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)
Oct 4, 2018, 10:38 pm
#1606
Join Date: Nov 2015
Programs: DL, Marriott & IHG Platty; HH Diamonte
Posts: 861
Delete: non-productive response to Jigger's naiveness after 13 years on FT.
Last edited by pharmawalk; Oct 4, 2018 at 10:43 pm
Oct 5, 2018, 12:10 pm
#1607
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: South Florida
Programs: AA EXP, HH Diamond, Marriott Platinium
Posts: 1,334
My regular and friendly WM has been down for more than a week, still waiting for MG to come and fix it (got a connection error last time). As long they are not under Audit, I can wait a couple of more days 
Oct 5, 2018, 1:03 pm
#1609
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 43
The WM closest to my house MO machine has been down for over 6 months lol
Oct 5, 2018, 1:18 pm
#1611
Join Date: May 2008
Location: PHL (kinda, no airport is really close)
Programs: AA Exp, but not sure for how long. Enterprise Platinum woo-hoo!
Posts: 4,550
I have an excellent relationship with all the CSR's at my primary WM and OK-to-good at the secondary one. None that I'd describe as a PITA. For a while there, the secondary one was requiring ID and some other information, up to and including SSN. But I just run through it. I don't sweat it if the line is long. I figure I waited in line as long as anyone. I don't feel like it's made me any enemies among the WM staff, although occasionally if there's a glitch in my transaction they'll ask me to wait and take the next person in line on a different register while waiting for a manager to fix what's wrong.
Oct 5, 2018, 6:39 pm
#1612
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 889
In summary, talking to the manager didnt help in the end.
Today I learned that buying money orders even if an eMSAR is filed is structuring. To quote Inigo Montoya: "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." It is of course impossible to get it through the thick skulls of these walmartians that the whole point of structuring is to *avoid* reporting, not the opposite.
Also I learned that it is not possible to buy prepaid debit cards with a credit card, therefore I cannot be getting miles using the CC -> Gebit -> MO route (I actually explained what I'm doing, which I learned is impossible). What remained unspoken was that ergo I must be getting them through suspicious, illegal means, and they won't have a part in it.
Back to BB and maybe some BP for this store for a while until turnover has worked its magic, though that may be a while.
Sigh.
Today I learned that buying money orders even if an eMSAR is filed is structuring. To quote Inigo Montoya: "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." It is of course impossible to get it through the thick skulls of these walmartians that the whole point of structuring is to *avoid* reporting, not the opposite.
Also I learned that it is not possible to buy prepaid debit cards with a credit card, therefore I cannot be getting miles using the CC -> Gebit -> MO route (I actually explained what I'm doing, which I learned is impossible). What remained unspoken was that ergo I must be getting them through suspicious, illegal means, and they won't have a part in it.
Back to BB and maybe some BP for this store for a while until turnover has worked its magic, though that may be a while.
Sigh.
Oct 5, 2018, 7:08 pm
#1613
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 62
BAU in New York, Long Island. Did 2k MCGC's from the latest Stop and Shop promotion. Went to two different WM's to keep it smooth, but I should have told the CSR that I need to change payment to debit at the first WM, so it took a bunch of swipes. The second place I went too the CSR said you have to change the payment to debit, so that made it really easy. 3 out of the 4 WM in my area are really easy going.
Oct 5, 2018, 7:25 pm
#1614
Join Date: Nov 2015
Programs: DL, Marriott & IHG Platty; HH Diamonte
Posts: 861
BAU in New York, Long Island. Did 2k MCGC's from the latest Stop and Shop promotion. Went to two different WM's to keep it smooth, but I should have told the CSR that I need to change payment to debit at the first WM, so it took a bunch of swipes. The second place I went too the CSR said you have to change the payment to debit, so that made it really easy. 3 out of the 4 WM in my area are really easy going.
Oct 5, 2018, 7:41 pm
#1615
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 9
BAU in New York, Long Island. Did 2k MCGC's from the latest Stop and Shop promotion. Went to two different WM's to keep it smooth, but I should have told the CSR that I need to change payment to debit at the first WM, so it took a bunch of swipes. The second place I went too the CSR said you have to change the payment to debit, so that made it really easy. 3 out of the 4 WM in my area are really easy going.
Oct 5, 2018, 8:10 pm
#1616
Join Date: May 2018
Posts: 45
In summary, talking to the manager didnt help in the end.
Today I learned that buying money orders even if an eMSAR is filed is structuring. To quote Inigo Montoya: "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." It is of course impossible to get it through the thick skulls of these walmartians that the whole point of structuring is to *avoid* reporting, not the opposite.
Also I learned that it is not possible to buy prepaid debit cards with a credit card, therefore I cannot be getting miles using the CC -> Gebit -> MO route (I actually explained what I'm doing, which I learned is impossible). What remained unspoken was that ergo I must be getting them through suspicious, illegal means, and they won't have a part in it.
Back to BB and maybe some BP for this store for a while until turnover has worked its magic, though that may be a while.
Sigh.
Today I learned that buying money orders even if an eMSAR is filed is structuring. To quote Inigo Montoya: "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." It is of course impossible to get it through the thick skulls of these walmartians that the whole point of structuring is to *avoid* reporting, not the opposite.
Also I learned that it is not possible to buy prepaid debit cards with a credit card, therefore I cannot be getting miles using the CC -> Gebit -> MO route (I actually explained what I'm doing, which I learned is impossible). What remained unspoken was that ergo I must be getting them through suspicious, illegal means, and they won't have a part in it.
Back to BB and maybe some BP for this store for a while until turnover has worked its magic, though that may be a while.
Sigh.
Oct 5, 2018, 8:20 pm
#1617
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Look up - On a ✈ DELTA ✈ jet NOW!
Programs: Blogger & Delta Diamond Medallion Million Miler
Posts: 4,174
Be nice. I know all my WM folks and run over 100k+ per month (every month for years). I have been through many MRGs and the folks who help me are still working. MS is time and effort vs quick return.
Oct 5, 2018, 8:22 pm
#1618
Join Date: May 2018
Posts: 45
That may be true but pit your friendship against their immediate supervisor telling them to follow their new "rules" instead of written policy, you're going to lose.