Western Union via Maybank: Charges Revealed

With the Western Union collaboration, Maybank customers can send money to friends and family living overseas using Western Union’s network of agent locations. You’ll be able to arrange a payment online or using mobile banking, and have your recipient collect it from an agent near them in cash.¹

This guide will cover how to use Western Union via Maybank, the fees and charges you need to know about, as well as the Western Union rate used for currency conversion. To help you evaluate the service, we’ll also look at an alternative for comparison - smart and secure international transfers from Wise - which use the mid-market exchange rate with low transparent fees.

Send money abroad up to 4x cheaper than banks🚀

Western Union via Maybank: Exchange rate explained

Western Union’s international transfer fee can be as low as 5 MYR. But that’s not the whole cost.

It’s important to understand that Western Union also charges additional fees within the exchange rates offered to customers. This is not uncommon - but it can make it tricky to work out exactly what your international transfer is costing you.

To see this markup in action, you need to compare Western Union’s exchange rate with the mid-market exchange rate. Get this on Google or by using an online currency converter. The difference between the mid-market rate and the one Western Union offers customers is the markup - effectively an extra fee.

Here’s what is said about this markup, in the Maybank Western Union terms and conditions:²

“Any difference between the currency exchange rate offered to customers and the currency exchange rate received by Western Union will be kept by Western Union (and, in some instances, Service Providers/Agents) and us in addition to Service Fees.”

On the main Western Union website, the advice is clear - customers must consider both the upfront fee and the exchange rates used when choosing a provider for their international transfer: ³

“Western Union also makes money from currency exchange. When choosing a money transmitter, carefully compare both transfer fees and exchange rates.”

A transparent alternative : Wise

As we have seen, doing your homework around the exchange rates and fees available for international payments can pay off.

If you want the convenience of sending a payment online, which will be received directly into your recipient’s bank account, try Wise.

You can send money from Malaysia to 70+ countries around the world using the mid-market rate, for just a low, transparent fee. You can also send to both bank accounts and mobile wallets in Indonesia and the Philippines.

Let’s take a look at an example: Sending MYR1,000 (including transfer fees) to a bank account in Indonesia.

Provider	Transfer fee	Exchange rate	Recipient gets
Wise ⁴	9.95 MYR (transparent fee)	Mid-market rate	3,411,584 IDR Send money

(Exchange rates and fees correct at time of research - May 8, 2020)

There are no exchange rate markups or sneaky hidden fees to worry about, which means your recipient can get more in the end.

Compare exchange rates by Wise and banks🔍

Western Union via Maybank: Charges

Here are the transfer fees you’ll need to pay when using Maybank Western Union⁵. Don’t forget that there is also the cost of the exchange rate markup, in addition to these charges.

Sending to Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, India, the Philippines, Pakistan or Nepal:

Sending to Cambodia or Thailand:

Sending to Myanmar:

Sending to China:

Sending to Sri Lanka:

Sending anywhere else in the world:

How to use Western Union via Maybank online (Maybank2u & M2U)

Here’s how to use Maybank 2u Western Union and Western Union Maybank online using your normal banking site or app.⁶

1. Open up online banking, or the Maybank app, and select Pay & Transfer
2. Click on Transfer and confirm you want to make an overseas payment
3. Select the country you’re sending to
4. Add the amount you want to pay, and the currency
5. Select Western Union as the method of transfer and complete the details required
6. Get your TAC number to confirm the transfer, and you’re all done

When your transfer is arranged you’ll get a money transfer confirmation number - MTCN. Your recipient will need to provide this, government issued ID, and details of the payment being made, to get their money.

Depending on the country you’re sending to, you may also need to agree a password or provide further details to help your recipient get their payment - check out the details for your destination country, online.

Contact Maybank and Western Union

If you need to contact Maybank you can complete the online form on their website to get a call back, or call on 1-300 88 6688 from within Malaysia or +603-7844 3696 from overseas. You can also email on mgcc@maybank.com.my.⁷

If you need to talk to someone at Western Union you can call on 1-800-81-3399, or email on Malaysia.customer@westernunion.com.⁸

Sending an international payment shouldn’t be difficult, but finding the best deal for your needs might take a little research. Check out the fees and exchange rates on offer from Western Union Maybank, and compare them against alternative providers like Wise to find the provider which works best for you.