How to Send Money Over the Phone

Sending money over the phone comes in handy if you need to send cash instantly to a relative living abroad or in another state. Some companies allow you to transfer money over the phone. Some companies, like Western Union and ATM Cash work, the traditional way where you can enjoy personalized services of a live operator who walks you through the procedure. Other companies like Obopay allow you to transfer money from cell phone to cell phone. In this case, you must have an Internet connection to carry out the transaction.

By Western Union

Dial 1-800-CALL-CASH (1-800-225-5227) from your phone.

Tell the operator the amount you want to transfer, and provide the information the operator asks for: your full name, address, calling and billing phone numbers, date of birth, recipient’s name and city where he will pick up the funds. Depending on the amount you are sending, you may also be asked to provide your passport number, state ID or driver’s license number.

Provide the operator with your card details. Pay through your signature debit card or credit card--Visa or MasterCard--to send money. Provide the operator with the card number, expiration date and security code from the back of the card. This transaction will be a bit longer than subsequent transactions. Once you confirm your identity and answer all the operator’s questions, you will get a “Preferred Customer ID Number” that you can use for future transactions without having to answer the initial questions.

Complete the transaction and write down information regarding the Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN), a transaction number your recipient will need when he picks up the money at an agent location. Use this number to check your transfer status online (go to Western Union’s website to check).

By Obopay

Open an Obopay account by visiting the Obopay website and clicking the “Sign Up” button. Provide your name, postal address, email address and cell phone number; Obopay will then send a confirmation code on your cell phone to verify the number. Confirm your registration by entering that number on the website. Link your bank account with Obopay to complete registration. Add your bank account details, Visa debit card or MasterCard debit/credit card. Add funds to your account to send money.

Download Obopay for cell phone in Resources.

Enter your cell phone number in the respective fields and click on “Send me the link.” You will then receive a link through text message. Open this link in the phone’s web browser.

Log in by entering your username and password on the page.

Press the button for “Send Money.” Enter the recipient’s cell phone number, amount you want to send and a personal message to the recipient (optional). Click on “Next.” Confirm the transaction, which will send the money to the recipient’s cell phone. If the recipient already has an Obopay account, the money will be credited instantly. If he doesn't have an account, he will receive detailed instructions from Obopay on how to receive the money.

Through ATM Cash

Call 1-888-ATMCASH (888-286-2274).

Tell the operator where and how much money you want to transfer. Provide the full address so ATM Cash can mail the ATM card to the recipient. Provide the operator with your name, contact details, bank account or credit/debit card number. Follow the operator's instructions to send money.

Notify the recipient that the money is on its way. ATM Cash will send the recipient a reloadable prepaid ATM Cash card via FedEx. The company will mail you the security PIN code required to activate the card.

Share the PIN code with the recipient so he can withdraw the money from any ATM location worldwide.

Tips

  • See the links in Resources for calculating the fee you will be charged when sending money through Western Union or ATM Cash.

    Obopay charges you a fixed fee. If you send $10 or less, you will be charged 25 cents; if you send more than $10, you will be charged 50 cents. Also if you add money through credit/debit card instead of bank account, you will be charged 1.5 percent.