Adsense payment of $1,163.00 via Western Union

Today I successfully received my first Google Adsense earnings sent via the Western Union Quick Cash option.

Here’s a guide on How to receive Adsense payments via Western Union, but read on to find out my own experience with this new withdrawal method.

First, what I did was search for a Western Union (WU) agent closest to my place using the Global Payment Solutions website. After making a search, I decided to pick up my Adsense payment from Sanry’s Foreign Exchange at the Glorietta Mall in Makati.

I went to Sanry’s and told the staff manning the counter that I am picking up a Quick Cash payment from Google.

He gave me a Western Union “To Receive Money” form and asked me to completely fill it out. This is where the Payment Details from Google becomes necessary. The form asked for the Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN), exact Payment Amount, Name and Address of the Sender, and a few personal details, among others.

The guy confirmed whether the payment was really sent by a company (Google) and not by an individual. I said yes. He asked what my relationship is with Google. Huh? Well, I told him that I earn money online and Google is the one who sends the earnings.

He seemed satisfied with the answer and went on to ask for two (2) valid IDs. I gave him my Passport and Pag-IBIG Membership ID. He handed me a new form called “Customer Information Data Sheet.” While filling it out, I saw the guy scan my IDs.

He inquired whether I want to receive the money in US Dollars or Philippine Peso. I asked what Western Union’s exchange rate is. He said it’s P42.++.

How about Sanry’s Peso-Dollar exchange rate for that day? He told me it’s $1 : P43.30. Is there a choice? Of course, I opted to be paid in US Dollars then merely asked Sanry’s to convert it to peso using their rate.

So for my $1,163.17 Adsense earnings, I got P50,365.25. Woohoo!

And that, my friend, is my experience using Western Union Quick Cash.

A few reminders about picking up your Google Adsense payout through WU:

• You need to pick up the payment within 35 days or it will be credited back to your account

• You can opt to be paid in local currency but Western Union’s rate is most probably lower, so better to receive the payment in dollars then just go to a money changer with better rates

• To pick up the payment, you need to bring the sender’s information, payment amount, MTCN, and valid government issued IDs

• Western Union normally requires two valid IDs but some branches may require more. Example of valid government issued IDs accepted by Western Union include:

Passport
Driver’s License
PRC ID
NBI Clearance
Postal ID
Voter’s ID
GSIS e-Card
SSS Card
Senior Citizen’s Card
OWWA ID
OFW ID
Alien Certificate of Registration
Seaman’s Book
AFP
Firearms License
School IDs are valid if the student is below 18 years old and if the money was sent by an OFW provided they have a birth certificate and a photo ID.

Can I say that the Western Union option is better than the Secured Express Delivery Check? No doubt! Aside from the shorter waiting period (1 day vs. 1-week delivery of Secured Delivery Checks), Western Union payouts are FREE.

At the moment, certainly no other Adsense payment method can beat that.

One more tip: Scout first for the WU branch that offers the highest exchange rate because not all Western Union pickup outlets have the same rates.