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 21, 2018, 6:14 am
#721
Join Date: Apr 2014
Programs: Hilton - Diamond, IHG - Spire Amb
Posts: 901
BAU Midwest - 60-75k / month. (citi plat select min spend and MS Hilton points and free nights)
Apr 22, 2018, 9:09 am
#722
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: UA-1K, MM, Hilton-Diamond, Marriott-Titanium
Posts: 4,432
I always have luck buying MOs when I am traveling and visiting smaller towns in the Southeast and Midwest.
I think once you get away from larger cities, with more people who MS, the WMs are not as strict.
Apr 22, 2018, 9:57 am
#723
Join Date: Oct 2014
Programs: All of them
Posts: 1,664
That's for sure. Although if you try to push volume they get spooked quickly, so it's best to find a route with many stores in a row, but away from big MS centers.
Apr 22, 2018, 10:47 am
#724
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 506
I killed one of my WMs with too much MS. Mngr noticed my frequent visits and instructed them not to accept gift cards anymore. it's not only how much you MS at the time but also how often you visit the location.
Apr 22, 2018, 11:36 am
#725
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Las Vegas
Programs: DL DM, AA PlatPro, Hilton DM, Hyatt Glob, Marriott Titanium, Hertz PC, National EE
Posts: 1,532
BAU for me in Washington State as well. Brought some chocolates for the cashiers at my most used store just in case.
Apr 22, 2018, 12:05 pm
#726
Join Date: Aug 2011
Programs: AA, UAL
Posts: 545
. My concern is not just buying MOs, but also depositing it at my bank. I was asked to answer many questions from my bank (Chase) officer for depositing about 20K MOs in a span of couple of months! I asked them what was that for and they would say "for our records / information". It was not very comfortable conversation, to say the least Kudos to Big MSers!!!! ^
Apr 22, 2018, 12:36 pm
#727
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 178
Just a bit of advice, never deposit your money orders at your main bank. Always open up a throw away bank account where you deposit your MOs because if you get shut down, nothing was lost.
I also bank with Chase and never deposit any money orders or do bill pay on any of my chase cards. I value my ink cards too much!
I also bank with Chase and never deposit any money orders or do bill pay on any of my chase cards. I value my ink cards too much!
Apr 22, 2018, 1:01 pm
#728
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 889
Just a bit of advice, never deposit your money orders at your main bank. Always open up a throw away bank account where you deposit your MOs because if you get shut down, nothing was lost.
I also bank with Chase and never deposit any money orders or do bill pay on any of my chase cards. I value my ink cards too much!
I also bank with Chase and never deposit any money orders or do bill pay on any of my chase cards. I value my ink cards too much!
Apr 22, 2018, 1:30 pm
#729
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 527
OR, that you showed cashiers GCs in the first place. As many eventually discover, that's a bell you can never unring.
Apr 22, 2018, 1:40 pm
#730
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: SAN
Posts: 1,396
Went to my go-to WM here in SAN yesterday. This store has been friendly for years. CSR told me that "after next week" they will no longer allow split tender on MO transactions. She said this was because it is "structuring." I asked if this was a local decision or corporate, and she offered that they have had a new manager since about December and he is now implementing new policies.
Apr 22, 2018, 4:24 pm
#731
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 506
Cashiers never cared, never asked, never looked at my cards. But mngr saw me few times in the last 12 months when there was a problem with register and he knew but didn't say a word and even apologize for inconvenience. But last week he instructed all cashiers to check on all my cards because he apparently noticed my heavy MS or got some new instructions from HQ. I still have few locations. In one WM they have awesome mngr and even some cashiers are MSers themselves.
Apr 22, 2018, 7:46 pm
#732
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 889
Yeah, let's be honest, it's not like discreetly palming GCs whilst churning through 500 x 4 debit swipes every day for total of hundreds of thousands of dollars is typical behaviour. Obviously we're not paying rent ...
Apr 22, 2018, 8:40 pm
#734
Join Date: May 2014
Location: SoCal
Posts: 2,164
BAU at 3 WMs in SoCal - Ventura county, haven't done this for around 2 months and noticed the new beep at all 3.
Apr 22, 2018, 8:42 pm
#735
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 527
I don't need to palm anything and I don't do multiple swipes. All I get is "Thankyou. Have a nice day. Please come again."