Walgreens is a pharmacy that provides several other services for its customers.
You can fill your prescriptions at Walgreens, buy a few groceries, and even get your photos printed at the store.
One service that you may wonder if Walgreens provides is the sale of money orders.
Since Walgreens has a partnership with Western Union, you may think that the store is capable of handling money orders.
Here’s what you need to know about Walgreens and money orders.
Does Walgreens Do Money Orders?
No, Walgreens does not handle money orders.
You can’t purchase them or cash them at Walgreens.
Instead, Walgreens uses wire transfers through Western Union.
Money transfers are similar to money orders, but there are a few differences.
If you find yourself needing a money order, then you shouldn’t go to Walgreens.
However, if you just need to send money to someone, they can still take care of you via money transfers through Western Union.
What Is A Money Transfer?
Money transfers are also called wire transfers.
They’re an electronic transfer of funds between two sources.
Usually, a bank and a transfer service administrate the money transfer.
For a money transfer to be successful, there needs to be a sending transfer service and a receiving transfer service.
These services often perform both actions, but that isn’t always the case.
A sending transfer service is where an individual deposits the amount of money they want to transfer.
In most cases, the individual also has to pay some form of a service fee.
They need information for the money to arrive at the right person safely.
That information includes things like the recipient’s name and a 10-digit tracking code.
The receiving transfer service is where the recipient can cash the wire transfer.
As long as they have the information that the sender gave to them, they can cash their money and take it with them.
In most cases, the act of a money transfer doesn’t handle physical cash.
It’s all done electronically which means funds leave one bank and enter another.
What Types Of Money Transfers Are There?
If you’re looking to transfer money to someone, then you should know that there are two types of money transfers.
Here are two different types of money transfers.
1. Domestic Money Transfers
The first is domestic money transfers.
This type of transfer occurs between two banks or financial institutions that are in the same country.
They can be on opposite sides of the country, but they have to be within the same country.
In addition, it doesn’t matter if the transfer is occurring between two of the same banks or two different banks.
In most cases, these transactions occur on the same day.
As long as the sender and recipient can get their information to each other during normal banking hours, the transfer can occur on the same day.
Some financial institutions are also open 24 hours.
This further allows the transfer to occur on the same day.
The reason that domestic money transfers are fast is that they only have to pass through the Automated Clearing House to clear.
Keep in mind that some institutions may require the sender to have the recipient’s bank branch information for sending money.
2. International Money Transfers
An international money transfer occurs when someone is sending money to a bank or financial institution in a different country.
For this transfer to be successful, the individual usually needs to have a routing or SWIFT code.
Some might confuse an international transfer for a domestic transfer if they’re sending funds to the same bank but in a different country.
It doesn’t matter if the bank is the same.
If the two banks are in different countries, then it’s an international money transfer.
It usually takes two business days for international money transfers to clear.
That’s because it takes two checks through the ACH system.
The first occurs in the country of the sender and the second occurs in the country of the recipient.
Once it clears both those checks, the recipient can access their money in their bank.
Are There Risks Using Money Transfers With Walgreens?
If you’ve never used a money transfer service before, then you may wonder if it’s safe to use them at Walgreens.
In most cases, money transfers are completely safe provided you know the person or institution you’re sending money to.
If you’re sending money to an anonymous individual, then there’s some inherent risk involved.
That said, there are certain cases when your money transfer might receive a flag.
In the United States, money transfers fall under the jurisdiction of the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
This is an agency that exists under the U.S. Treasury.
The agency usually checks to ensure that the money isn’t going to terrorist organizations or to countries that have sanctions placed against them.
They also check to ensure that the sender isn’t attempting to launder the money.
That said, there are a few other instances that might flag a money transfer.
These include:
- Transfers to safe-haven countries.
- Transfers to non-account holders.
- Regular transfers without reason.
- Incoming and outgoing transfers with the same dollar amount.
- Large amounts of transfers from cash businesses.
There’s also the risk of the recipient being unable to receive their money because they lost the information that you provided for them.
You can typically fix this by submitting the information to them again.
Another problem is if the recipient doesn’t have an ID.
In most cases, the bank or institution will request an ID to prove that the recipient is who they are.
If the recipient doesn’t have an ID, then they can’t prove their identity.
As a result, they’re unable to cash their transfer.
To limit the risk of using money transfers, you should make sure that you provide the recipient with all the information they need.
You should also try to keep the amount that you want to send low.
Finally, you should hold onto your receipt in case you need a refund.
How To Send A Money Transfer With Walgreens
Although you can’t use Walgreens to purchase a money order, you can use them to do a money transfer.
Here are the steps to send a money transfer with Walgreens.
1. Check To See If Your Walgreens Has A Western Union
Not all Walgreens have a Western Union section in their store.
You won’t be able to send a money transfer at Walgreens unless there’s a Western Union section.
You can check to see if your local Walgreens has a Western Union section by using the Walgreens/Western Union locator.
If your Walgreens doesn’t have the service, then you’ll need to find the next closest one that does.
You can also see if there’s a Western Union close to you instead.
Since you’re using Western Union to send a money transfer, it doesn’t matter if it’s in Walgreens or not.
2. Find The Kiosk Or Use The App
Western Union makes preparing to send a money transfer easy through its app.
You can fill out your information and prepare the payment ahead of time.
If you don’t have the app or don’t want to use it, then you can still prepare everything at Walgreens.
Go to your local Walgreens and find the Western Union kiosk.
If you used the app to prepare part of your Western Union transfer, then you can sync the app with the Western Union kiosk in Walgreens.
3. Gather Payment
The next big step is to prepare your payment.
You’ll need the payment that you intend to send to the recipient as well as enough money to cover the fee.
The problem with Western Union’s service fees is that they change every day.
They also change based on the country that you’re sending the transfer to.
Because of that, it’s impossible to determine how much the fee is going to be until you’re ready to make your payment.
At the very least, you should expect to pay $1 for a money transfer to somewhere within the same country as you.
Western Union allows you to make your payment with cash, debit card, or credit card.
Their service fees tend to be higher on debit and credit cards.
This fee, in particular, depends on your own bank’s fees for money transfers.
If you know that you’re going to be sending a lot of money transfers in the future, then you might want to switch to a bank that has low fees on money transfers.
4. Input Required Information
You’ll need some information in order to send your money transfer to the right person.
First, it will ask for your own information.
You’ll need to enter the following information into the kiosk:
- Your name
- Your address
- Your phone number
- Your ID
- A secret question (optional)
In some cases, you may have a prompt to include a secret question and answer.
A secret question may be the name of your first dog or the color of your eyes.
The recipient needs to correctly answer that secret question to receive the money.
Once you input all of your information, you will then be asked to put in the information for the recipient.
The information you’ll need from the recipient includes:
- Their name
- Their address
- Their phone number
- Their ID
- The answer to the secret question (optional)
- Their branch (optional)
Sometimes they’ll also ask you for the bank branch where the recipient is going to pick up the money.
This further ensures that the money transfer goes to the right place.
Make sure to include the correct answer to your secret question if you chose to include one.
5. Review
Before the kiosk processes your order, it gives you a pre-receipt.
This allows you to check over the information that you put in.
Make sure to take your time with this step to ensure everything is correct.
If it isn’t, then you and the recipient are going to have a difficult time transferring money.
Once everything checks out, you can submit the order.
6. Pay And Tracking Number
At this point, you’ll be able to actually pay for the money transfer.
It will show you the total amount including the service fees.
You can pay with cash, a debit card, or a credit card.
Once it receives payment, the transfer is on its way.
You’ll have a receipt printed for you.
On the receipt is a 10-digit tracking code.
The recipient will need this code to prove that the transfer is for them.
7. Send Information To The Recipient
Once you have everything, you’ll need to let the recipient know.
They can’t access those funds unless they have the right information.
They’ll need their name, address, phone number, and ID to pick up the funds.
The main information that you’ll need to give them is the 10-digit tracking code and the answer to the secret question if you used one.
With this information, the recipient can easily fill out the required information and receive their money.
What Time Can You Do A Money Transfer At Walgreens?
You’re able to do money transfers at Walgreens for as long as the store is open.
That’s because Western Union is open 24/7.
Walgreens, however, isn’t always open for 24 hours.
Because of that, you’re only able to do your money transfers when the store is open.
If Walgreens has its kiosk outside or in an area people can access even if the store isn’t open, then you can still do your money transfers outside of its operating hours.
If you’re running low on time, then it’s worth checking to see if your Walgreens is open.
If it isn’t, then you could be wasting more time by driving there.
Does Walgreens Cash Money Transfers?
If you received a money transfer, then you may wonder if you can cash it at Walgreens.
Walgreens does allow you to cash up to $300 at its stores.
However, if the transfer exceeds that amount, then you’ll need to take it to another bank or institution that handles money transfers.
Because of that, Walgreens is ideal for cashing small money transfers.
If it’s more than $300, however, you’ll want to take your slip to another location.
What Are The Advantages Of Using Money Transfers At Walgreens?
If you know that you’re going to be using money transfers frequently, then you may be looking for the best place to conduct your money transfers.
Here are some advantages of doing money transfers at Walgreens.
1. Safe And Secure
One of the advantages of money transfers, in general, is that they’re a safe way to send money to another person.
Because the recipient has to prove their identity, there’s never a risk that someone else will take the money from them.
Walgreens also makes sending money transfers safe by keeping their kiosks in private areas.
You’re able to set up your money transfer without worrying about people looking over your shoulder.
2. Convenient
Another reason that Walgreens is ideal for money transfers is that they’re convenient.
Walgreens stores are almost everywhere.
They tend to be more common than Western Union locations.
Even if you don’t have a Western Union bank near you, there’s a chance that you have a Walgreens near you.
As such, you can use the store to take care of your money transfers.
3. Run Errands
A final reason Walgreens is a great choice to handle your money transfers is that it allows you to run errands, too.
If you’re waiting to hear back from your recipient on whether they got the money or not, you can take care of your errands at Walgreens.
You can do some shopping, get your medications, or even take part in some of the health services that they provide.
Walgreens helps you remain productive while you’re waiting on confirmation from your recipient.
What Are The Disadvantages Of Using Money Transfers At Walgreens?
Although Walgreens has some benefits of using money transfers at their stores, there are some disadvantages to consider, too.
Here are some disadvantages of using money transfers at Walgreens.
1. Low Cash Transfers
If you want to cash your money transfer at Walgreens, then you can only cash $300.
This might not be ideal for people who are receiving more than that.
They’ll have to take their information elsewhere to get it cashed.
That can be a waste of time.
It may be better to simply do a money transfer in an institution that supports cashing out more than $300 in the first place.
2. Subject To Walgreens Hours
If your Walgreens isn’t open 24 hours, then you may not be able to access the kiosk whenever you like.
This could become a problem if you and the recipient live in different countries with vastly different time zones.
The store may not be open when you need it.
3. No Professional Help
If you’re facing problems, then you may not be able to rely on Walgreens’ staff.
While they likely have some training with it, they’re not experts.
It may be better to use an actual Western Union or to use a Western Union kiosk in a financial institution.
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