Western Union Paying out Far more than Blue Rate
#1
Original Poster
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Western Union Paying out Far more than Blue Rate
Just a reminder to always check what the Western Union rate is. Today I sent down funds to myself and I got a whopping 793 pesos to $1 US while the Blue rate is only 730 pesos to $1US. In previous times it usually signaled the dollar is going to get much stronger but if you have to exchange you should keep this in mind.
#2
Moderator, Argentina and FlyerTalk Evangelist
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This can happen when one of the synthetic exchange rates traded on the formal financial markets has a spike and local peso liquidity is temporarily tight(er) for some reason ... if you get your timing right, the spread can be interesting - as was in your case. But keep in mind that this fluctuates quite a bit, sometimes during the same trading day.
#3
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Just a reminder to always check what the Western Union rate is. Today I sent down funds to myself and I got a whopping 793 pesos to $1 US while the Blue rate is only 730 pesos to $1US. In previous times it usually signaled the dollar is going to get much stronger but if you have to exchange you should keep this in mind.
#4
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: South Florida
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In my experience, the WU rate is usually higher after the blue rate cool down (after the first peak), and keep in mind you can always lock your WU rate for 12hs on the app or their website, that way let's says you do it in the morning and you see that day if the blue rate goes up or down, then confirm it before blue market closes. You can always collect the money 10 minutes after the transaction has been made (when you pay at a local WU location).