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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 Nov 16, 2020, 6:06 pm
  #2731  
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: DCA
Posts: 818
Used 4x500 Greendots for 2x999.12 MOs last night at my regular WM (1 card initially declined but I swiped the other 3 and reattempted it and it went through - def gave me some heartburn though!). Tonight their MO machine was down but so far it appears that Greendot VGCs are safe for now.
bodiddely is offline  
Old Nov 16, 2020, 6:06 pm
  #2732  
 
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 170
Originally Posted by Steve in Olympia
I had no problem this afternoon (Monday) converting four $200 OM/OD VGCs into a $800 MO at my local WMNM.
Seems like the gist of things, is it's no longer a free for all. It's strictly YMMV by location. There is clearly some POS differences that lead to the differences in behaviour.
Steve in Olympia likes this.
CerealCardSpender is offline  
Old Nov 16, 2020, 6:42 pm
  #2733  
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 239
Originally Posted by littlewinglet
Frontier the airline? Funny you mention this DP. Once again off Reddit, someone had failures paying car load and car insurance. Called blackhawk to find out they somehow think those are money-back style transactions and are blocking them. This is getting weird.
Seems a bit like Blackhawk is all over the place now.
History05 is offline  
Old Nov 16, 2020, 6:44 pm
  #2734  
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 129
I also had issues paying an insurance bill recently with a Metabank VGC. I was very confused. It was my State Farm Auto payment, FWIW. I had split the payment specifically to put it on 2 debit cards, I didn't have a problem with the first payment a few months ago.
Tectomoc is offline  
Old Nov 16, 2020, 6:47 pm
  #2735  
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Marriott Titanium, Radisson Gold, Hyatt Globalist, M life Gold, IHG Spire
Posts: 918
I haven't heard any DPs on Netspend cards. Anyone know? I assume since Netspend is another Metabank label that it would be blocked like the other Metas.

Originally Posted by gw14
Not a WM DP. But just tried paying Frontier with a MB $500 MCGC and a MB $200 MCGC and if failed multiple times. Tried a MB $200 VGC and it worked 1st try.
Just to give y'all another data point, I just used a BHN MCGC to pay my Sprint PCS bill, and it went through no problem.
jn in ca is offline  
Old Nov 16, 2020, 8:58 pm
  #2736  
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 37
Walmart and Meta Bank Visa GC's

Went to WM tonight to try and flip a couple of $200 GC's I bought at Office Depot. Had been reading accounts of WM now declining (via hard code) these gift cards I have been flipping for years that I bought at STaples or Office Depot. Indeed, they would not process and got error message. Bummer. I will try another Walmart tomorrow, but doubt it will work. Grocery stores around here are not hard coded but the clerks are now trained to ask for ID and to actually see the card to ensure that it is a real bank issued debit card. I am running out of outlets to flip Gift Cards. Any ideas?
topenga47 is offline  
Old Nov 16, 2020, 9:14 pm
  #2737  
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: BOS
Posts: 550
Originally Posted by topenga47
Went to WM tonight to try and flip a couple of $200 GC's I bought at Office Depot. Had been reading accounts of WM now declining (via hard code) these gift cards I have been flipping for years that I bought at STaples or Office Depot. Indeed, they would not process and got error message. Bummer. I will try another Walmart tomorrow, but doubt it will work. Grocery stores around here are not hard coded but the clerks are now trained to ask for ID and to actually see the card to ensure that it is a real bank issued debit card. I am running out of outlets to flip Gift Cards. Any ideas?
What amount per card?
DiMAn0684 is offline  
Old Nov 16, 2020, 9:53 pm
  #2738  
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Seattle
Programs: United Gold, Delta Silver, SPG Gold
Posts: 81
Steve, are you in Olympia WA? I live in north a Seattle and all the ones I have visited recently have declined.
tksr80 is offline  
Old Nov 17, 2020, 3:50 am
  #2739  
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 375
I bought a $395.12 MO with 4 swipes of $99 from 2 $200 VGCs bought at OM. With $1 left on each VGC, I plan on doing reloads on Amazon.
With my Freedoms, I am buying 2 $500 WMT VGCs (Green Dot) and am able to buy $999.12 MOs.
Chasepoints is offline  
Old Nov 17, 2020, 10:18 am
  #2740  
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Programs: DL, WoH
Posts: 1,253
Just went to walmart MC with US bank cards. Tender not allowed... Uh....is this the end?
ricohitman is offline  
Old Nov 17, 2020, 10:20 am
  #2741  
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 348
Originally Posted by ricohitman
Just went to walmart MC with US bank cards. Tender not allowed... Uh....is this the end?
Game over.
THEsocalledfan likes this.
Flyby01 is offline  
Old Nov 17, 2020, 10:31 am
  #2742  
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Programs: DL, WoH
Posts: 1,253
Originally Posted by Flyby01
Game over.
We need more datapoints. Could be a fluke, but if this is permanent. My volume is destroyed. The card worked a walmart cashier for a serve load. Something has been coded for the Money Center.
ricohitman is offline  
Old Nov 17, 2020, 10:35 am
  #2743  
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Programs: All of them
Posts: 1,664
Originally Posted by ricohitman
Just went to walmart MC with US bank cards. Tender not allowed... Uh....is this the end?
Tender not allowed is different from the various error codes we got. This type of error happens when it's trying to process as credit.
littlewinglet is offline  
Old Nov 17, 2020, 10:37 am
  #2744  
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Programs: DL, WoH
Posts: 1,253
Originally Posted by littlewinglet
Tender not allowed is different from the various error codes we got. This type of error happens when it's trying to process as credit.
I entered correct pin number. So again could have been a fluke. I will reset pin and try again later on some other cards i have.
ricohitman is offline  
Old Nov 17, 2020, 10:40 am
  #2745  
 
Join Date: Nov 2020
Posts: 7
I just tried buying a $500 MO with Metabank (Simon gift card) at two Walmarts and no go. Declined.

Plano, TX.

first attempt at this lol Any help would be appreciated.
greatview1 is offline  


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