Jan 1, 2018, 10:53 am
Last edit by: wyogold
This is the thread for 2018. The previous discussion can be found here.
The 2019 thread can be found here
New to MO: Read this entire Wiki (Click to open) and all posts for some tips before asking common questions. It is best to know what you are doing before you try.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tested Gebit cards:
1. DO NOT WORK - Any Vanilla product affiliated with InComm or ITC Financial Services will not work for swipes over $49.99.
2. Visas issued by MetaBank work great.
3. MC issued by US bank work good, but you need to change payment type to debit before they enter the amount in the register. See below for details.
5. Gdot/sun work but take about an hour to activate.
NEW Limits as of 11/18 - 8K with ID every 24 hours. ID required for MO over 1K.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________
Some tips for starting out:
All WM registers allow 4 debit swipes per transaction, but YMMV per store and cashier. Refer to cards as Debit cards.
Start slow and buy one MO with one Gebit to see how it works. Refer to cards as Debit, only this community calls them Gebits. Your store or cashier may have rules that other stores do not have, only allowing one swipe per trans or up to 4 swipes per trans. Read all the tips below and all the posts below before trying more advanced transactions. NO variety or design of VISA or MC Gebit's will ever auto-drain at Walmart so always tell them the amount you want to pay per card. Fee: 1K MO or less is usually 88 cents each, but ask or check the wall. Subtract the fee from the total or pay in cash. If a store says "no", thank them and try again another day with a different clerk.
Helpful details and tips for advanced transactions:
1. Cost: 1K MO fee is usually 88 cents each(Some states limit MO total to 750 or 950 and may have a different fee). Subtract fee from your total or pay in cash. Can buy two 1K MO in one transaction with 4 swipes for 88 cents x 2 in most states. NO variety or design of VISA or MC Gebit's will ever auto-drain at Walmart so always tell them the amount you want to pay per card.
2. Split payment transcations: You cannot successfully swipe more than 4 cards in a single transaction. If the cashier screws up and enters $50.00 instead of $500.00 (thus making it impossible for 4 swipes to complete the transaction), the transaction will need to be canceled. The funds should return to your cards right away but may take 24 hours, so note the time and person helping you. When a transaction is canceled during the trans, the money returns to the cards. If canceled after, the cash reg drawer opens and they pay you back in cash.
3. Split payment: The amount of each swipe needs to be entered by the cashier. Ask to "split the payment by $$$". The Gebit must have current balance of that amount or more otherwise slip with Error 51 will print out. Warning: (YMMV) It appears (my experience on 3 occasions during prepaid card load and buying MO in 2 different WMs) that after the debit card was charged no cash could be credited back to the card. Cashier should issue cash back. Keep the slip and contact manager if in doubt. Remember date, time and register if no slip.
4. Bad Printer: IF, by chance, you've swiped your GCs successfully, a receipt prints but the MO doesn't, make sure to ask to see the receipt and check near the bottom IF it says CHANGE/REFUND with a negative sign before the amount of GCs you swiped, that means the cashier must give you cash refund. Cashier may have to call for the cash dept manager to verify the refund. Some stores may outright give your cash refund immediately while there are others that will ask you to come back. Think twice before you buy MOs while on vacation or when you're in unknown to you territories for issues like this.
5. Kiosk: Very few Kate's can sell money orders anymore.>>>>Sometime 2016, a lot of WM supercenters have done away with Kate (kiosks that allows loading of prepaids/sell $500 MOs). As of today, MOST, if not ALL WMs, have replaced this with the regular slim ATM to check balance/withdraw money.
6. MCGC liquidation- The cashier should not enter the amount first. Technically they just can't hit enter after entering the amount. Let the CSR know you need to swipe first and switch the payment type to debit, then swipe and hit "Cancel" or "Change Payment" to select "Debit" on the screen, enter the pin and have them enter the amount.
Debit codes PDF
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/attac...0&d=1461170080
The 2019 thread can be found here
New to MO: Read this entire Wiki (Click to open) and all posts for some tips before asking common questions. It is best to know what you are doing before you try.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tested Gebit cards:
1. DO NOT WORK - Any Vanilla product affiliated with InComm or ITC Financial Services will not work for swipes over $49.99.
2. Visas issued by MetaBank work great.
3. MC issued by US bank work good, but you need to change payment type to debit before they enter the amount in the register. See below for details.
5. Gdot/sun work but take about an hour to activate.
NEW Limits as of 11/18 - 8K with ID every 24 hours. ID required for MO over 1K.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________
Some tips for starting out:
All WM registers allow 4 debit swipes per transaction, but YMMV per store and cashier. Refer to cards as Debit cards.
Start slow and buy one MO with one Gebit to see how it works. Refer to cards as Debit, only this community calls them Gebits. Your store or cashier may have rules that other stores do not have, only allowing one swipe per trans or up to 4 swipes per trans. Read all the tips below and all the posts below before trying more advanced transactions. NO variety or design of VISA or MC Gebit's will ever auto-drain at Walmart so always tell them the amount you want to pay per card. Fee: 1K MO or less is usually 88 cents each, but ask or check the wall. Subtract the fee from the total or pay in cash. If a store says "no", thank them and try again another day with a different clerk.
Helpful details and tips for advanced transactions:
1. Cost: 1K MO fee is usually 88 cents each(Some states limit MO total to 750 or 950 and may have a different fee). Subtract fee from your total or pay in cash. Can buy two 1K MO in one transaction with 4 swipes for 88 cents x 2 in most states. NO variety or design of VISA or MC Gebit's will ever auto-drain at Walmart so always tell them the amount you want to pay per card.
2. Split payment transcations: You cannot successfully swipe more than 4 cards in a single transaction. If the cashier screws up and enters $50.00 instead of $500.00 (thus making it impossible for 4 swipes to complete the transaction), the transaction will need to be canceled. The funds should return to your cards right away but may take 24 hours, so note the time and person helping you. When a transaction is canceled during the trans, the money returns to the cards. If canceled after, the cash reg drawer opens and they pay you back in cash.
3. Split payment: The amount of each swipe needs to be entered by the cashier. Ask to "split the payment by $$$". The Gebit must have current balance of that amount or more otherwise slip with Error 51 will print out. Warning: (YMMV) It appears (my experience on 3 occasions during prepaid card load and buying MO in 2 different WMs) that after the debit card was charged no cash could be credited back to the card. Cashier should issue cash back. Keep the slip and contact manager if in doubt. Remember date, time and register if no slip.
4. Bad Printer: IF, by chance, you've swiped your GCs successfully, a receipt prints but the MO doesn't, make sure to ask to see the receipt and check near the bottom IF it says CHANGE/REFUND with a negative sign before the amount of GCs you swiped, that means the cashier must give you cash refund. Cashier may have to call for the cash dept manager to verify the refund. Some stores may outright give your cash refund immediately while there are others that will ask you to come back. Think twice before you buy MOs while on vacation or when you're in unknown to you territories for issues like this.
5. Kiosk: Very few Kate's can sell money orders anymore.>>>>Sometime 2016, a lot of WM supercenters have done away with Kate (kiosks that allows loading of prepaids/sell $500 MOs). As of today, MOST, if not ALL WMs, have replaced this with the regular slim ATM to check balance/withdraw money.
6. MCGC liquidation- The cashier should not enter the amount first. Technically they just can't hit enter after entering the amount. Let the CSR know you need to swipe first and switch the payment type to debit, then swipe and hit "Cancel" or "Change Payment" to select "Debit" on the screen, enter the pin and have them enter the amount.
Debit codes PDF
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/attac...0&d=1461170080
Buying Money Orders at Walmart (2018)
Apr 17, 2018, 5:49 pm
#676
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: UA-1K, MM, Hilton-Diamond, Marriott-Titanium
Posts: 4,432
Mine went from binder, to putting the information into their computer terminal before she iniated the transaction. Then again, that was last week, and today they didn’t do it.
Apr 17, 2018, 6:05 pm
#677
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 305
Interesting idea! Perhaps it might be coming down to that...Any one in particular you can recommend? Most of them are round, and to add your name to a card you'll need a rectangular one, I assume?
Apr 17, 2018, 7:28 pm
#678
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 127
Was able to purchase fine using 4 swipes this evening in Midwest Walmart.
Apr 17, 2018, 8:06 pm
#681
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: SAN
Programs: Delta Gold. Hilton Diamond. Hyatt Explorist.
Posts: 1,674
I don't actually have one, but I have heard there are products out there that would work. I buy customized gift cards with my name on them from giftcardmall, and that has been sufficient if they ask to see the cards I am using.
Apr 17, 2018, 8:29 pm
#682
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 889
Plan b for me would be to get a magnetic strip reader writer and copy paste VGC magstrip info to cards with my name.
Apr 17, 2018, 9:08 pm
#683
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 305
yes, I also buy the majority of my cards there, so my name is on them...except the ones from Staples and OM/OD, so I thought it would be great to have embosser for that...although it's rarely that they ask me to show my cards, but it is coming...
Apr 17, 2018, 10:24 pm
#684
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: LAX/VNY (Hometown: CAK)
Programs: Hyatt Explorist, IHG Platinum, Bonvoy Gold, Regal Diamond
Posts: 743
At a very friendly SoCal WM:
Got a mix of 3 cupcake USB VGCs from Ralphs and 1 Meta from Vons. Second beep present for the USBs, which I swiped first due to the earlier report. The Meta didn't beep twice, or I might not have been paying as close attention for the final card. All worked fine, 2K unloaded. Definitely keeping float lower now with these new reports. As to the various additional ID requirements, various threats of policy changes and new paperwork have come and gone. It depends on employee and store. As always, YMMV. What doesn't help are those that loudly brag about their volume to the cashier so everyone in line can hear. Keep your MS volume high, but your chatter volume low!
Got a mix of 3 cupcake USB VGCs from Ralphs and 1 Meta from Vons. Second beep present for the USBs, which I swiped first due to the earlier report. The Meta didn't beep twice, or I might not have been paying as close attention for the final card. All worked fine, 2K unloaded. Definitely keeping float lower now with these new reports. As to the various additional ID requirements, various threats of policy changes and new paperwork have come and gone. It depends on employee and store. As always, YMMV. What doesn't help are those that loudly brag about their volume to the cashier so everyone in line can hear. Keep your MS volume high, but your chatter volume low!
Apr 17, 2018, 10:40 pm
#685
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,784
Chicken Little Was Wrong...
So sorry to needlessly freak everyone out. The first clue was that several people posted today about doing, in some cases huge loads, at WM. So I went back to several of the Albertson locations that worked for me on Sunday. And guess what? All 3 of them easily loaded $1k OF VGCs for me. So it's not MoneyGram at all. It's just that several Albertsons have individually hard coded, and AFAIK all of my local WMs have as well. But overall there is no national hard coding as of yet. So I guess I created a needless panic. So sorry about that.
Not that it couldn't happen tomorrow, but it's not happening today. For which I am so grateful, since I have so much left to do.
So sorry to needlessly freak everyone out. The first clue was that several people posted today about doing, in some cases huge loads, at WM. So I went back to several of the Albertson locations that worked for me on Sunday. And guess what? All 3 of them easily loaded $1k OF VGCs for me. So it's not MoneyGram at all. It's just that several Albertsons have individually hard coded, and AFAIK all of my local WMs have as well. But overall there is no national hard coding as of yet. So I guess I created a needless panic. So sorry about that.
Not that it couldn't happen tomorrow, but it's not happening today. For which I am so grateful, since I have so much left to do.
Apr 18, 2018, 1:57 am
#686
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 4,477
I had similar experiences in several grocery stores today + an explanation from a friendly clerk. MO purchases at some stores apparently require payment through the chip reader. Indeed when I swiped the mag stripe in one such store, absolutely nothing happened. I wasn't aware that selectively disabling the mag reader is even possible, and hope that explanation is wrong.
Apr 18, 2018, 6:48 am
#688
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 18
Just giving everyone my 2 successful DPs in east TN, I was successful, both once last night and once this morning doing multi swipes with VGC's at 2 different WM's about 30 miles apart from each other.
Last edited by tbotello; Apr 18, 2018 at 6:49 am Reason: added location
Apr 18, 2018, 7:24 am
#689
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 506
The hard coding against VGCs was a false flag like many in the past. As always it all depends on WM employees setting up their own rules in a particular location.
Apr 18, 2018, 7:44 am
#690
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: California
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, HH DIA, Hertz PC, GE + Pre✓, Amazon Super Special Prime
Posts: 1,008
I have one fishing hole where if I walk in and see a certain one working, I will walk right back out. But if they are not around, the rest of the MC employees are happy to see me! Quite the dichotomy.