Playing across Canadian casinos, Canadian players get to choose from many payment methods, but when playing across international sites, Western Union is the perfect solution for the most seamless transactions. This is a money transfer service that is accepted globally, and offered to users across virtually all countries and territories, Canada included. So, in the lack of other more convenient options, like eWallets or credit/debit cards, as a Canadian player, you might want to go with this solution, as it would be the perfect backup method since it is offered across most, if not all, international online casinos. What is Western Union and why choose it as your online casino payment method?
About Western Union
Looking for money transfer services to use, you’ll find many options, but rarely one as popular and worldwide-used as Western Union. This is a solution that has gone global and has a massive user base, precisely because it offers some of the most cost-efficient and fastest transactions. Thanks to its flawless reputation and the service it has been providing for years, it has gained users’ trust, and that’s why it is used by millions each year.
Its story begins years back, in 1851, when two competitors, the New York & Western Union Telegraph and the Western Union Telegraph, decided it was time to merge to become more powerful than ever and provide the very best money transfer service, one of the oldest people know of. Being rivals for four years, the two companies made the move and launched a joint company in 1855, known as we know it today, Western Union.
Making huge profits, the financial institution was thriving by 1871. It had managed to even become independent of the banking system and increase its money transfer network, simultaneously keeping the telegraph service alive. And even though by 1943, there were over 500 rivalling companies available on the market, it still stayed on top and managed to expand all over the globe. Today, it has over 550,000 branch offices all across the world, literally, in 200 countries and territories. As the interest in telegrams slowly faded away and was being replaced by the interest in emails, letters and SMS texts, the company send the last telegram ever in 2006 and shut down this now-outdated service.
With that, the company stayed focused on the money transfer service only, processing close to $80 billion across over 230 million consumers and 430 million businesses’ payments in 2013. In 2018, that number grew to $300 billion, making the WU service one of the most well-reputed, biggest and oldest money transfer services in the world.
It goes without saying that it was fairly easy for the solution to become a hit across the online gambling industry, too. Processing transactions in all the most used currencies in the world, it became the perfect solution for players to use, especially those who don’t wish to share banking details with operators. It is today accepted across most, if not all, international online casinos, precisely for that fact. And since it is available in Canada, you are free to use it whenever you want to. So, stay with us to learn how to get started with it and use it as your online casino payment method.
Getting Started with the Solution
Being such a legendary money transfer service, Western Union continues making changes and improvements in order to cater to users in the best way possible. Knowing that it should come as no surprise to learn that the solution has also gone online. While previously, you could only send money by visiting one of its land-based branches, today, you have many other options, more convenient and more modern options to explore.
The online option, of course, would come in handy the most, especially for you as an online casino player. You’d need to visit its official website to initiate a transaction. You’d need to press the Send Money field, select the country where you’ll be sending the money and specify how much needs to be sent. After you press the Send Now button, you’d need to choose how you’d like to pay for the transfer, via a bank transfer, cash in-store or credit/debit card. These come with their own fees, to be discussed later. Next, select how the receiver wants to pick up the money, via a mobile wallet, cash pickup or bank account, depending on the receiving country. Finally, you’d need to provide the required personal and payment details and the transfer will be completed.
You should know that there’s also a WU app you could download to make a transfer. You’d need to download it through the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, depending on whether you’re using an Android or iOS-powered device, and go through a similar procedure as described just now to initiate the transfer. The app is super intuitive, it suits the fast-paced, modern lifestyle we’re all leading today, and you can track your transactions on it, review your transaction history, and check status updates, all as long as your mobile device is connected to the internet.
Finally, you have the old-fashioned ways to make a transfer, too, via phone and in-person, physically. You’d need to dial the toll-free number 1-800-CALL-CASH to request a transfer via phone or go to the official website to find the nearest branch to your home which you can visit to complete the transfer. You’d need to go to the Locator Tool, enter your city, zip code and country of residence, and the solution will generate the nearest branch locations for you to explore. Go to the one that’s closest to your home, take your cash and give it to the desk clerk, and share the necessary info, both yours and the receiver’s. The money transfer service will make sure the money arrives swiftly and safely.
Depositing and Withdrawing
The process of getting started with it is basically all you need to know to make a deposit with WU across online casinos, but we’ll go over the steps in casino terms for you. First things first, you’d need to choose a proper casino to join. Since the solution is accepted virtually across any casino, it won’t be difficult for you to find one legit to join. Once you find the right one for you, register your account with it and you’ll be ready to proceed.
To make a deposit with Western Union, you’d need to do the following:
- Head over to the casino’s Banking/Deposit/Cashier page.
- Look for Western Union’s logo on the list of accepted methods and press it.
- Specify how much you’d like to deposit.
- Consult with the casino’s Customer Support agents regarding how they’d like to receive the transfer.
- Choose the way you’d like to send the transfer, as explained before, and go through the procedure.
- After you’ve paid for the transfer, you’ll get an MTCN tracking code, which you’d need to share with the casino’s Customer Support agent or enter in a designated MTCN field.
- The money will arrive in no time.
Withdrawals are done pretty much the same way. The procedure is done the other way around, meaning you’re the receiver now and the operator is the sender, so you’d need to enter the respective details. You should know, though, that this solution is rarely accepted for withdrawals, mainly due to legal regulations impeding operators to be able to send winnings to players.
Therefore, before you join the casino, make sure you contact the Support agents to find out more about whether WU is an option for withdrawals or not. If not, you’d need to look for an alternative, an eWallet maybe, or a cryptocurrency.
Applicable Fees
Fees apply when using this solution, as mentioned earlier. These would depend on the receiving and sending country and the receiving and sending methods used in the process.
For instance, as a Canadian player wanting to send CA$50 to a casino based in the Philippines via in-store, you’d need to pay a CA$5 fee. Via bank account or credit/debit card, no fees would apply, but the waiting times would be longer, up to 10 business days.
Different fees would apply for the receiver, hence the casino, too. The casino will get PHP1,983.5 via bank account, PHP1,999.32 via cash pickup and PHP1,986.18 via mobile wallet.
Accepted Currencies
You can rest assured that Canadian dollars are your option when transacting with Western Union, and you’d need to pay no currency conversion fees for using your native currency.
Over 20 other mainstream currencies are accepted, too, including Brazilian real, US dollars, Mexican pesos, Indian rupees, UK pounds and Russian rubles, to give you an example.
Coverage
As said, this money transfer service is available all across the globe. Virtually all countries in the world accept it, so as a Canadian player, you can rest assured that you’ll be able to use its services.
At least one or two branches exist in every major city across the globe, in countries like Germany, Denmark, the US, China, the UK and Greece, to name a few. Therefore, regardless of a player’s country of origin, WU would be an option for all online casino players. That’s why it is so popular across international online casinos.
Customer Support
Considering how powerful the solution has gotten throughout the years, it is no wonder it offers some of the most professional and prompt Customer Support services out there. You’ll be able to explore a Help page in the search for answers, which is incredibly informative and helpful.
But, you can also try the overseas phone line +32-(0)2 639 7103 to get in touch with the agents. A dedicated team is available in each country the solution operates, so as a Canadian user, you can use the number 1-800-235-0000 to call an agent. There’s also a Chat With Us option on the Contact Us page, as well as the Toronto street address of the Canadian branch, so you can contact the team by mail, too. In case you’ve been a victim of fraud, do not hesitate to call the direct line 1-800-448-1492 and get the assistance you need.
Finally, in case you’re having trouble with your deposits or withdrawals, don’t forget to contact your online casino’s Support agents first. They are highly trained and educated on helping you with problems like that.
Conclusion
Western Union is certainly a method to consider using across online casinos as a Canadian player. You get to receive Customer Support based in Canada, via a local phone line, and at a local Toronto address. You get to play using Canadian dollars, free of conversion fees, and you get to explore so many Canadian casinos to find the one that suits you most, since most, if not all, accept the solution. Finally, you can choose from many different ways to actually send the transfer or receive it, so we can safely say that you can craft your own online banking experience with it. Without a doubt, it is a solution worth trying.
