This so called Next Day service is aimed at increasing choice of those consumers who want to enjoy the reliable and trusted services of Western Union but do not need their funds to be collected within minutes.

The new service is offered at lower rates than the “money in minutes” service and applied to amounts less than 10 000 RUR/ $300 sent to CIS countries and less than 10 000 RUR sent intra-Russia. The money will be ready for payout at any Western Union location in the destination country 12 hours after the money transfer is registered in the system. As an example, with 12 Hours service implementation, sending from 100 RUR up to 3,000 RUR to CIS costs as much as 50 RUR, the fee for transferring up to 100 USD to CIS is 2 USD1. The fee for sending from 100 RUR up to 2,000 RUR across Russia is 50 RUR, the transfer of from 2,000,01 to 4,000 RUR is 75 RUR, from 6,000,01 to 10,000 equals 150 RUR.

“An essential part of Western Union business strategy is developing and enhancing consumer convenience and choice while exploring new service offerings. We are pleased to make another step forward in implementation of our consumer-oriented strategy in Russia by introducing the new 12 Hours service making money transfers in popular remittance bands even more attractive to consumers who need to send funds to their family and friends living in the CIS or across Russia. The new service is targeted at those consumers who do not need their funds within minutes but appreciate the trusted services of Western Union”, said Alexandru Badulescu, Regional Vice President for Western Union in Eastern Europe and CIS.

“The launch of the new 12 Hours option was preceded by an extensive research of our consumers’ behavior and preferences. The feedback we received showed not all of our consumers need their funds immediately. I am confident that consumers will appreciate advantages of the new service that was implemented to match their needs and demands”, said Mikhail Babirenko, Regional Director for Western Union in Russia.

The 12 Hours service is already available for Western Union clients within the US and for selected outbound and international corridors.