Western Union has taken of 451st position in the rating Fortune 500 in 2009, having moved from 473rd line in 2008. The presence of Western Union Gold Card at the client greatly simplifies the process of further processing of money transfers of and reduces the operation time for the sending of money, as the "Gold Card" is a carrier of the personal information about the client. Money transfer is a matter of minutes, at any distance. The Western Union Company is a leader in global payment services In October 1871 the company Western Union began to provide money transfer services, drawing on its own extensive telegraph network.