Brandwave

How popular isWestern Union?

In September 2026, people searched for Western Union by name about 33,300 times in New Zealand, about the same as the previous year. These searches made up 39.7% of all New Zealand money transfer service searches, placing Western Union first out of eight services. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about money transfer services, Western Union appeared in all answers and was the fifth most recommended of the eight.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Western Union is the most searched of 8 competitors and the fifth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. Western UnionShare of searches 39.7%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
  2. WiseShare of searches 20.6%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  3. RevolutShare of searches 12.5%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  4. MoneyGramShare of searches 9.2%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  5. RemitlyShare of searches 8.7%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd

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Top money transfer services in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Western Union appeared in all five answers. Western Union is the fifth most recommended of the eight.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Wise1st
  2. Remitly2nd
  3. OFX3rd
  4. Xe4th
  5. Western Union5th
  6. Revolut–
  7. MoneyGram–
  8. WorldRemit–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Western Union5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Wise5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Remitly4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • OFX3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Xe3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Revolut0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • MoneyGram0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • WorldRemit0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about money transfer services

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 19, 2026.

Which money transfer services compete with Western Union?

Western Union against money transfer services in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Western Union, Wise, Revolut, MoneyGram, Remitly, OFX, Xe. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthWestern UnionWiseRevolutMoneyGramRemitlyOFXXeWorldRemit
Oct 202552.6%4.8%10.8%10.4%11.8%2.6%6.3%0.79%
Nov 202553.4%3.6%10.9%10.2%13.9%2.2%5.2%0.64%
Dec 202556.9%3.4%11.6%10.9%9.9%2.2%4.5%0.57%
Jan 202654%4.1%13.5%10.2%9.7%2.8%5.2%0.54%
Feb 202656.7%4.2%11.6%10.7%8.4%2.4%5.5%0.56%
Mar 202645.8%13.6%11.4%8.6%8.4%6%5.7%0.56%
Apr 202624.9%56.5%5.1%4.7%4.5%1.2%3%0.21%
May 202614.4%72.5%3.7%3.3%3.4%0.74%1.8%0.18%
Jun 202623.3%53.7%7.2%4.5%5.1%3.1%2.8%0.23%
Jul 202623.8%55.3%7.6%5.4%4.4%0.97%2.3%0.2%
Aug 202632.9%42.3%7.1%7.4%6%1.2%2.9%0.27%
Sep 202639.7%20.6%12.5%9.2%8.7%4.7%4.2%0.33%

  1. 1.Western Union

    39.7%

    Moved from 2nd to 1st. 33.3K estimated branded searches, -18.3% vs prior month. Share +6.8 points.

  2. 2.Wise

    20.6%

    Moved from 1st to 2nd. 17.3K estimated branded searches, -67% vs prior month. Share -21.7 points.

  3. 3.Revolut

    12.5%

    Moved from 4th to 3rd. 10.5K estimated branded searches, +19.7% vs prior month. Share +5.4 points.

  4. 4.MoneyGram

    9.2%

    Moved from 3rd to 4th. 7.8K estimated branded searches, -15% vs prior month. Share +1.9 points.

  5. 5.Remitly

    8.7%

    Held 5th. 7.3K estimated branded searches, -0.81% vs prior month. Share +2.8 points.

  6. 6.OFX

    4.7%

    Moved from 7th to 6th. 3.9K estimated branded searches, +171.7% vs prior month. Share +3.5 points.

  7. 7.Xe

    4.2%

    Moved from 6th to 7th. 3.5K estimated branded searches, -3.1% vs prior month. Share +1.3 points.

  8. 8.WorldRemit

    0.33%

    Held 8th. 280 estimated branded searches, -15.2% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

Compare popularity between Western Union and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Western Union

9 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Western Union changed in New Zealand over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Western Union in New Zealand held steady, from 33.4K to 33.3K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Western Union’s share of searches among money transfer services in New Zealand decreased from 52.6% to 39.7%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Western Union’s share of searches among money transfer services in New Zealand peaked at 56.9% in December 2025 and was lowest at 14.4% in May 2026.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand money transfer services in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Western Union overtook Wise to become the leader among money transfer services in New Zealand, with 39.7% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Revolut overtook MoneyGram to rank 3rd among money transfer services in New Zealand, with 12.5% of the searches.

  3. In September 2026, OFX overtook Xe to rank 6th among money transfer services in New Zealand, with 4.7% of the searches.

  4. In September 2026, Remitly gained share of searches among money transfer services in New Zealand, from 6% to 8.7%.

  5. In September 2026, MoneyGram gained share of searches among money transfer services in New Zealand, from 7.4% to 9.2%.

  6. In September 2026, Xe gained share of searches among money transfer services in New Zealand, from 2.9% to 4.2%.

How are Western Union’s branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Western Union’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • western union
  • western union rates
  • westernunion

Do you work for Western Union? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Where does Western Union compete?

Western Union is ranked in three competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
Money transfer services1st of 839.7%Shown above
Send money brands1st of 647.2%Show ranking
Currency converter software1st of 656.2%Show ranking
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Is Western Union your brand?

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