When it comes to sending money from place to place, Western Union is the most well-known money-transfer company around. While Western Union is the forerunner in this service industry there are alternatives. Western Union’s main competition is from MoneyGram. It’s possible that you may have seen the MoneyGram logo at your local mega-mart or in a gas station but chances are you have never used their services.
MoneyGram, like Western Union, offers a variety of services including international and domestic money transfers. All it takes is a few minutes to fill out the form and your money can be sent to someone waiting on the other side of the world. Perhaps a family member went on vacation and lost their travelers checks or wallet. You can send them money to help them cover the cost of their trip until they can get replacement checks or credit cards. For step by step instructions for sending and receiving money using MoneyGram visit their website at www.moneygram.com. You will also be able to find agent locations.
Another service offered by MoneyGram is allowing customers to use their money transfer system to pay utility bills. Many utility companies offer this service as an alternative method for making your monthly payments by credit card or check. In addition MoneyGram also has the Express Payment option as well. This will allow you to pay many other bills. A lot of collection companies, mortgage companies and various other creditors accept this form of payment. In addition there are some prepaid credit cards that allow you to use MoneyGram to add additional funds to your card. These services generally cost about $5 per transaction.
MoneyGram is also a well-known vendor for money orders. Money orders offer a convenient alternative to sending cash or checks. I use MoneyGram money orders to pay several of my bills each month. I like the fact that they have a stub that I can keep, that they are traceable, and that the money can be refunded to me for a small fee.
The final product offered by MoneyGram is the pre-paid MasterCard. Similar to Western Union’s prepaid Visa card this debit card can be used at any retail location accepting the MasterCard logo. After applying for this card you should receive it in about a week. This card is cheaper to reload than its Western Union counterpart at only 2.95 per load. You can also use this card to remove money from an ATM if you prefer to use cash. Like any pre-paid card the money must actually be available for you to take advantage of it.
The next time you need to transfer money, purchase a money order or pay one of your bills check with MoneyGram to see if they might be able to assist you with your transactions.
Sources:
www.moneygram.com
Personal experience using MoneyGram bill payments and money orders.
