What Is a WUVISAAFT Charge?

Download Article

Plus, protect yourself if a WUVISAAFT charge is fraudulent

Co-authored by Tan Phan and Elaine Heredia, BA

Last Updated: November 20, 2025 Fact Checked

Download Article

What is WUVISAAFT?

|

Why You’re Seeing WUVISAAFT

|

What to Do Next

|

Using Western Union Visa Direct

|

Video

Finding a charge you don't recognize on your bank or credit card statement is always worrying. It's even more concerning when the transaction name is something unrecognizable—like "WUVISAAFT!” If you've seen this charge, you may be wondering what it is and whether you initiated it, or if it could be fraudulent. In this article, we explain what WUVISAAFT means, why it appears on your statement, and when to contact your financial institution about it.

Why is there a charge for WUVISAAFT on my statement?

WUVISAAFT is a charge that appears when you or someone else withdraws funds from your Western Union account to send to a VISA card. This can happen when you send money to someone or pay a bill to a company that uses Western Union Visa Direct. If you don't recognize the charge, contact your bank immediately.

Section 1 of 4:

What is WUVISAAFT?

Download Article

WUVISAAFT is a credit card charge sent using Western Union Visa Direct. The odd name is a combination of 3 abbreviations: "WU," meaning Western Union, "VISA," for the cardholder company, and "AFT" for Account Funding Transfer."^{[1]
X
Research source} It appears whenever you use Western Union Visa Direct to transfer money directly from your bank account to another person's Visa card in a foreign country.
- Depending on your financial institution, the charge may also appear as "WUVISAFT 800-325-6000," "WUVISAAFT 8003256000," "WU 800-325-6000 co," or "Visa Direct Pay."
- The numeric code 8003256000 refers to Western Union's customer service phone number, which is 1-800-325-6000.

Section 2 of 4:

Why WUVISAAFT Might Appear on Your Bank Statement

Download Article

When you want to send funds to friends and family overseas, Western Union allows you to do that using Visa Direct. Typically, the other person sees the money in their bank account in just 30 minutes after you use this method. Currently, you can only use Visa Direct to send money to bank accounts in these countries: Philippines, Jamaica, Thailand, Colombia, and El Salvador.^{[2]
X
Research source}
Some merchants overseas may offer Western Union Visa Direct as an option to pay for their goods. If you paid for an item in a foreign country using this method, you'll probably see a WUVISAAFT or WUVISAFT charge on your bank statement.
Scammers are extremely skilled and sophisticated at convincing people to give them money. They'll often offer a service (like anti-virus protection), claim the money will go to charity, or pretend to be your bank and ask you to pay a late credit card fee.^{[3]
X
Research source} The best way to avoid getting scammed is to never transfer money to anyone you don't know, especially if they ask you to use Western Union or Visa Direct.
If you don't remember using Western Union to send money to someone or make a purchase overseas, ask your close relatives. It could be that your spouse or someone else who has access to your Western Union account is responsible for the charge. If it wasn't someone you know, your Western Union account may have been hacked, or your card information might have been stolen.

Section 3 of 4:

What to Do If the WUVISAAFT Transaction Isn't Yours

Download Article

1
Call your bank and ask them to shut off your card. The first thing you should do after seeing a WUVISAAFT charge you think is fraudulent is reach out to your bank. Their first step will be to shut your card off to prevent any other unwanted charges from coming through. They may also ask you some questions about your recent spending to make sure you didn't use Visa Direct and forgot.^{[4]
X
Expert Source

Tan Phan
MSFP, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®

Expert Interview}
- Some banks offer a mobile app where you can shut off your card yourself. If your bank offers this feature, log in and shut the card off yourself before calling customer service. That's the quickest way to stop any other fraudulent transactions from coming through.
Tell the fraud agent you noticed an unauthorized Western Union charge on your bank statement. They can investigate the matter and let you know your next steps, which could include shutting down your Western Union account (if you have one). Just know that Western Union doesn't guarantee refunds, especially if you sent the money of your own free will (even if you were scammed).^{[5]
X
Research source}

Section 4 of 4:

How to Use Western Union Visa Direct

Download Article

To register a Western Union profile, all you need to do is set up an email address and password. Make sure the password is at least 8 characters long (you can also use a password manager to generate a strong password for you).^{[6]
X
Research source}
2
Start a money transfer and select "Visa Direct" as the receiving method. When you start the transfer, Western Union will ask for your bank account or credit card number so they know where to withdraw the funds. They'll also ask you to enter a destination country for the money and the amount you want to send.^{[7]
X
Research source}
- Fill out the send amount carefully so you don't send more (or less) than you intended by accident.
Ask the recipient ahead of time to send you their full card number. You'll also need them to send you their name as it appears on the card, including any middle initials. It's important to get this information right, or the transaction may not go through.^{[8]
X
Research source}
After you confirm the payment, Western Union will begin transferring the money to the recipient. They'll also give you a 10-digit tracking number called an MTCN, which stands for "Money Transfer Control Number." Enter your MTCN on the Western Union Money Transfer tracker to follow the transfer's progress and make sure it goes through.^{[9]
X
Research source}