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Buying Money Orders at Walmart (2019 - 2022)

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Old Jan 2, 2019, 9:51 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
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.

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. Kates are a distant and pleasant memory now.

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

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Buying Money Orders at Walmart (2019 - 2022)

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Old Feb 1, 2020, 8:14 pm
  #1921  
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: Continental Onepass, Hilton, Marriott, USAir and now UA
Posts: 6,445
Originally Posted by Ect828
I was able to buy 2 MO At Walmart using my DL this afternoon and then when I went to another Walmart and csr told me the message says “unable to process”. I haven’t tried again. I assume I just joined the ban club. What I can’t figure out is why I was able to buy 2 earlier. Ban can happen midday??
Maybe she just didn't feel like selling you a MO.
Try again and let us know if you've joined the club. Maybe give some details on the Banned thread if you are.
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Old Feb 1, 2020, 9:48 pm
  #1922  
ogg
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
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The ban message is not "unable to process"--it's "Politely inform the customer that..."
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Old Feb 1, 2020, 10:27 pm
  #1923  
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 21
Ok thanks for your response. I hope it was a fluke. Will try again tomorrow and report. She didn’t tell me the exact message. She just said it said cannot be processed.” She wasn’t too friendly so didn’t ask too many questions
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Old Feb 1, 2020, 11:03 pm
  #1924  
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,322
Pro tip: If you never give your ID to them, they can't ban you.
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Old Feb 2, 2020, 11:40 am
  #1925  
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 21
False alarm. Went to another Walmart and it was fine! Phew!
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Old Feb 2, 2020, 1:21 pm
  #1926  
ogg
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 317
Originally Posted by tuphat
Pro tip: If you never give your ID to them, they can't ban you.
How does that matter? If you don't give ID, you can't buy a money order above $1K. If you are banned, you can't buy a money order above $1K. So by not giving ID, in effect you're banning yourself.
So what you should do is give ID and buy lots of money orders until you are banned.
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Old Feb 2, 2020, 1:31 pm
  #1927  
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Originally Posted by ogg
How does that matter? If you don't give ID, you can't buy a money order above $1K. If you are banned, you can't buy a money order above $1K. So by not giving ID, in effect you're banning yourself.
So what you should do is give ID and buy lots of money orders until you are banned.
I thought about that long ago and decided it was better to remain 1 @ < $1K, reason what if they all of a sudden decide instead of $1k its $500 or whatever amount at least I wont be banned , while those banned will have to find another source. But its a YMMV issue since by me almost all other means to getting an MO are Ca$h only. AS long a s aperson has other places where they can unload then maybe your advice is good
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Old Feb 2, 2020, 1:55 pm
  #1928  
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 21
A lot of the Walmart’s still require ID below $1k. I went to 2 to buy < $1k and they still require ID
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Old Feb 2, 2020, 2:48 pm
  #1929  
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Originally Posted by craz
I thought about that long ago and decided it was better to remain 1 @ < $1K, reason what if they all of a sudden decide instead of $1k its $500 or whatever amount at least I wont be banned , while those banned will have to find another source. But its a YMMV issue since by me almost all other means to getting an MO are Ca$h only. AS long a s aperson has other places where they can unload then maybe your advice is good
so then are you going to buy 500s or 1000 at a time? Either way, you’re in the exact same situation as you are now.
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Old Feb 2, 2020, 3:46 pm
  #1930  
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Originally Posted by beast7276
so then are you going to buy 500s or 1000 at a time? Either way, you’re in the exact same situation as you are now.
Ive only had to show my ID one time since they started up with that (not banned) and can live very nicely doing what I do although it does take longer I achieve the needed result and thats all that matters to me

And I sleep very well not having to worry if their system will be hacked and my info fall into the wrong hands
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Old Feb 3, 2020, 7:19 am
  #1931  
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 377
Originally Posted by Ect828
False alarm. Went to another Walmart and it was fine! Phew!
Not to be hyper-critical, but just a good reminder to everyone: In most instances try whatever it is you're trying a second time at another time or location before speculating the worst has occurred. The sky falls far to often around these parts.
Steve in Olympia likes this.

Last edited by I can see for miles; Feb 3, 2020 at 8:00 am
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Old Feb 3, 2020, 9:01 am
  #1932  
ogg
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 317
Originally Posted by craz
Ive only had to show my ID one time since they started up with that (not banned) and can live very nicely doing what I do although it does take longer I achieve the needed result and thats all that matters to me

And I sleep very well not having to worry if their system will be hacked and my info fall into the wrong hands
But your info already is in the wrong hands. To give just one example, the Experian hack in 2015 yielded 143 million accounts, including DOBs and SSNs.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/busin...b0d_story.html
Millions of people have access to your DL and SSN, including many employees of banks, governments (local and national), insurance companies, doctors, dentists, car dealers. I worry about a lot of things, but having my DL and SSN on file somewhere is not one of them.
ogg is offline  
Old Feb 3, 2020, 10:58 am
  #1933  
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Originally Posted by ogg
But your info already is in the wrong hands. To give just one example, the Experian hack in 2015 yielded 143 million accounts, including DOBs and SSNs.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/busin...b0d_story.html
Millions of people have access to your DL and SSN, including many employees of banks, governments (local and national), insurance companies, doctors, dentists, car dealers. I worry about a lot of things, but having my DL and SSN on file somewhere is not one of them.
So you are saying its not worth have an alarm system on your home, since the professional buglers know how to by pass it and you might as well leave your doors unlocked all the time as well
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Old Feb 3, 2020, 11:13 am
  #1934  
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 377
Originally Posted by craz
So you are saying its not worth have an alarm system on your home, since the professional buglers know how to by pass it and you might as well leave your doors unlocked all the time as well
He's saying concern for having your driver's license or social securities numbers stored by another one of many, many entities in and of itself is not a sound rational reason. You may have other reasons and, if so, so be it.
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Old Feb 3, 2020, 1:01 pm
  #1935  
ogg
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 317
Originally Posted by craz
So you are saying its not worth have an alarm system on your home, since the professional buglers know how to by pass it and you might as well leave your doors unlocked all the time as well
As it happens, I do leave my doors unlocked at all times. That's another story.
Anyway, the point is that there are many people with access to basic information about you. There's no reason for such people to pick you to bother, unless you're very wealthy or someone has a grudge against you. Plus there's not that much someone can do with basic information which,. BTW, anyone can obtain about you by paying a fee to a background checking firm. And what they can do with it is pretty well protected by existing laws, although that's a hassle and OF COURSE there are exceptions.
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