Money Gram or Western Union,or neither

[panamania79 2]

I ususally use Money Gram.

[*JG* 2]

I fight it for all I'm worth.....If I MUST, I use moneygram cause it's a few dollars cheaper. Used to use Western Union....no complaints except for the cost.

[mrsartis 10]

I ususally use Money Gram.

thru xoom hehehehehe try it on xoom.. western union is a lot cheaper though.. but when we are in a hurry we go thru the internet via xoom..

gOODLUCK!

[Ban Hammer 14,022]

I ususally use Money Gram.

i send money home by giving it to nessa, and she takes it home.

[Mononoke28 137]

I wish I could use Xoom because I've heard very good things about it but it's not available in Colorado.

We currently use Afex and the money is wired to our family's bank account in Colombia within 15 minutes.

Diana

[panamania79 2]

I fight it for all I'm worth.....If I MUST, I use moneygram cause it's a few dollars cheaper. Used to use Western Union....no complaints except for the cost.

Western Union is ridiculous ! I had to send money to my mother in law and since it was over $100,they charged me $30,NEVER AGAIN.

[milimelo 4,624]

Neither - left an extra debit card to my mom, send her an email to go to the ATM and pick up the money (ATM fees are around $4).

[panamania79 2]

Neither - left an extra debit card to my mom, send her an email to go to the ATM and pick up the money (ATM fees are around $4).

That's a great Idea !

[william_wallace 8]

I've used both. I can't remember which was cheaper to tell you the truth.

[Imua 0]

Neither - left an extra debit card to my mom, send her an email to go to the ATM and pick up the money (ATM fees are around $4).

That's a great Idea !

I just got an extra Paypal card for Govi and we are going to do the same thing - up til now we have used WU Money in Minutes.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

I just send it UPS.... ground.

[IAMX 3,055]

I've received Western Union. Pretty fast, and no complaints thusfar, except the retail locations sometimes not having enough cash or their systems being broken.

[Teacher Mark 53]

An earlier post of mine:

In the past day I have noticed several posts that discuss sending money overseas. Without getting into a debate over whether or not this is beneficial in the quest to document an ongoing relationship I would like to post my experience.

1.) American Express Moneygram.

https://www.emoneygram.com/eMoneyGram/accountLink.do

I only used them 2 times. The money got there w/o a problem. That is always a good thing! I am impressed with the fact that they know that Viet Nam is actually 2 words. I never knew that until we started this journey. They are convenient in the fact that you can go to any Wal Mart to send the money. Thye charged me $10 for a $100.00 transaction. I never researched how much it was to do it online, but I am assuming that it would be $14.00 to send $100.00 to VN since that is the price that came up when I used their calculator (why more when you eliminate the human interaction?). Regardless I found that:

2.) Western Union was cheaper.

http://www.westernunion.com/info/selectCountry.asp

They also suit my particular needs better since I am a truck driver. You can go to any Pilot truck stop or travel center between 7am and 11pm and complete a transaction.

The thing that I did not understand (and some of their agents AND employees don't know this) is that they have a service called Western Union Direct Connect (Pilot may be the only place to do this type of transaction). Call 877.984.0473 and they will ask you for the information. They will then assign you a Money Transfer Control Number. You then take the control number to the desk and give them the money. YOU CANNOT DO THIS AT ANY W/U. They must be a direct connect agent. It is only $6 to send up to $300.00? to Viet Nam. I used the regular service once and it was a little more. The reason was that it was not direct connect. What amazes me is that it is actually much cheaper to send money there that it is to send it to the other side of the world! I am sure that they make a little on the exchange rate but it is nominal. You can also opt to have your loved one receive U.S. currency. I was also amazed to find out that they wanted $20.00 for an online transaction (once again why more?). You can also sign up for a preferred customer card and get a free transaction occasionally plus phone card minutes. I think they may have made changes to that program though. The thing I like about the card is that I only have to give them the information once. In my subsequent transactions I provide the Customer number and they have the information from the previous transaction already. Which brings me to another problem I ran into with them once. It was the formatting of the name for the receiver. This was a Viet Nam specific problem (Last, First, SPACE Middle). We had an instance were my fiancee' was unable to get he money (temporarily) once because of this. I was actually the one to blame there. I took it upon myself to format the name properly. They switched it automatically and things got all screwed up. You should give them the information in your local format and they will change it automatically. If you run into a problem call the International Desk (make sure and ask them if it is the I/D at the beginning of the conversation as sometimes their lines get crossed) at 800.752.6077. They resolved my problem quickly (on a Friday night/Saturday morning). I now make sure and check my receipt to make sure everything is correct. The only other problem I have experienced is the outsourcing problem that has permeated customer service in America. I mean no offense to anyone but sometimes it is hard to understand their agents (I think they are in Mexico).

I don't want to sound like a Western Union pitch man here but this has been my experience. They pissed me off on more than one occasion because their agents seemed inept. I threatened never to use them again and found myself right back there the next month because of convenience and safety. Sprint customer service has hardened me to the point that Western Union is like a walk in the park! The fees that they charge are very reasonable considering the time and distance involved. I am sure that every country has different fees. Check the exchange rate and make sure they are not taking advantage. I hope this information can help somebody. I had to learn through trial and error!

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/lofivers...hp/t104634.html

I've found out since then that most Travel Centers of America also have Western Union Direct Connect available.

Edited August 16, 2008 by WideAwakeInTheUSA

[CaNdiD wiTcH 0]

My husband uses bank transfer and western union..

[CaNdiD wiTcH 0]

I ususally use Money Gram.

thru xoom hehehehehe try it on xoom.. western union is a lot cheaper though.. but when we are in a hurry we go thru the internet via xoom..

gOODLUCK!

Western Union has this internet facility, too.. My husband sends money thru the western union internet site..