Originally Posted by sdsearch

But it means more fees than the old Debit card -> Bluebird (via WalMart) -> free Bluebird check method (prior to all the Bluebird shutdowns), doesn't it? That didn't involve a single fee other than for buying/activating the gift card in the first place.

Or are there places the average person can get MOs issued for free?

I would think some people give up MS because/when it starts costing more, not just because it gets more complicated. That seems to have been the evolution of MS, from totally free in the Mint days, to only the fee for buying/activating the gift card, to now both the gift card fee and the MO fee.

In the Bluebird days, many people would sneer at anyone suggesting buying MOs instead. So what used to be the "poor second choice" is now the best choice left?