Calculate recipient amounts, total costs, and exchange rate margins.
The amount you wish to convert.
Upfront fee charged by Western Union.
1 Unit of Source Currency = X Target Currency.
Real Google/Xe rate for comparison.
Recipient Receives:–
Total Cost to You (Send + Fee):–
Hidden Exchange Rate Markup:–
True Cost of Transfer:–
Understanding Western Union Transfer Costs
Sending money internationally via Western Union involves two primary costs: the upfront transfer fee and the exchange rate margin. Many users focus solely on the transfer fee, failing to realize that a significant portion of the cost is hidden within the exchange rate offered compared to the real mid-market rate.
How This Calculator Works
This tool helps you break down the financial specifics of your remittance:
Recipient Receives: Calculated by multiplying your Amount to Send by the Western Union Exchange Rate. This is the final local currency amount your beneficiary collects.
Total Cost to You: This combines the amount you are sending plus the Western Union service fee.
Exchange Rate Markup: If you input the mid-market rate (the real rate found on financial news sites), this calculator determines the percentage difference Western Union is charging you above the market value.
Example Calculation
Imagine you want to send $500 USD to Mexico.
Transfer Fee: Western Union charges $5.00 for an online bank transfer.
WU Rate: They offer a rate of 1 USD = 17.50 MXN.
Mid-Market Rate: The real rate is 1 USD = 18.00 MXN.
In this scenario:
Your recipient gets: $500 × 17.50 = 8,750 MXN.
You pay: $500 + $5.00 = $505.00 USD.
You lose 0.50 MXN per dollar in the exchange rate spread, which is a hidden cost often exceeding the upfront fee.
Tips for Lowering Transfer Rates
Transfer fees and rates with Western Union vary significantly based on the funding source (Credit Card vs. Bank Account) and the payout method (Cash Pickup vs. Bank Deposit). Generally, funding with a bank account takes longer but incurs lower fees than using a debit or credit card. Cash pickup is usually instant but may have slightly less favorable exchange rates compared to direct-to-bank transfers.
function calculateWUTransfer() {
// 1. Get DOM elements
var sendAmountInput = document.getElementById('wuSendAmount');
var transferFeeInput = document.getElementById('wuTransferFee');
var exchangeRateInput = document.getElementById('wuExchangeRate');
var midMarketRateInput = document.getElementById('wuMidMarketRate');
var resultBox = document.getElementById('wuResultBox');
var resRecipientAmount = document.getElementById('resRecipientAmount');
var resTotalCost = document.getElementById('resTotalCost');
var resMarkup = document.getElementById('resMarkup');
var resTrueCost = document.getElementById('resTrueCost');
// 2. Parse values
var amount = parseFloat(sendAmountInput.value);
var fee = parseFloat(transferFeeInput.value);
var wuRate = parseFloat(exchangeRateInput.value);
var midRate = parseFloat(midMarketRateInput.value);
// 3. Validation
if (isNaN(amount) || amount <= 0) {
alert("Please enter a valid amount to send.");
return;
}
if (isNaN(wuRate) || wuRate 0) {
// Calculate how much recipient SHOULD have got at mid-market
var fairValue = amount * midRate;
// The difference is the hidden cost
var hiddenCost = fairValue – recipientGets;
// Calculate markup percentage: ((MidRate – WURate) / MidRate) * 100
var markupPercent = ((midRate – wuRate) / midRate) * 100;
// Total monetary loss (Fee + Hidden Exchange Loss) converted to source currency
// To get source currency loss from rate: hiddenCost / midRate
var exchangeLossInSource = hiddenCost / midRate;
var totalRealCost = fee + exchangeLossInSource;
markupText = markupPercent.toFixed(2) + "%";
trueCostVal = totalRealCost.toFixed(2) + " (Fee + Rate Loss)";
} else {
trueCostVal = fee.toFixed(2) + " (Fee only)";
}
// 6. Display Results
resRecipientAmount.innerHTML = recipientGets.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
resTotalCost.innerHTML = totalYouPay.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
resMarkup.innerHTML = markupText;
resTrueCost.innerHTML = trueCostVal;
// Show the box
resultBox.style.display = 'block';
}