Question about Western Union

[ESMonitor]

Has anyone ever used Western Union to pay off a loan balance?

If so, how did it go? Any other advice (do's and don'ts) using Western Union are appreciated. How much risk is involved?

If you used Western Union to wire money to pay off a loan did you get some kind of transaction receipt? Was there a service fee involved? If so how much was the fee?

I haven't made up my mind whether I will use Western Union or not, but it's under consideration.

[Nutria]

Could you tell us why you want to use WU instead of a standard method like writing a check or using your bank's Bill Pay feature?

[ESMonitor]

I want to use my rewards card to get the reward $. The only way I can do that is to use Western Union, that's what rep told me.

[disneysteve]

I want to use my rewards card to get the reward $. The only way I can do that is to use Western Union, that's what rep told me.

You have to see if the transaction fee outweighs the rewards you'll earn. Go to westernunion.com and you can run the numbers. The fee varies based on the type of payment. It looks like it might be about 5%.

[Nutria]

You have to see if the transaction fee outweighs the rewards you'll earn. Go to westernunion.com and you can run the numbers. The fee varies based on the type of payment. It looks like it might be about 5%.

This is confusing. What rewards card for paying off a loan balance?

[disneysteve]

This is confusing. What rewards card for paying off a loan balance?

A bank or mortgage company won't let you pay your bill with a credit card. You can use Western Union to pay with a credit card. The problem is the transaction fee likely wipes out the value of the rewards earned. Otherwise we'd all be doing it.

[Nutria]

A bank or mortgage company won't let you pay your bill with a credit card. You can use Western Union to pay with a credit card. The problem is the transaction fee likely wipes out the value of the rewards earned. Otherwise we'd all be doing it.

Ah, ok. WU "always" has been known for being expensive.

[ESMonitor]

Thanks Steve, good point. Western Union is a no. I think the security concerns alone are enough not to go that route. I found a loophole that might work. Insurance company will refinance the amount. Don't know yet the details, I went by their office today after work to see if it was feasible or not for both me and them, but they had just closed. I'm waiting to hear back from them, hopefully tmrw. I do know agent's assistant said I can pay them with my rewards card so it's basically $300 of rewards money in limbo right now. I could use that to offset most of the price for the car tag I had to purchase last week. I also invested in some rubber liner mats for the car which was around $140. Happy with the car; I bought a new camry.

[snafu]

Curiosity leads me to ask what factors caused you to decide on the specific vehicle you purchased. How did you select the specific dealership used? Did you select the vehicle or if you were to be honest... were you sold your new Camry?

[ESMonitor]

If I'm not mistaken camry is #1 selling car in USA. I got an LE. Check out some of the You Tube reviews. I wanted something reliable and affordable, good gas mileage 25 city/35 hwy avg 28 mpg. New car smell is a plus. I'll own it for years. Thought I was going to be getting an accord but camry was better for me. I still have my truck a Chevy Silverado 4x4. I picked out the one I wanted. After a test drive, I did some haggling. We reached a deal, and I bought the car.