Western Union Receive Money Limit (Best Tips Explained)

Do you know what Western Union receive money limit is?  this is one of the questions our readers ask a lot. Well, we´ve got you covered.

Western Union is a money transfer service that has been in business since 1851. If you go off of how long they have been called Western Union, then they officially got their start in 1856 after they were bought out.

They’ve always been a transfer service primarily but how much can you actually transfer?

So, what is Western Union receiving money limit? The typical, maximum amount that can be received from Western Union only by the online or smartphone methods is $5,000. However, Western Union has the right to restrict the amount, based on a number of factors.  Also, take into consideration that Western Union receiving money limit will also depend on where the receiver is located.

If you want to send money in person, the amount may be different, and you will have to go to a station and speak to a Western Union agent to find out how much.

To send money over the phone, you need to call (1-800-225-5227) and speak to an agent.

Also, the amounts that you can send or receive are likely to change depending on what country the recipient is located in.

For instance, someone in the Phillippines can receive up to $19,000 while someone in Jamaica can only get $6,435.68.

It all boils down to that country’s regulations. 

How To Find Out How Much You Can Receive Outside Of The U.S.

If you’re going to receive the money through online services or via the Western Union app, you can go to the Western Union Website, enter your country, and find out how much money you can receive for your location. 

All you have to do is click on the Send To search box with the magnifying glass, scroll down to find the country in which you are located or will soon be and the website automatically generates the monetary amount that you can receive once you select a country. 

You might be surprised to discover that some countries are much freer about how much money they will allow traveling from sender to recipient in terms of cash transfers online or through the mobile app.

• India: $50,000
• Jamaica: $19,000
• Argentina: $50,000
• Slovakia: $50,000
• Canada: $50,000
• Sri Lanka: $30,000

The United States is definitely one of the lowest on the totem pole when it comes to sending and receiving money through Western Union transfers. 

Read also: Can I Receive Western Union Online?

What Limitations May Apply To Western Union Transfers?

You may never have a problem, however, Western Union reserves the right to stop, scrutinize, limit, or reduce the value of a transaction for its own reasons.

Those reasons usually revolve around the following:

• Agent Location Limitations
• Your Specific Transfer History
• Country Receiving Limits
• Your Payment Method
• Where You Are Located
• Choice Of Service

You can be limited based on your transfer history, especially if your history falls within a 24-hour period and the amounts total more than a country’s limits on the amounts of money that can be received through a transfer. 

For instance, if you’re sending money to a friend that lives in the Phillippines and you send $12,000 at 8 o’clock in the morning and try to send another $12,000 at 9 o’clock that night, the amount will be either denied or restricted down to $7,000 as the limitation there is $19,000 in a 24-hour period.

Agent locations can also play a role in how much can be sent, although this rule is a little more ambiguous and left to someone else to figure out exactly why that matters. 

Your payment method also matters.

As there are certain laws that apply to the kind of methods used to transfer money as well as limitations on bank withdrawals and spending limits on credit and debit cards.

Your choice of service matters as well. The mobile or online methods have been laid out and you know where to go to get an idea of how much you can send and receive.

Your choice of service is more stringently regulated by Western Union rather than another country or national laws. 

Also, for same-day transfers, those amounts are much more severely restricted. As an example, you can send $5,000 via card in a 24-hour period but the recipient won’t receive that money in 24-hours.

The maximum allowable same-day transfer by card is only $500.

Is There A Limit To How Many Times You Can Send Money?

According to Western Union, you can only receive a maximum of 30 transfers per year.

Fortunately, that number only applies to one person sending to one person up to thirty times in 365 days. 

That doesn’t mean that you cant receive more than 30 transactions per year. Indeed, with Western Union also delving deeply into online spending, cashless societies, and prepaid debit cards, a 30 per year limitation would be absurd.

Western Union wouldn’t last a year. However, even though there is a 30 transaction limitation from the same person to the same person per year, that doesn’t mean the rule cannot be set aside. 

Like any bank, Western Union can be convinced to relax the limitation for proven circumstances that are extenuating.

After all, the people that work at Western Union are people too and if you have a legitimate circumstance that necessitates exceeding 30 transfers, they may be willing to listen.

Reasons For Possible Delays And/Or Denials

Western Union reserves the right to deny or place on hold any transaction for any reason, not that they often do.

However, things happen and if there is a legitimate reason for holding back your transfer, Western Union may do so at their prerogative. 

• Anything over $1,000 is subject to hold pending answered questions
• If a Western Union agent contacts Western Union with concerns
• If fraud is suspected
• If the sender or receiver shows up on any government’s list as a known criminal or suspect (Specially Designated Nationals).
• Multiple transactions from the same or several people

If your account is blocked for any reason, you should contact Western Union Customer Service as soon as possible to discover the reason behind the hold and what you need to do to resolve it. 

Keep in mind, these kinds of holds are rare and you shouldn’t expect anything like that to happen to you.

If it does, however, you have an avenue through Western Union Customer Service through which you can resolve the situation in an expedited manner.

Outside of Western Union, banks can block transactions and are more likely to do so than Western Union is. If you have a transaction blocked by the bank, you can’t resolve it through Western Union.

Whether it was the sender’s or the receiver’s bank that blocked the transaction, that person is responsible for clearing the situation up through their financial institution before the transaction can be completed. 

All Things Considered

Western Union’s policies on transaction limitations—in terms of the number of transactions and financial limits—are generally pretty liberal.

However, they do exercise the right to spend more time reviewing transactions that are suspect.

If this happens to you, it’s best to wait it out and let Western Union go through the process. You can always contact customer service and try to get the situation resolved as soon as possible. 

For the most part, Western Union provides a valuable and useful service that’s beneficial and expedient for its customers.

References

https://answers.gethuman.com/Western-Union/

https://www.compareremit.com/money-transfer-guide/