Western Union vs Ria
Take a look at well-known Western Union and growing international money transfer service Ria side by side.
Key takeaways
- For larger transfers to New Zealand Western Union delivered more money despite Ria having lower fees.
- Ria often provides faster international transfer speeds when paying by card or PayID.
- Western Union supports more currencies and offers a significantly higher maximum transfer limit.
Compare Western Union vs Ria
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We review money transfer providers for different features to assign them a score out of 10. The higher the score, the more competitive the product.
How they work
Western Union and Ria work in similar ways. They both offer diverse money transfer options including bank transfers and sending money for cash pickup. Western Union is the more established of the two, so can offer an extensive network and fast delivery speeds. But Ria is not far behind, with agent locations in over 165 countries.
The fees and rates used in this comparison are accurate as of 18 November 2024.
Which has lower fees?
Western Union
Western Union's fees vary depending on how much you're transferring, how you're sending it and where you're sending it to. Agent location fees aren't typically posted online, but Western Union's online fees are different for nearly every country it sends to. You can use its "Price Estimator" tool on its website to check the exchange rate and fee for your specific transaction.
Ria
For new customers, transfers are fee-free. If you are already a customer, Ria charges a flat $2.89 fee for online transfers to any country, any amount. However, keep in mind that fees vary between online and agent locations.
Winner: Ria
With its flat transfer fee for any country, Ria's fees are generally cheaper across the board.
Let's crunch the numbers: Sending $300 and $4,000 to New Zealand
Let's look at an example to put this into context better. We're going to go through what two different transfers look like with Ria and Western Union. In this scenario, we're going to pay with a credit card (which means higher fees than with a bank transfer), and we're going to send the money to a cash pick-up location.
Keep in mind that other currencies will have different fees and transfer times.
Sending $300 to New Zealand
| Western Union | Ria | |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer fee | $1.99 | $2.89 |
| Exchange rate | AUD$1 = NZD$1.1186 | AUD$1 = NZD$1.10 |
| Transfer speed | Instant | 15 mins - 3 hours |
| Total dollars received | NZD$333.59 | NZD$326.88 |
| Receiver gets | NZD$6.71 more | NZD$6.71 less |
Sending $4,000 to New Zealand
| Western Union | Ria | |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer fee | $3.99 | $2.89 |
| Exchange rate | AUD$1 = NZD$1.1186 | AUD$1 = NZD$1.10 |
| Transfer speed | Instant | Instant |
| Total dollars received | NZD$4,470.41 | NZD$4,394.01 |
| Receiver gets | NZD$76.4 more | NZD$76.4 less |
For both of these transfers, you end up with more money at the end with Western Union.
Which offers better exchange rates?
Western Union
Depending on the country you're sending money to, a typical exchange rate at Western Union can be up to 6% above the mid-market rate. This means that if you're sending a large amount overseas, you're losing out on hundreds of dollars.
For example:
- Mid-market rate: AUD$1 = PHP38.4570
- Western Union's exchange rate: AUD$1 = PHP39.6008
This is a margin of 0.23%.
Ria
Ria also adds a margin to the exchange rate, ranging between 0.3% and 4%. The same example of sending money to Singapore looks like this:
- Mid-market rate: AUD$1 = PHP38.18
- Ria's exchange rate: AUD$1 = PHP39.11
This is a margin of 0.39%.
Winner: Tie
It depends on which currency you are sending as to what exchange rate markup you can expect. In our example above, both providers are pretty evenly matched.
Which is faster?
Western Union
Western Union's delivery speeds vary, depending on your transfer options. At an agent location or by phone, your transfer could be delivered in minutes (at higher costs). Your cheapest options could take five days or longer, depending on the country.
Ria
Ria's transfer speeds also depend on how you want to send the money. When you use your credit or debit card, or pay by PayID, your money should arrive within 15 minutes. Cheaper transfers from your bank account can take up to four days.
Winner: Ria
Both Ria and Western Union offer a fast transfer option as well as a slower, cheaper option. Western Union generally processes domestic transactions within a day, while international transfers can take several days.
Ria on the other hand will take between 15 minutes and 4 hours.
General features
| Payment methods | Receiving options | Minimum and maximum transfers | Transfer speeds | Currencies | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Union |
|
| Minimum: $1 Maximum: $50,000 | Within minutes | 130+ currencies |
| Ria |
|
| Minimum: $1 Maximum: $20,000 | Within minutes | 95 currencies |
Western Union
To transfer money online with Western Union, visit its site, enter the amount you're transferring and to where, and then confirm how much you need to pay for the exchange. Once complete, Western Union converts and delivers your money to a bank account, mobile wallet or for cash pickup at locations worldwide.
Ria
To transfer money online with Ria, go to its site, enter the amount you'd like to transfer and to which country, and choose your payment and payout methods. On the same page, you'll see the exchange rate and transfer fee for your particular exchange.
Is Ria better than Western Union?
Western Union and Ria are pretty evenly matched, and it will depend how much money you are sending and where as to which ones is the best option.
In this case, make sure you use both Western Union and Ria calculators before going ahead with a transfer.
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We currently don't have that product, but here are others to consider:
How we picked theseFinder Score for money transfer
We review money transfer providers for different features to assign them a score out of 10. The higher the score, the more competitive the product.
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