1) Summary
A Western Union receipt documents a 2025 Direct-to-Bank transfer from Argentina to Mexico. Using mid-market exchange rates from early October 2025 and converting everything to U.S. dollars (USD, United States dollar), the sender paid $1,241.41; the recipient’s bank deposit equals about $1,086.78 in USD terms. The difference reflects the explicit fee, value-added tax, and Western Union’s foreign-exchange spread.
2) Context and Scope
All monetary figures printed on the receipt in Argentine pesos (ARS, Argentine peso) are expressed here in U.S. dollars (USD, United States dollar). The payout listed in Mexican pesos (MXN, Mexican peso) is rendered as a USD equivalent for like-for-like comparison. Mid-market levels used: USD/ARS ≈ 1,425 on October 4, 2025 and USD/MXN ≈ 18.403 on October 3, 2025. Legal/tax treatment (VAT, Value-Added Tax) and product mechanics (MTCN, Money Transfer Control Number; Direct-to-Bank) come from official or authoritative sources.
3) Exhaustive Narrative of Facts
3.1 Document overview
An official Western Union thermal-paper receipt lists: Service Type: Direct to Bank; MTCN (Money Transfer Control Number); Amount Sent; Service Fee; VAT (Value-Added Tax); Total Paid; and a payout of 20,000 MXN (Mexican peso) credited to a bank account in Mexico. The slip bears the line “Document not valid as invoice,” which means it is proof of payment rather than a fiscal invoice.
3.2 Amounts in USD (sender side, Argentina)
Using USD/ARS ≈ 1,425:
- Principal (Amount Sent): $1,190.46
- Service fee: $42.11
- VAT (21% of the fee): $8.84
- Total paid: $1,241.41
The 21% VAT applies to the service charge, not to the principal.
3.3 Amount in USD (recipient side, Mexico)
The receipt shows 20,000 MXN deposited via Direct-to-Bank. Using USD/MXN ≈ 18.403 (October 3, 2025), that payout equals about $1,086.78. This USD rendering is provided solely to compare both ends of the transfer in a single currency.
3.4 Paid vs. received — dollar-for-dollar comparison
- Paid by sender: $1,241.41
- Received by beneficiary (USD-equivalent of 20,000 MXN): ~$1,086.78
- Difference: ~$154.63 (≈ 12.46% of the sender’s total)
Within that difference: $42.11 is the explicit service fee; $8.84 is VAT (21% of the fee); the remaining ~$103.68 reflects the FX (foreign exchange) spread between mid-market cross-rates and the retail rate used for the MXN deposit.
3.5 What “Direct-to-Bank” means
Direct-to-Bank deposits funds straight into the recipient’s bank account in Mexico—no cash pickup required. The transfer is tracked with the MTCN (Money Transfer Control Number) through Western Union’s tracking tools and the product pages for bank-account payouts in Mexico.
4) Practical Takeaways
- All in dollars: $1,241.41 paid vs ~$1,086.78 received (USD equivalent).
- The gap equals fee + VAT + FX spread; VAT is 21% of the fee under Argentina’s standard rate.
- Direct-to-Bank credits a Mexican bank account and is trackable with the MTCN (Money Transfer Control Number).
5) Sources
- USD/ARS historical (TradingEconomics):
https://tradingeconomics.com/argentina/currency - USD/ARS historical (Investing.com):
https://www.investing.com/currencies/usd-ars-historical-data - USD/ARS history (Wise):
https://wise.com/us/currency-converter/usd-to-ars-rate/history - USD/MXN historical (Investing.com):
https://www.investing.com/currencies/usd-mxn-historical-data - Argentina VAT (IVA) general rate 21% — AFIP:
https://serviciosweb.afip.gob.ar/genericos/guiadetramites/VerGuia.aspx?tr=35 - Argentina VAT (21%) — Avalara overview:
https://www.avalara.com/vatlive/en/country-guides/south-america/argentina/argentina-vat-compliance-and-rates.html - MTCN (definition) — Western Union:
https://www.westernunion.com/us/en/what-is-mtcn.html - Track a transfer — Western Union:
https://www.westernunion.com/global-service/track-transfer - Send to a bank account (Direct-to-Bank) — Western Union:
https://www.westernunion.com/us/en/send-to-bank-account.html - Send money to Mexico — Western Union:
https://www.westernunion.com/us/en/send-money-to-mexico.html - How to deposit to a bank account in Mexico — Western Union (blog):
https://www.westernunion.com/blog/en/mx/how-to-deposit-money-to-a-bank-account-in-mexico/
My Diary - Leonardo Cardillo 