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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 20, 2020, 8:19 pm
  #2011  
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Titanium, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 69
Question about Arizona, if anyone knows. Is the limit consistently $950 (saw that earlier in this thread), or can it sometimes be $750? Going down to Phx and Tucson for a work trip and buying cards in advance.

Last edited by fearless2357; Feb 20, 2020 at 8:25 pm
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Old Feb 20, 2020, 9:26 pm
  #2012  
 
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Originally Posted by beast7276
I think that's the line that's likely most accurate
At 80 it is very limited, most of my miles are gifted to others,

Agreed
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Old Feb 20, 2020, 9:43 pm
  #2013  
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 1,727
Originally Posted by fearless2357
Question about Arizona, if anyone knows. Is the limit consistently $950 (saw that earlier in this thread), or can it sometimes be $750? Going down to Phx and Tucson for a work trip and buying cards in advance.
950 Arizona.. 750 Virginia is not a strict limit.. just have to provide a payee at time of purchase.. both laws have been posted here
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Old Feb 20, 2020, 9:47 pm
  #2014  
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 1,727
Originally Posted by satman40
I can only tell you of my personal experiences,

My area WM has problems with MC GC from Staples, Kroger did not,

VISA worked a both WM and Kroger’s,

The only time I buy is when they are fee free,

My MS is very limited, to fee free.
people by me have been surprised when they see me do MC but it’s simply they don’t know wth they are doing
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Old Feb 20, 2020, 9:48 pm
  #2015  
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 1,727
Originally Posted by beast7276
quoted for posterity

some gold nuggets here at FT - LOL!
u prob missed da pt
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Old Feb 21, 2020, 6:54 am
  #2016  
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Join Date: Sep 2016
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Originally Posted by Chelski
u prob missed da pt
no, pretty sure I didn’t. Kinda hard not to get the point.
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Old Feb 21, 2020, 10:10 am
  #2017  
 
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Chicago Burbs
Programs: SPG Gold, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 223
Originally Posted by fearless2357
Question about Arizona, if anyone knows. Is the limit consistently $950 (saw that earlier in this thread), or can it sometimes be $750? Going down to Phx and Tucson for a work trip and buying cards in advance.
WM in the Phoenix area is $950 limit, Frys (Kroger) is $750 limit. I bought $950.88 VGCs at Simon for WM, and used 3 $500 Vanilla VGCs at Frys for a $750 and $745 MO in one txn. There are other grocery stores that have $500 limits but as long as I can get $750 and $950 MOs I wasn’t bothering with $500 MOs.
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Old Feb 21, 2020, 1:14 pm
  #2018  
 
Join Date: May 2016
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Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Titanium, Hyatt Globalist
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Originally Posted by AzLarry
WM in the Phoenix area is $950 limit, Frys (Kroger) is $750 limit. I bought $950.88 VGCs at Simon for WM, and used 3 $500 Vanilla VGCs at Frys for a $750 and $745 MO in one txn. There are other grocery stores that have $500 limits but as long as I can get $750 and $950 MOs I wasn’t bothering with $500 MOs.
For Tucson WM's (if you know that is), is it also $950? Just confirming, about to head to my simon mall now.
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Old Feb 21, 2020, 10:19 pm
  #2019  
 
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Chicago Burbs
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Posts: 223
Originally Posted by fearless2357
For Tucson WM's (if you know that is), is it also $950? Just confirming, about to head to my simon mall now.
don’t know about Tucson. I assumed the $950 is an AZ limit.

I’ve started to buy 995.88 or 975.88 Simon cards anyway just to stop buying 999.12 MOs at home.
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Old Feb 22, 2020, 3:28 pm
  #2020  
 
Join Date: Jan 2020
Posts: 57
Accidentally ripped a couple WM MO in half, all the way through.

Is taping them together for deposit ok or do I need to go get them reprinted?
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Old Feb 22, 2020, 3:36 pm
  #2021  
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Indianapolis
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tape them and deposit
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Old Feb 22, 2020, 7:51 pm
  #2022  
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 4,477
Observed an incredible phenomenon today -- 2 WM locations that raised the MO fee to 98c not too long ago dropped the price back to 88c. I would find it highly unlikely that a 10c/$1K increase made a big difference in customer traffic. Perhaps the absence of the newly banned whales did make a difference, and WM mistook that drop in traffic for the resistance to the increased fee.
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Old Feb 22, 2020, 8:41 pm
  #2023  
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 1,727
Originally Posted by mordakky
Accidentally ripped a couple WM MO in half, all the way through.

Is taping them together for deposit ok or do I need to go get them reprinted?
go to bank teller.. no issue
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Old Feb 22, 2020, 8:42 pm
  #2024  
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 1,727
Originally Posted by beast7276
no, pretty sure I didn’t. Kinda hard not to get the point.
obv ya missed it lol
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Old Feb 22, 2020, 8:44 pm
  #2025  
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 1,727
Originally Posted by AzLarry
WM in the Phoenix area is $950 limit, Frys (Kroger) is $750 limit. I bought $950.88 VGCs at Simon for WM, and used 3 $500 Vanilla VGCs at Frys for a $750 and $745 MO in one txn. There are other grocery stores that have $500 limits but as long as I can get $750 and $950 MOs I wasn’t bothering with $500 MOs.
mg vs wu has different MOs
Chelski is offline  


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