My international money transfer was not available

This notice

The receipt lists a Date Available. It also says you have a right to dispute errors in the transaction. It tells you to contact the company within 180 days if you think there is an error.

That paper is a remittance transfer receipt. The CFPB model lives in Appendix A, Form A-31. The short error box is Form A-37. Both sit on the same receipt in most stores and apps.

The CFPB page What is a remittance transfer and what are my rights? explains the product. It is an electronic transfer of more than $15. You send it from the United States to a person or company in another country. Banks, Western Union, MoneyGram, Remitly, Ria, and similar companies can be remittance transfer providers.

The CFPB page How do I notify the remittance transfer provider about a mistake? says Date Available is printed on the receipt. Failure to deliver by that date is an error. Delivery to the wrong person is an error too.

This is not a Notice of Hold on a check you deposited. That other paper delays funds in a U.S. bank account.

It is also not a letter that a bank denied an unauthorized debit on your own card.

The CFPB page What is a wire transfer? draws a line. A domestic wire stays inside U.S. accounts. A consumer transfer from the United States to another country through a remittance provider is a remittance transfer. That international receipt is this page.

The CFPB sending-money page says the receipt must show when the money will be available. It must also show how to report an error and how to cancel.

Recent CFPB complaints describe missing funds after a Western Union, Ria, Remitly, or similar receipt. Some people were told a relative picked up the money in another city. The relative never went. Some apps showed “Delivered” while the foreign bank never posted the deposit.

Official path

1. Save the receipt, any email copy, and a photo of the app screen. Write the Date Available, the confirmation or MTCN code, the amount, and the destination on one sheet. Keep the envelope if you have one.

2. Read the CFPB remittance-rights page and the error-notice page. Compare those items with the paper in your hand. The A-31 sample receipt shows the Date Available line. § 1005.31 requires that label or a substantially similar term.

3. Call the provider number printed on the receipt. Say you are giving notice of an error. Give the confirmation code, the amount, the recipient name, and the Date Available. State that the funds were not available by that date, never arrived, or went to the wrong person. Write the date, the agent name, and any claim number. The error page says an oral notice counts. It also says a written follow-up helps.

4. Send a written error notice the same day to the address or website on the receipt. The CFPB error page says to include your name and phone or address, the recipient name and phone or address, the dollar amount, and a short description of the mistake. Add the confirmation code and the transfer date if you have them. Use the template below. Keep a dated copy and proof of delivery.

5. Watch the clock on the investigation. The error page and the sending-money page say you have 180 days from the Date Available to report the problem. The provider must investigate within 90 days after it receives your notice. It must tell you the findings within three business days after that investigation. § 1005.33 is the rule behind those steps. For many mistakes, such as money that never arrives, the CFPB pages say you may get a refund or a resend.

6. Submit a complaint at Submit a complaint if the money is still missing or the written result does not match the receipt. Attach the receipt, your error letter, and the company’s answer. That page says most companies respond within 15 days. Pick money transfers as the product.

If you paid less than 30 minutes ago and the money has not been picked up or deposited, use the cancel page first. § 1005.34 says a qualifying cancel gets a full refund, including fees, within three business days. That 30-minute window is not the same as the 180-day error window.

People often wait for a phone agent to “trace” the transfer and call back. The official pages win that conflict. Give oral notice, then send the written error notice with the items on the CFPB list.

What people reported

Often helps

• Sending a written error notice with the confirmation code and the Date Available on the same day as the first call, then keeping the delivery proof.
• Asking in writing for the pickup record when the company said a relative collected cash in another city.

Often fails

• Only calling, then waiting for a “trace.” CFPB narratives describe blacked-out receipts, an app that said Delivered, and no posted deposit. A second call with the same story did not replace a dated written notice.

Template

[DATE]

[PROVIDER NAME FROM THE RECEIPT]
Error notice / remittance transfer
[ADDRESS OR WEB FORM ON THE RECEIPT]

Re: Confirmation [MTCN OR CODE], Date Available [DATE ON RECEIPT]

I am giving notice of an error on a remittance transfer. I paid on [SEND DATE]. The receipt lists Date Available [DATE]. Confirmation code [CODE]. Amount [AMOUNT]. Recipient [NAME], destination [COUNTRY OR CITY].

The funds were [NOT AVAILABLE BY THAT DATE / NEVER DELIVERED / PAID TO THE WRONG PERSON / STILL NOT IN THE RECIPIENT ACCOUNT]. The receipt and [APP SCREEN / EMAIL] still show [STATUS].

Please investigate under federal remittance error rules. Please refund the transfer, including fees, or resend it to the recipient named above. Please send written findings and any pickup or deposit record.

My name, phone, and address are below. I am sending copies of the receipt, not originals.

[FULL NAME]
[ADDRESS]
[PHONE]
[EMAIL]

Enclosures: [RECEIPT / APP SCREEN / BANK DEBIT]

Stop here if…

• The paper is a Notice of Hold that delays a check you deposited in a U.S. bank or credit union. That is a different notice.
• A bank denied an unauthorized debit, ATM, or card claim on an account you already had. That is a different letter.
• A caller told you to send money to protect an account, buy gold, or move funds to “safety.” Hang up. Use the FTC page What to do if you were scammed and report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

FAQ

Is this the same as a bank check-hold notice?

No. A remittance receipt is about money you sent from the United States to another country. A Notice of Hold is about a check you deposited into a U.S. account. Different paper, different clocks.

The Date Available already passed. Can I still cancel?

The CFPB cancel page ties the no-cost cancel right to 30 minutes after you paid, and only if the money has not been picked up or deposited. After that window, use the error process instead. Some companies or states give more time. Check the cancel sentence on your receipt.

The company says someone already picked up the money.

The CFPB error page lists delivery to the wrong recipient as a mistake the provider generally must investigate. Send a written error notice with the confirmation code and the Date Available. Ask for the pickup record in writing.

The amount received was less than I sent. Is that always an error?

Not always. The CFPB short-amount page says third-party fees or foreign taxes can reduce what arrives. The receipt should warn you about that. If the cut is larger than what the receipt disclosed, treat it as an error and write.

I typed the wrong account number. Can I get the money back?

The CFPB error page says the provider may not have to refund or resend if you gave a wrong account or routing number and the provider used reasonable steps to check the routing number and to try to get the money back. Contact them at once anyway and ask to correct the details if the funds were not released.