensive), how the receiver is paid (bank account, mobile wallet or cash pickup) and whether you send online or at an agent. As planning bands for a transfer sent from the US: sending $500 costs roughly $8–$18 to a bank account, $12–$22 to a mobile wallet and $20–$33 for cash pickup in the sample bands this estimator uses. On top of the fee, Western Union also earns from the exchange-rate margin — the rate you are offered is below the mid-market rate, and on large transfers that margin can cost more than the fee itself. The exact total is only ever the one quoted on wu.com or in the app for your specific transfer.
How it works
Because Western Union prices every corridor separately, this page works differently from our other calculators — it is an estimator built on sample bands, not a rate card. The bands group transfers by amount (fees rise with size, but slower than proportionally) and by payout method (cash pickup costs Western Union the most to provide, bank account the least):
Estimated fee = the sample band for your amount + payout methodYour total cost = amount sent + fee + exchange-rate marginThe margin deserves its own line because it is invisible in most fee tables. If the mid-market rate is 280 units per dollar and Western Union offers your receiver 274, roughly 2% of the transfer’s value has been taken in the conversion — on $1,000 that is about $20, comparable to the fee itself. When you compare any two transfer quotes, compare what the receiver actually gets, not the fee in isolation.
Sample fee bands used by this estimator
| Amount sent | Cash pickup | Bank account | Mobile wallet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to $50 | $4–$8 | $0–$5 | $2–$6 |
| $51–$100 | $7–$12 | $3–$8 | $4–$9 |
| $101–$250 | $12–$20 | $5–$12 | $8–$15 |
| $251–$500 | $20–$33 | $8–$18 | $12–$22 |
| $501–$1,000 | $30–$50 | $12–$28 | $18–$35 |
| $1,001–$2,500 | $45–$75 | $20–$45 | $30–$55 |
| Over $2,500 | $70–$120 | $35–$70 | $50–$90 |
Source: Sample bands prepared for this estimator — not a Western Union price list. Western Union quotes live, corridor-specific fees on wu.com and in its app; those quotes are the only exact figures. Last verified: November 2026
Worked examples
Example 1 — sending $500 for cash pickup
| Amount sent | $500.00 |
| Sample fee band (cash pickup) | $20.00 – $33.00 |
| Total you pay | $520.00 – $533.00 |
Cash pickup is the payout method senders most often need — and usually the most expensive of the three.
Example 2 — sending $200 to a bank account
| Amount sent | $200.00 |
| Sample fee band (bank account) | $5.00 – $12.00 |
| Total you pay | $205.00 – $212.00 |
Bank-to-bank is the cheapest shape of transfer in almost every corridor.
Example 3 — sending $1,000 to a mobile wallet
| Amount sent | $1,000.00 |
| Sample fee band (mobile wallet) | $18.00 – $35.00 |
| Total you pay | $1,018.00 – $1,035.00 |
Mobile wallet payouts usually sit between bank account and cash pickup on price, and arrive in minutes.
When these fees apply — and the limitations
Read this section before trusting any number on this page — it is the most important one here:
- These are sample bands, not Western Union prices. They exist so you can budget a transfer in the right ballpark. The real fee for your corridor can sit outside the band, especially for unusual country pairs, very large amounts, or promotions (first-transfer offers are common).
- How you pay changes the fee. The bands assume a typical online transfer. Paying by credit card usually costs more than paying from a bank account, and sending from an agent location can price differently from sending online.
- The exchange-rate margin is not in the bands. It varies by corridor and by day, and it is part of your true cost — compare quotes by what the receiver gets.
- Receiver-side charges can apply in some countries and for some payout methods, and transfer limits vary by corridor and verification level.
The only exact Western Union fee is the one quoted for your transfer on wu.com or in the app at the moment you send. Treat this page as a planning estimate, nothing more.
Comparing your options
For money that stays inside the US, Western Union is rarely the cheapest route: Venmo and Cash App move money between US accounts free at standard speed, and even their instant options are capped at $25. Western Union earns its fee where those apps cannot go — international corridors and cash pickup, with agent locations in most countries. Its real rivals there are other transfer services, and the honest comparison is never the fee alone: add the exchange-rate margin to each quote, because a “low fee” paired with a poor rate can cost more overall. If your transfer is actually a payment for goods, compare the PayPal fee calculator instead.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Western Union charge to send $500?
It depends on the corridor and the payout method, but in this estimator’s sample bands for a US-sent transfer, $500 costs roughly $20–$33 for cash pickup, $12–$22 to a mobile wallet and $8–$18 to a bank account — plus the exchange-rate margin if the money changes currency. Your exact fee is the one quoted on wu.com for your specific countries.
Why is my Western Union fee different from the estimate?
Because the live fee is priced per corridor and per transaction: the countries involved, whether you pay by bank or card, whether you send online or at an agent, the payout method and any promotion on your account all move it. Sample bands can only put you in the right range — they cannot reproduce a per-corridor quote.
Does Western Union make money on the exchange rate as well?
Yes. Like most transfer companies, Western Union converts your money at a rate that includes a margin below the mid-market exchange rate, and discloses that it makes money from currency conversion. On small transfers the fee is usually the bigger cost; on large ones the margin often is. Compare services by the amount the receiver actually receives.
What is the cheapest way to send money with Western Union?
Usually: send online or in the app rather than at an agent, pay from a bank account rather than a card, and choose a bank-account payout rather than cash pickup where the receiver can manage it. Each of those choices typically moves the fee down within — or below — the sample bands shown here.
Who pays the Western Union fee — sender or receiver?
The sender pays the transfer fee, on top of the amount sent: if you send $500 with a $25 fee, you pay $525 and your receiver is due $500 worth of the destination currency at Western Union’s offered rate. In a small number of corridors, local charges can also be deducted at payout — the quote on wu.com shows the amount the receiver will get.
Related calculators
Estimates only. Platforms can change their fees at any time; always confirm the rate on the platform’s own pricing page before making pricing decisions. ToolFees is not affiliated with the platform named on this page.