Western Union vs WorldRemit: Fees & Reviews Compared

Both Western Union and WorldRemit are popular international money transfer services. But which one is better?

Below we compare them on their fees and reviews.

Fees

	Western Union	WorldRemit
Homepage
Transfer Fee	Based on the sender’s location, transfer amount, and payment method. Usually, there’s a fee that’s as low as $0-$15, but some can be as high as $100 if sending to an exotic location or paying by credit card.	$0.99 – $3.99 depending on the transfer amount and the selected countries and payment methods.
Average Exchange Rate Markup	1% – 5%	1% – 1.6%
Minimum Transfer Amount	$1	$1
Maximum Transfer Amount	Depending on the sender’s country: $50,000 if identity verified $3,000 if identity isn’t verified	Depends on the selected countries and method of payment (ranges between $1,400 and $60,000).

Reviews

	Western Union	WorldRemit
Trustpilot Rating	3.9	4.1
Number of Trustpilot Reviews	50,800	78,800
iOS App Rating	4.8	4.8
Number of iOS App Reviews	630,000	172,000
Android App Rating	4.6	4.6
Number of Android App Reviews	28,000	179,000

Features

	Western Union	WorldRemit
App Transfers	Yes	Yes
Online Transfers	Yes	Yes
Phone Transfers	Yes	No
In-person Transfers	Yes	No
Available Countries	200	145
Number of Currencies	130	70
Payment Methods	Bank account Debit card Credit card Cash	Bank account Debit card Credit card Apple Pay Interac iDeal Trustly Klarna SOFORT POLi
Receiving Methods	Online wallet Bank account Cash pickup Home delivery	Online wallet Bank account Cash pickup Home delivery
Cash Pickup Option	Yes	Yes
Payments Flexibility	Web platform Mobile app Phone In person	Web platform Mobile app
Supported Languages	English, Spanish, French, Danish, Norwegian, Turkish, German, Italian, Russian, Swedish, Chinese, Dutch, Polish, Ukrainian, Portuguese, Japanese, and Finnish	English, French, German, Danish, Dutch, and Spanish
Transfer Speed	Within minutes for cash or debit card transfers 1-3 days for transfers between bank accounts	0-2 days (within minutes in 95% of cases).
Dedicated Dealer	No	No
Instant Custom Quote	Yes	Yes
Business Features	N/A	N/A
Debit Card	Western Union® Netspend® Prepaid Mastercard	None
Cancellation Policy	Cancellations are possible as long as the money hasn’t been claimed by the recipient.	Only when the transfer hasn’t been paid out. Bank and mobile wallet transfers may be refunded even after the transfer is completed if the recipient agrees to the refund.
Suitability	Small money transfers	Small money transfers

Company Comparison

	Western Union	WorldRemit
Year Founded	1851	2010
Headquarters	Denver, CO, United States	London, UK
Other Office Locations	Brazil, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, Poland, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, China, Japan, Malaysia, Malta, Singapore, Switzerland, South Korea, United Kingdom, etc.	Poland (Krakow), USA (Denver), Philippines (Cebu), Australia (Sydney), Belgium (Brussels), Japan (Tokyo), Kenya (Nairobi), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Rwanda (Kigali), Singapore, South Africa (Johannesburg), Somaliland (Hargeisa), Tanzania (Dar Es Salaam), Uganda (Kampala), and Canada (Toronto)
Annual Trading Volume	$300 billion	$10 billion
Number of Employees	10500	1800
Number of Clients	150 million	5.7 million
Regulatory Institutions	State licensing in the USA FINTRAC in Canada FCA in the UK AUSTRAC in Australia	FinCEN in the USA FINTRAC in Canada FCA in the UK ASIC in Australia National Bank of Belgium in EU FSPR in New Zealand FSA in Japan
Awards	Digital Edge 25 Awards (2016) Payments Innovation of the Year (2016) Candidate Experience Award (Talent Board, 2017, 2018) “Way to Go” Champion Award (Denver Regional Council of Governments, 2019) Regional Partner Award (Education for Employment, 2019) Humanitarian Logistics Award (American Logistics Aid Network, 2020) Consumer Payments Innovation Award (FinTech Breakthrough Awards, 2021)	Best Practice in Remittances for Development by IFAD (United Nations Agency, 2015) Technology Fast 50 (Deloitte, 2015, 2016, and 2017) Tech Track 100 (Sunday Times, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019) Excellence in Transformational Business (FT/IFC Transformational Business Awards, 2017) EY Entrepreneur Of The Year (2016) Bronze Award (European Contact Centre & Customer Service Awards, 2019) The Powerlist (BBC, 2020) Best for International Transfers (Best Money Transfer Apps – Investopedia, 2021 and 2023)

Western Union Pros & Cons

Western Union Pros

• Diverse payment methods
• Availability of cash pickup locations
• High rating on Trustpilot
• Excellent mobile application
• An abundant industry experience
• Comprehensive information repository
• Exceptional convenience
• Worldwide service reach
• Robust currency handling
• Rapid fund transfers
• Fee and rate prediction tool
• Beneficial rewards scheme

Western Union Cons

• Not optimal for substantial money transfers
• High transaction fees
• High markups on exchange rates
• Absence of hedging options for businesses

WorldRemit Pros & Cons

WorldRemit Pros

• Many payment methods
• Competitive foreign exchange rates
• Small transaction fees
• Excellent policy for transfer cancellations
• Instant, personalized cost estimates
• Cash pickup services available
• Mobile digital wallet features
• Comprehensive global service availability
• Strong coverage of over 70 unique currencies
• Wide local presence with offices in 15 nations
• Quick funds transfers
• Comprehensive and informative knowledge base

WorldRemit Cons

• Not ideal for transferring large sums of money
• No personal account managers available
• Lacks business solutions like forward contracts and limit orders
• Numerous criticisms pertaining to customer service

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