【Updated 2021.11】There are now new requirements for this promotion. See: Western Union money transfer platform review [Open an account and get a $20 Amazon gift card, with a possible no-cost method]
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Promotion Overview
New Western Union users can receive a $20 Amazon gift card after using the money transfer feature for the first time and sending $50 or more. The basic idea is simple: sign up for a Western Union account through the link below, and send $50 to each other (+ $4.99/$5 fee). Each of you can then receive a $20 Amazon gift card. You no longer need to get a promo code. Just register through the link below and send the money.
Steps (updated on 10/2)
- Click here to register for a Western Union account
- After filling out and submitting your information, you will receive an email. Enter the 4-digit code to complete registration.
- After registration is complete, click Send Money Now.
Enter the $50 transfer amount, then choose bank account pickup/deposit as the receiving method (you will need the recipient's checking account number and routing number), or choose cash pickup (the recipient will need to go to a local Western Union location to collect the money). Be sure to choose bank account as the payment method ($5 fee), because paying with a credit card may trigger an additional cash advance fee ($5 + about $10), which is not worth it at all.
- The next step is to fill in the recipient's information. If you want cash pickup locally, enter details such as name and address. If you want to send directly to a bank account, just enter the account number and routing number instead (recommended).
- Bank transfers usually arrive in about 2 business days, and in around two weeks you should receive an email like the one below with your $20 Amazon gift card.
Possible Ways to Save Even More
Use a rewards debit card for the transfer (thanks to Macromol for the idea)
If you use a cashback debit card such as the PayPal Business Debit Card, SunTrust, or Discover Debit card to fund the payment, you may be able to earn 1% back or some miles. For PayPal debit, I have tried it for online shopping and did receive 1% cashback, although I am not sure how the transaction was coded. My guess is that the chance of getting 1% back through Western Union is about 50%, but since it is a debit card, there is no cash advance risk, so it may be worth trying. With cards like SunTrust, earning miles should work. Discover debit seems to give $0.1 per transaction, and recently there has been a double promotion, so using it once may earn $0.2.
Send money to another country (thanks to daxihe for the idea)
Reader daxihe mentioned that fees for sending money to other countries may be lower than sending within the U.S. For example, sending to a bank account in China and having the recipient receive the equivalent amount in RMB only requires a $2.99 fee, and sending to India may even have no fee. If you are interested in this option, you could also send money to your own or a family member's bank account in China, which could save about $2 on paper. Of course, I do not know exactly how much the recipient will end up receiving, since the site shows only an estimate exchange rate.
Things to Note
- Do not choose a credit card as the payment method, or you may be charged a cash advance fee.
- Choosing the recipient's bank account is the fastest payout method. If you are trying to do this promotion by yourself, you can list yourself as the recipient and pick up the money at a local Western Union location.
- The bank payment method has a $5 fee, and you get back a $20 Amazon gift card, which is still a decent deal.
- The promotion end date is unclear; refer to the date stated in the email you receive.
- If you register directly on the official Western Union website instead of using the link above, you may not receive the $20 reward. Please follow the steps above.
- If you want to register multiple accounts on one computer, use incognito mode. Even better, switch proxies and use a different IP.
- It is still unclear whether entering a different promo code in the promo code field will affect eligibility for the $20 reward. If you have tried it, feel free to report back.