Yemen Relief Aid via Western Union

August 2, 2020 1:21 AM

I would like to donate funds to relief initiatives focused on the Yemen crises. Some of the organizations I've been looking at need money transfers through Western Union. I have never done a money transfer through a bank before. What should I keep in mind as I embark on this, and do you have recommendations for other Yemeni-focused humanitarian initiatives I could donate to? I am in California.
posted by Kitchen Witch to Work & Money (2 answers total)

If you have confirmed that the organisation is definitely legit and Western Union the only way to go, try to use the WU app for the donations as it's a much smaller charge than at the counter. Also one large donation via WU is generally cheaper than several small donations because of service charges. Also confirm explicitly who in the organisation receives the WU code for pick-up if it's not straight to the bank account that's been confirmed by the organisation.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 3:01 AM on August 2, 2020

If the destination organization has a bank account you could use a service that gives you access to very cheap transfers like xe.com. If not, bigger transfers are generally cheaper but sometimes Western Union has a "sale" where some amount like $50 is cheaper than larger amounts. They'll take a credit card, but at much higher fees and your bank will charge you a cash advance fee plus immediately charge interest, no 30-day grace period.
posted by wnissen at 7:47 PM on August 2, 2020