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Money Orders with CCs and store gift cards

Money Orders with CCs and store gift cards

Old Nov 12, 2008, 3:30 pm
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Money Orders with CCs and store gift cards

After researching money order policies and procedures at area stores, I've discovered a way to do so. As many of us on this forum know, USPS money orders can't be purchased with CCs (while they could some time ago). Walmart requires cash and will not accept gift cards either. But grocery stores seem to accept their GCs for money order purchases. While the money orders are $1 for up to $300, it's still not a bad deal at $.0033/mile.

Has anyone else tried this? I'm planning on buying some tomorrow and I'll report back. Does anyone else know where I could purchase more?
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Old Nov 12, 2008, 3:34 pm
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Which grocery stores sell money orders?
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Old Nov 12, 2008, 3:35 pm
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Do you have the name of the grocery store willing to pay 3% (so $9 for a $300 money order) to the credit card company while only getting $1 from the customer to recoup this $9 cost?
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Old Nov 12, 2008, 4:05 pm
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Originally Posted by olwagner
Do you have the name of the grocery store willing to pay 3% (so $9 for a $300 money order) to the credit card company while only getting $1 from the customer to recoup this $9 cost?
Well, I'm not the OP and I don't have the name of a grocery store, but I believe the OP was talking about buying grocery store gift cards using a credit card, and then using the gift cards to buy money orders.
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Old Nov 12, 2008, 4:27 pm
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Originally Posted by arcticgrin
Which grocery stores sell money orders?
most of 'em
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Old Nov 12, 2008, 5:51 pm
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Originally Posted by olwagner
Do you have the name of the grocery store willing to pay 3% (so $9 for a $300 money order) to the credit card company while only getting $1 from the customer to recoup this $9 cost?
Shop N' Save:
http://www.shopnsave.com/sns-webapp/index.jsp


As for the $9 (3 %), [which btw very well may not be the amount they pay] would be no different than someone ringing out $300 in groceries and charging it on their MC, Visa, etc. I guess in this transaction they would hypothetically lose the n dollars, but like anything else they may lose $9 on one customer but make $25 on the next guy.
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Old Nov 12, 2008, 7:48 pm
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Originally Posted by AAerSTL
Shop N' Save:
http://www.shopnsave.com/sns-webapp/index.jsp


As for the $9 (3 %), [which btw very well may not be the amount they pay] would be no different than someone ringing out $300 in groceries and charging it on their MC, Visa, etc. I guess in this transaction they would hypothetically lose the n dollars, but like anything else they may lose $9 on one customer but make $25 on the next guy.
yeah but when buying groceries there could be 10% profit margin so they can afford to give 3% to the CC and keep 7%. with a $100 money order they have to pay 3% to CC get $1 from the customer and so lose out on $2.
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Old Nov 12, 2008, 9:55 pm
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Old Nov 12, 2008, 10:17 pm
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There are a lot of ways to earn miles. A number of years ago I did this. You buy a Safeway gift card with an American Express card and then use the gift card to buy a money order. It worked at some Safeways and at others it would not. Bottom line, it was not worth the hassle.
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Old Nov 12, 2008, 11:00 pm
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Originally Posted by arcticgrin
Which grocery stores sell money orders?
If they have Western Union money transfers and/or lottery tickets at the front counter, they probably sell money orders.
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Old Nov 13, 2008, 3:10 am
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ahhh my old favorite.
Years ago many here participated in this with a combination of banking and money order (MO) availabilities... Now those times are history (as is the time of Charter One gift cards) but thinsg can still sometimes be found.

I find a few supermarkets such as Shaws do in fact sell em, but you may find their highest MO amount to not be worth the hassle any longer. If it is $1,000 I may do it. If it is less, it's really not worth the hassle. Nor are most of the fees these days to buy those gift cards first.

we shall see!
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Old Nov 13, 2008, 8:41 am
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Originally Posted by ned
There are a lot of ways to earn miles. A number of years ago I did this. You buy a Safeway gift card with an American Express card and then use the gift card to buy a money order. It worked at some Safeways and at others it would not. Bottom line, it was not worth the hassle.
Alright, I've read through many of the threads here and have maxed out LSC and have ordered everything available from the mint. I'm in STL andnit near an AMEX office to get TCs. Any other ideas?
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Old Nov 19, 2008, 4:17 pm
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I wish I had ideas...

Originally Posted by AAerSTL
Alright, I've read through many of the threads here and have maxed out LSC and have ordered everything available from the mint. I'm in STL andnit near an AMEX office to get TCs. Any other ideas?
I find myself in the same boat...
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Old Nov 19, 2008, 4:59 pm
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Whats LSC?

And amex tc deal is dead, so you're not missing out any more.
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Old Nov 19, 2008, 5:18 pm
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Originally Posted by AAerSTL
Alright, I've read through many of the threads here and have maxed out LSC and have ordered everything available from the mint. I'm in STL andnit near an AMEX office to get TCs. Any other ideas?
if by ideas you mean how to earn miles w/o actually flying or purchasing something and keeping it, then my only suggestion is to watch for new threads started by Marathon Man.

Most every idea you might think of has most likely been thru the cycle and wont produce anything if it ever did, at least a cost that paid to actually carry it thru to the end
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