Adsense abandons Western Union as a payment method
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From August 10, 2020, Adsense abandons Western Union as its method of payment. It’s going to be a bloodbath among Adsense publishers in poor countries.
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From an announcement dated August 10, 2020, Adsense announces that it will no longer offer payment via Western Union, a method it has offered for 13 years. I have been able to receive Adsense payments so far because there is Western Union. I feel like this is going to be a massacre. So from August 10, new Adsense publishers will no longer be able to select Western Union as their payment method. For publishers who already use this payment method, they have a few months to change their payment method or close their account.
Complete abandonment of Western Union in early 2021
For those who use Western Union as their Adsense payment method, payments will continue to arrive for a few more months. Google explains that all the publishers concerned will receive emails on this subject. But at the same time, since the announcement is already made, publishers will just have to go through this decision and not be able to do anything.
Google gives no valid explanation for removing Western Union, but it’s going to be a bloodbath among publishers in poor countries. According to the announcement, Adsense will completely abandon Western Union in early 2021.
Most Adsense publishers in poor countries use Western Union
Because all other payment methods are intended for publishers in rich countries. Thus, we have the check, the EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer), the EFT via SEPA and the international bank transfer. The Adsense check has no validity in poor countries, you can wipe your ass with it. The TEF is only available for rich countries, the same for SEPA which concerns countries in the euro zone and finally, international bank transfer.
Western Union was the exception to the rule that allowed Adsense publishers in poor countries to monetize their site knowing that online advertising is dominated by Google. So they can’t look elsewhere. I’ve always loved Western Union, no fuss or blah, you have your payment details, you go to the nearest Western Union agent and you get your bucks. The money transfer took over 24 hours. Western Union has more than 500,000 agents in more than 200 countries.
Well, there is still the international bank transfer that I should use for my part. But adding a wire transfer as a payment method is a mess, because we have no confirmation that it works. In addition, it will take 15 days for the money to arrive (if it does) in your account.
Adsense publishers in poor countries out of the game
You would think that Adsense publishers in poor countries could switch to wire transfer. But less than 10% of the African population has a bank account. In Madagascar, it is less 2%! People prefer Western Union, but also payment by mobile.
What’s worse about this Adsense removal of Western Union is that they don’t offer any fucking alternatives instead. So when the abandonment will be finalized, all Adsense publishers in poor countries will have to close their accounts. They will still be able to generate income, but they will not be able to touch it. This was the case with me before Western Union was available.
The decline of Western Union
Adsense isn’t the only one dropping Western Union, as it looks like cash has taken a more fatal blow than the victims of Covid-19. Electronic payments are on the rise, and Western Union dates back to the days of sending money over telegraph cables. You might think it’s obsolete, but above all it proves its reliability over all these decades. There are rumors about a possible merger between Western Union and MoneyGram, which is one of its competitors.
These two companies are mainly based on international cash transfers. However, Fintech is also entering the market by being more flexible. For example, we have Paypal’s Xoom which is a direct competitor of Western Union. And Western Union has entered into partnerships with Amazon and Visa so as not to be behind in digital.
It is a disaster for many Adsense publishers that Western Union is no longer available. And the fact that Google offers no alternative, suitable for poor countries, instead, shows that it does not give a damn about these publishers. In the future, one might even think that sites in poor countries will no longer be able to monetize their site with Adsense.
Thanks Google !
