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Western Union Offers Fee Free Option to Donate to Hurricane Irma Relief Efforts

WU | September 14, 2017

Western Union Offers Fee Free Option to Donate to Hurricane Irma Relief Efforts

To support communities and families affected by the recent hurricane devastation in the Caribbean and the United States, The Western Union Company, a leader in global payment services, and The Western Union Foundation, today announced rapid response efforts now underway by both organizations:

American Red Cross Donations: Consumers who want to take advantage of the fee-free** donations at Western Union® agent locations in the US can donate directly to the American Red Cross. To donate, complete the blue Payments section on the Western Union form, using “American Red Cross” as the Pay To recipient; “REDCROSS DC” as the Code City, along with “Hurricane Irma Relief” in the Account field.
Fee-Free Money Transfers: Western Union continues to provide $0 fee** money transfers when sending from select Western Union Agent locations, telephone money transfers, WU.com and the WU mobile App to Antigua and Barbuda, until September 15.
Western Union Company and Western Union Foundation Financial Support: The Western Union Company and the Western Union Foundation are donating $120,000 to the Red Cross to support relief efforts across the US and the Caribbean. The Western Union Foundation will also provide a 1:1 match of qualifying contributions from participating Western Union agents and a 2:1 match from contributions made by Western Union employees. Anyone wishing to make donations can do so directly online here.

“Our thoughts are with the people across the Caribbean and the US impacted by this tragedy,” said Western Union Foundation Executive Director Elizabeth Roscoe. “The immediate response resulting from collaboration between The Western Union Company, participating agents, and The Western Union Foundation will help the area with immediate needs, recovery and ultimately rebuilding efforts.”

* Due to the severity of the hurricane, some Western Union agent locations may not be immediately operational or possess sufficient funds.

** Western Union also makes money from currency exchange. When choosing a money transmitter, carefully compare both transfer fees and exchange rates. Fees, foreign exchange rates and taxes may vary by brand, channel, and location based on a number of factors. Fees and rates subject to change without notice.

About Western Union

The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a leader in global payment services. Together with its Vigo, Orlandi Valuta, Pago Facil and Western Union Business Solutions branded payment services, Western Union provides consumers and businesses with fast, reliable and convenient ways to send and receive money around the world, to send payments and to purchase money orders. As of June 30, 2017, the Western Union, Vigo and Orlandi Valuta branded services were offered through a combined network of over 550,000 agent locations in 200 countries and territories and over 150,000 ATMs and kiosks, and included the capability to send money to billions of accounts. In 2016, The Western Union Company completed 268 million consumer-to-consumer transactions worldwide, moving $80 billion of principal between consumers, and 523 million business payments. For more information, visit www.westernunion.com.

About The Western Union Foundation

At the Western Union Foundation, we believe that education is one of the surest pathways to economic opportunity. That’s why we collaborate with NGOs who offer job training and workforce enablement programs that empower underserved populations to thrive in the global economy. Our two key initiatives are Education for Better, which is providing 50,000 migrants – with a focus on women and young people – with 21^st century job skills by the year 2020, and Refugee Empowerment, which supports refugees through education, employment and financial inclusion. Separately, we provide funding to communities in crisis through disaster relief and other humanitarian efforts. From our headquarters in Denver, CO, we have given more than USD $113 million to fund projects in 138 countries around the world. The Western Union Foundation is a separate charitable corporation that is tax-exempt under §501(c)(3) of the US Internal Revenue Code, contributions to which are tax-deductible for US income tax purposes. The Foundation receives support from The Western Union Company, its employees, agents and business partners. To learn more about how we’re helping people improve life for themselves, their families and their communities, visit https://www.westernunion.com/blog/foundation or follow us on Twitter @TheWUFoundation.

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