TOKYO —Operating in Japan since March 2010 and serving consumers for over 160 years, Western Union launched a brand new SMS service in December 2015 that makes transferring money even more convenient. And to sweeten the deal, it’s also free *1.

When sending a payment to your loved ones, include your mobile phone number on the money transfer application form and you will be sent an SMS notification message automatically when the money has been collected *1, 2. There is no extra charge *1 to use the SMS service, and most mobile phone networks in Japan support the SMS service, including docomo, SoftBank and au.

Global payment leader Western Union has developed a strong network within Japan covering over 220 Agent locations*3, over 21,500 Seven Bank ATMs *4, an online service for Seven Bank account holders and over 11,400 Kiosks at FamilyMart *5 – and its network continues to grow. With a focus on customer service, Western Union helps you to take care of friends or family at home or abroad with a variety of cash transfer services.

You can transfer money in person at locations throughout Japan, paying in cash to send funds that can be collected from more than 500,000 Western Union® Agent locations in more than 200 countries and territories*3 around the world. You can send a transfer of up to 1 million yen from an Agent location.

And to make things even more convenient, neither the sender nor the recipient needs to open a bank account (excluding Seven Bank locations), and the recipient has no fees*6 to pay when they collect their money.

Simply fill in a form at your nearest Agent location to send money in a matter of minutes *7. Pay with cash the amount you wish to send and the transaction fee*6, and you will receive an MTCN tracking number to share with the person you are sending a payment to. Minutes later*7 they will be able to collect the money.

You can also use the International Money Transfer Service at Famiport kiosks at more than 11,400 branches of FamilyMart convenience store nationwide *5, and send up to 97,000 yen*8 in a single transfer. Again, there is no need to set up a bank account – simply pay in cash at the kiosk to send money easily.

Seven Bank also offers the Western Union® Money TransferSM service to account holders, with access to online and mobile money transfer services 24 hours a day from your mobile phone or PC*9 and the option to save remittance details for up to 12 recipients.

You can open a Seven Bank account online, through the customer center or at one of their branches, and apply for the International Money Transfer Service at the same time*10. Transfers of up to 1 million yen can be sent from a Seven Bank account*11, 12.

For more information on Western Union’s transfer services in English and Japanese, visit http://westernunion.co.jp/en/.

*1 Standard message and data rates from mobile service providers may apply.

*2 SMS message is usually delivered within 10 minutes, though it may take longer.

*3 Network data as of September 30, 2015

*4 Source: http://www.sevenbank.co.jp/

*5 Source: http://www.family.co.jp/company/familymart/store.html

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

*7 Funds may be delayed or services unavailable based on certain transaction conditions, including amount sent, destination country, currency availability, regulatory and foreign exchange issues, required receiver action(s), identification requirements, Agent location hours, differences in time zones, or selection of delayed options. Additional Restrictions may apply. See Send form for details.

*8 The transferable amount plus fee is up to 100,000 yen per transaction.

*9 You must register in advance to use Internet banking/Mobile banking.

*10 The application procedure cannot be completed online. You need to complete and return the application form that will be sent to you. You also need to complete the prescribed procedures to open an account, including changing a tentative personal identification number that will be sent to you to a fixed personal identification number. For details, please click here. Seven Bank will screen applicants and may refuse to accept applications after screening. Seven Bank will not answer inquiries about the details of screening.

*11 When you transfer money through a Seven Bank ATM, there will be a charge for using the ATM (withdrawing money) depending on the time of day. The charge will be deducted from your Seven Bank account when the money transfer is accepted. There may be additional charges for separate transactions between the receiver and the receiving location. The receiver will be responsible for the separate transactions, and Seven Bank will not assume any responsibility or pay any charges irrespective of the reason.

*12 In principle, the receiver will receive the foreign currency specified by the customer that will be converted from yen received when the money transfer is accepted at an exchange rate determined by Seven Bank. The exchange rate will include a margin set by Seven Bank. And, in addition to the Send charge, profits relating to the currency conversion will be partially distributed to Western Union.

You can apply for an international money transfer service agreement at a manned store of Seven Bank but cannot transfer money from there.