brandonj21

Thanks a lot for the workaround guys. Was pissed after unsuccessfully loading some VGCs at WM yesterday. So naturally...I went to FT.

Just loaded 2k on 2 BBs (new color machines). Cashier was a little quick on the trigger after my first swipe, but after that I had no issues. Swiped card, hit yellow "change payment" button, Debit, No Cash Back, and entered pin. Success!

Thanks again, guys.

maddie5218

Also if anybody in socal (la area) knows of a good place to get MOs that isn't Walmart I would greatly appreciate a PM. I promise I won't ruin your secret place. I figure there HAS to be somewhere, but have struck out at every place I've tried.

sechs

Actually, it was there before. You just didn't read it....

Nolala

I had my first ever MSer citing. I went to the money center at my Nola walmart (there was almost no line) and the guy in front of me has a stack of MVGs laid out to buy money orders. Not sure how experienced he was since he asked what the price for MO's was, but he knew the workaround and told the CS rep that he paid employees with the cards. She first said that it wouldn't work because the system recognized the cards as credit, and when he knew the workaround, said "oh, you hit the change payment button" and smiled. She then asked where he got the cards and he said CVS. She then asked how, and he said he used his credit card to buy them. After he did 2k, he asked if he could try another.

Interesting. I've never bought more then one MO at a time (using two swipes) and have always loaded BB separately from MO's. Never tried anything so blatant. Figured it was a sure way to get asked not to come back.

Bowgie

I wish I knew. Going back a few months, WM in Los Angeles and Orange Counties shut down MO's completely for OV's and similar debit cards where the cardholder's name is not embossed. One counter staff person told me that this is an order from above for the two-county region.

This info was posted on FT two months ago and pre-dates the latest terminal changes recently. San Diego County WM's, as of a few weeks ago, were not included in the clamp-down. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find OV in local CVS's recently, so I'm getting impacted both at the debit card and the MO end.

ZzzzX

Never thought I be glad to be away from Cali.

Zgirl

Try Slater Bros stores. Up to $500 per MO. Don't let them know that you're paying with GCs!

neworleans flyer

That was me you saw and I saw you as well loading your BB. Another WM I go to in BR still has MO for 60 cents so I just wanted to make sure of the price. Anyway, if I am going to WM anyway, I always buy $2k worth of MO since you are allowed 4 swipes per transaction. I also usually load a BB while I'm at it as they view the transactions as separate and have never had a problem with it. I usually don't push another $1k on the MO but as you probably saw, this girl was very nice and there was only one customer behind me. Sometimes you can just tell when you can 'get away' with something a little extra.

I have been doing MO at that WM for the past 5 months with absolutely zero issues. Do you usually only do $1k of MO at a time? My usual pattern is to do a BB and then $2k worth of MO - $3k of transaction per visit. I just don't have time to go to WM more than 2-3 times/week and want to get the most bang for my buck.

The only time I have been 'asked not to come back' is at the MC on Williams/Vets trying to do a MO. As soon as she saw the OV in my hand, she told me that "gift cards aren't allowed" despite me pointing out the word DEBIT clearly marked. Other than that, going into WM since the demise of VR hasn't been as terrible as I thought. If you see me again, stop and say hi, maybe we can exchange some tips

Nolala

Will do.

I generally only load BB and sometimes get MO's, but I don't tend to get too much. WM is on my commute so I can stop in over a few weeks and get my transactions done. I don't try to push it much.

commdiver

How stupid can someone be to actually bust out a stack of GCs? Do you not realize how incredibly suspicious that looks? This is one of the reasons why MSing keeps getting harder to do. Please, use some common sense next time.

skibum7732

+1000000000

st.exupery

Buying a single MO w. multiple swipes is much more suspicious than buying one MO at a time. For most churners, saving 70 cents is more important than creating suspicion. But I suppose it's less suspicious than carrying a stack of GCs and wearing a T-shirt that says "Money Churner."

neworleans flyer

And the trolls poke their heads up without all the facts yet again

The 'stack' in question had exactly 4 OV cards and they were put on the counter on my side - at waist level of the cashier and virtually impossible for her to see unless she were to physically come around to the other side. I had 6 total on me and the other 2 were in my pocket.

Before you call someone stupid or assume common sense wasn't used - please do the courtesy of doing the same yourself. I am well aware of the need to be discrete and play it cool while MS'ing. If the person I was dealing with the MC today had told me no go on the OV for a MO, I would (as I have in the past) said thanks and walked straight out.

maddie5218

I've never had an issue doing anything at WM until this system update. Not sure why you had an issue!

maddie5218

While I don't think they should be mean in what they're saying, you still should probably do it in a more discrete way. Any employee could be walking around and see that. Also, it's not wise to explain everything you do how you buy them at CVS to the WM employee as the person who saw you said. Just try not to stick out like a sore thumb is what people are saying.