Since 1851, Western Union has been the premier name in money transferring. The Western Union Company is a financial services and communications company based in the United States of America. Its main headquarters is located in Meridian, Colorado, and its international marketing and commercial services are located in Montvale, New Jersey.

Western Union has a number of separate divisions, offering services such as person-to-person money transfer, money orders, and other commercial services. This conglomerate has 270,000 Western Union agent locations, and earns over $5-billion USD annually. Their online site attracts almost 9-million visitors per year, and most are there to transfer funds. You can easily send money anywhere in the world with Western Union, and always know that your transaction is safe and secure.

Western Union was formerly in the e-commerce game with their branch named BidPay. Though it has since closed shop, it was a legitimate contender, holding its own against mega-wallets such as PayPal. For those wishing to use Western Union to fund their online casinos and poker sites, all is not lost.

Though BidPay is no longer in action, various casinos still allow you to sign up with Western Union. Gaming sites such as BoDog and Absolute Poker are accepting U.S. players via Western Union transfer. Some sites (particular sites vary) even allow Western Union as a withdrawal method. If you're a citizen of the U.S. attempting this, you have to read the fine print on each site you sign up with.

Western Union is everywhere. They have a few new features to keep up with the changing times. They have a service called Speedpay, which gives users the convenience of paying bills and making electronic payments from home with total control over your funds. Speedpay is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

You can pay directly from your checking account, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or debit card. The minimum payment is $5, and they take a fee of $3.95 per transaction. The best part about Western Union's Speedpay is you don't have to enroll in any special programs. You can use Speedpay as you need it. You can schedule future payments, further ensuring that you keep total control over your bills and payments.

Western Union also offers a prepaid MasterCard. Unlike other prepaid cards that charge you high rates per transaction/withdrawal, Western Union's only charges you around $4.95 monthly, which is waved if you have direct deposit from your employer. These options may seem like great extras, but Western Union's true bread-and-butter is their money wiring.

They're still the absolute best at transferring your money to your loved ones, from anywhere in the world. You can send money in minutes, or plan ahead to send in a few days. You can put money directly into someone's bank account, or have a money order made out. You can send money over the net, the phone, or to one of the multiple locations. And when it comes to problems, Western Union will straighten them out immediately with help of their superb support staff, who are always available by phone or email.