Jan 2, 2019, 9:51 am
Last edit by: danpeake
As of Nov 11, 2020, Meta gebits are getting declined when used for MO/BP purchases at MC/SD. New limit appears to be $99 per swipe with some metas at some stores. READ the posts below and add a data point with details. USB and GD gift cards do not seem to be affected.
This is the thread for 2019. The previous discussion can be found here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/manu...rt-2018-a.html
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.
Note: The policy for allowing gift cards as payment for money orders can be more restrictive with certain stores or certain clerks. Just because an employee says there's a new restrictive policy "for all Walmarts" means nothing. There are plenty of cases where the employee is incorrect and the new policy is only regional or store specific.
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Tested Gebit (gift debit) cards:
1. DO NOT WORK - Any Vanilla product affiliated with InComm or ITC Financial Services will not work for swipes over $49.99.
2. See above on Visas issued by MetaBank. New limit appears to be $99 per swipe with some metas at some stores. Follow the posts below for the latest information.
3. MC issued by US bank OR Metabank MC (Giftcards.com) can work, but you need to change payment type to debit before they enter the amount in the register. See below for details.
4. Gdot/sun work but take about an hour to activate.(VGC issued by Sunrise also limited to $99/swipe, same as Metabank issued cards, and Sunrise was available immediately).
5. USB work
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________
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 $1 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 $1 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 transactions: 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.
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.
7. SSN/ID entry - Any MO purchases in one transaction at or over $3K requires you to input your SSN. Any MO at or over $1K requires ID input (and ID requirement can also be forced by cashier at any amount).
Debit codes PDF
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/attac...0&d=1461170080
Buying Money Orders at Walmart (2019 - 2022)
Nov 19, 2019, 6:16 pm
#1546
Join Date: Nov 2019
Location: RDU
Programs: HH Diamond, AA Gold, Marriot Plat
Posts: 210
Good news guys, after a week of hunting for places to turn my VGC bought at Giants to MO I finally found it @ NWM. Went in w/my $500 VGC and was afraid I would get denied again like the big WMs, gas stations and advance cash, but CSR just ask for how much. In and out in couple minutes. Im going to wait until this post in my CC account first before going for 2nd round.
Nov 19, 2019, 8:07 pm
#1547
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,768
Back in the Vanilla reload days, a friend had all his purchases voided by a CVS manager who called the corporate thinking the friend was a criminal.
Nov 19, 2019, 8:10 pm
#1548
Join Date: Oct 2004
Programs: Amtrak Guest Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest, Marriott Rewards, Hilton Honors
Posts: 255
Nov 19, 2019, 9:46 pm
#1549
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 198
Good news guys, after a week of hunting for places to turn my VGC bought at Giants to MO I finally found it @ NWM. Went in w/my $500 VGC and was afraid I would get denied again like the big WMs, gas stations and advance cash, but CSR just ask for how much. In and out in couple minutes. Im going to wait until this post in my CC account first before going for 2nd round.
Nov 19, 2019, 10:13 pm
#1550
Join Date: Nov 2019
Location: RDU
Programs: HH Diamond, AA Gold, Marriot Plat
Posts: 210
Nov 20, 2019, 7:43 am
#1551
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: S.E. Pennsylvania
Programs: SPG, SW Air, AA, all of'em!
Posts: 239
The only time you are likely to see a MO deposit "clawback" or deposit reversal by your bank / CU is when:
1. the amount tendered by WM, etc was less than the face value of the MO. I never had that happen, in 5 yrs of MS at WM. I do not think the WM POS/system will allow. BUT some supermarket/convenience stores can have a disconnect between their MO printing machine and the actual amount tendered. ALWAYS ensure the MO seller gets everything you owe him, not just because it is fair, but because you do NOT want a deposit reversal - is it a PAIN to fix. Once, I had supermarket noob employee cut a MO for 499.99, but only debit me 499.00. I gave them $1 cash to balance their till so no hassles later.
2. the bank/CU does not like the way you endorse the MO, when you deposited via mobile deposit / ATM method, and no teller was there to review/edit at the time of deposit. I had this happen once, when the LARGEST CU in the world (lets call this CU #1 ) decided to reverse my MO deposit to an ATM because I did a shared branch deposit (from another CU -CU#2 - not convenient at the time) and the rubber stamp said "mobile deposit only". The receiving CU #1 accepted the MO deposits for 5 days, then reversed them without explanation. By now I had already transferred the money out, that had deposited in CU#2 via CU#1 's ATM. CU#2 reversed the deposit, and demanded me to bring up my now negative balance. AND CU#1 MAILED the rejected MOs back to me, for possible re-deposit at CU#2 since that was the intended destination of the MOs. This whole process took about 2 weeks, and a visit to the local CU#1 and talk with branch manager to get them to reverse the reversal of the MO deposit, when they realized they were overzealous in rejecting MOs that were perfect in every way expect a word "mobile" in the endorsement. Are you confused yet? Bottom line, I got all the money back, but it wasted a few hours.
Nov 20, 2019, 10:15 am
#1552
Join Date: Oct 2004
Programs: Amtrak Guest Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest, Marriott Rewards, Hilton Honors
Posts: 255
Yes, this all should be considered. Deposit cash OR deposit MO to liquidate GCs, IF the choice is there. Experienced gamers use multiple banks / CUs to diversify their liquidation methods, and some banks / CUs are easy and convenient to accept cash deposits, and some are better used to accept WM / other supermarket MOs.
Nov 20, 2019, 10:55 am
#1553
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 269
Hi fletchbo, thanks for all of that information. Always helps to get these highly detailed experiences from long-time MSers. I'm planning on taking MOs directly to my cc issuer and having the teller apply it directly to pay down my balance. I think this may be a bit more time-consuming, but having the extra set of eyes on it for verification and processing will be good. Feel free to let me know your thoughts on this approach.
Nov 20, 2019, 1:00 pm
#1554
Join Date: Oct 2004
Programs: Amtrak Guest Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest, Marriott Rewards, Hilton Honors
Posts: 255
Never tried it before, but I was being serious. Bad news? It's a bank teller essentially applying MO to a cc payment.
From a website:
"You can pay your credit card balance online through the bank's website or app, call the credit card customer service hotline for help, mail in a check or money order or stop by a branch. Choose a method that makes sense for you, taking into account how long it will take to receive the payment and any costs involved, including stamps and online data fees."
From a website:
"You can pay your credit card balance online through the bank's website or app, call the credit card customer service hotline for help, mail in a check or money order or stop by a branch. Choose a method that makes sense for you, taking into account how long it will take to receive the payment and any costs involved, including stamps and online data fees."
Nov 20, 2019, 1:14 pm
#1555
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 766
The WM SAR reports are internal and are rarely sent to law enforcement; they are NOT the SARs filed under the BSA. The problem isn't the IRS or the FBI or LE. The problem is that you're acting suspicious and that is going to cause you problems at other Wal-Marts. CSRs at one WM often get sent to other local WMs in their career. I was once banned from one WM because of suspected ML and when I went to other stores I was banned from them as well over a two year period because I was recognized.
Recently I bought some Happy cards and used them to buy Home Depot cards at a local Home Depot store on one visit. On my second visit to the same store, the manager told me that wasn't allowed and asked me a lot of questions, which I answered honestly. Safeway had a discount on the cards and I showed my receipt from Safeway showing I had bought them myself with my credit card--but the manager told me that what I was doing was suspicious. Huh? A week later one of my friends went to a different HD store to do the same thing--management was called in AND HE WAS SHOWN MY PHOTO AND ASKED IF WE WERE WORKING TOGETHER! Apparently my photo was taken at the first store and circulated to all local stores.
This is the sort of thing that happens, and why it's important to be open and honest. Scurrying around pretending you don't have an ID doesn't look good--are you driving without a license?
WM has millions of people in its databases. It requires a photo ID for every money order transaction over $1K. It requires a photo ID whenever you cash a check. The WM app requires your DL for every bill payment. Providing your ID has about as much chance as causing a problem for you as being hit by a meteor as you walk to your car. It's an irrational fear. And by not doing the possible $4K in one transaction (using 4x$1k cards), you are forcing yourself to go to 4 different stores to avoid the reporting requirements, which is a godawful waste of your time and gas for no good reason. And it also makes you deal with four times as many CSRs and vastly increases your chances that one will find you suspicious, especially since you're avoiding the reporting requirements.
Your ID is not secret. As a landlord, I can find out lots about you, including your SSN, for a minimal fee by doing a credit check, saying you are trying to rent from me. There are millions of people who have access to such information.
https://creditcards.usnews.com/artic...-credit-report
gives a bunch of examples of legal reasons for getting your credit report. Do you really think that someone who wants your information couldn't get it?
There are better things to worry about if you want to worry.
Recently I bought some Happy cards and used them to buy Home Depot cards at a local Home Depot store on one visit. On my second visit to the same store, the manager told me that wasn't allowed and asked me a lot of questions, which I answered honestly. Safeway had a discount on the cards and I showed my receipt from Safeway showing I had bought them myself with my credit card--but the manager told me that what I was doing was suspicious. Huh? A week later one of my friends went to a different HD store to do the same thing--management was called in AND HE WAS SHOWN MY PHOTO AND ASKED IF WE WERE WORKING TOGETHER! Apparently my photo was taken at the first store and circulated to all local stores.
This is the sort of thing that happens, and why it's important to be open and honest. Scurrying around pretending you don't have an ID doesn't look good--are you driving without a license?
WM has millions of people in its databases. It requires a photo ID for every money order transaction over $1K. It requires a photo ID whenever you cash a check. The WM app requires your DL for every bill payment. Providing your ID has about as much chance as causing a problem for you as being hit by a meteor as you walk to your car. It's an irrational fear. And by not doing the possible $4K in one transaction (using 4x$1k cards), you are forcing yourself to go to 4 different stores to avoid the reporting requirements, which is a godawful waste of your time and gas for no good reason. And it also makes you deal with four times as many CSRs and vastly increases your chances that one will find you suspicious, especially since you're avoiding the reporting requirements.
Your ID is not secret. As a landlord, I can find out lots about you, including your SSN, for a minimal fee by doing a credit check, saying you are trying to rent from me. There are millions of people who have access to such information.
https://creditcards.usnews.com/artic...-credit-report
gives a bunch of examples of legal reasons for getting your credit report. Do you really think that someone who wants your information couldn't get it?
There are better things to worry about if you want to worry.
Nov 20, 2019, 2:05 pm
#1556
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 4,478
Absolutely! You're not a profitable customer to the bank accepting MO's. Tying up human resources makes you even less desirable. In this context an extra pair of eyes will help notice/document that fact and may facilitate your ejection from the customer base.
Nov 20, 2019, 2:18 pm
#1557
Join Date: Oct 2004
Programs: Amtrak Guest Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest, Marriott Rewards, Hilton Honors
Posts: 255
Good to know, I appreciate the info. Seemed pretty harmless to me, as those tellers are there to handle any transaction related to that specific bank and it's product offerings. But I'll tread cautiously.
Nov 20, 2019, 3:45 pm
#1559
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 239
The other problem is depositing MO's at the same institution that issues your CC. For example, if your credit card is issued by Chase, and you deposit all your money orders in your Chase account, you run the risk of Chase closing your personal account for suspicious activity (even though MS'ing is perfectly legal). That means you also lose all your Chase credit cards. It's the reason many MS'ers have an alternate bank for depositing their MO's.
Nov 21, 2019, 6:25 am
#1560
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: S.E. Pennsylvania
Programs: SPG, SW Air, AA, all of'em!
Posts: 239
The other problem is depositing MO's at the same institution that issues your CC. For example, if your credit card is issued by Chase, and you deposit all your money orders in your Chase account, you run the risk of Chase closing your personal account for suspicious activity (even though MS'ing is perfectly legal). That means you also lose all your Chase credit cards. It's the reason many MS'ers have an alternate bank for depositing their MO's.