Western Union Company is launching an online payment method that allows users to make Internet purchases with their bank accounts.
Called WU Pay, the platform lets shoppers in the U.S. pay for a transaction with an existing bank account or pay with cash at a Western Union location.
Based on eBillme, which Western Union bought in October 2011, the service is already linked to a variety of online merchants such as Sears, Kmart and . It’s also available for buying virtual gift cards at a number of other websites such as Amazon and The Home Depot.
Company president Hikmet Ersek said the move is Western Union’s latest in a number of creative changes.
“WU Pay not only propels us further into the digital payments space, it improves our core money movement capabilities by combining the strengths of our brick-and-mortar Agent network and with the proven eBillme platform we acquired last year,” Ersek said in a statement. “This is a truly powerful combination of physical and online assets that will make safe and secure e-commerce possible for just about anyone.”
WU Pay users are not required to provide account, credit card or financial information when making a purchase. They merely choose the option at online checkout and the order is confirmed via e-mail, then buyers pay the bill as they would any other, either from a bank account or at a Western Union location.
David Migoya: 303-954-1506 or dmigoya@denverpost.com
