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
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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)
Dec 5, 2020, 8:42 am
#2911
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Hopkinton, MA
Posts: 232
2 WM attempts failed resulting in "debit card declined. Use another funding method". Bellingham, MA and Hudson, MA. Meta $500 Visa cards. Got all the way to pin before message came up. CSR said GCs won't work anymore at Hudson. I was trying to get a $499 MO with a single $500 card.
Dec 5, 2020, 9:43 am
#2912
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,061
1-swipe $200 everywhere vgc still worked (loading to gobank) for me at MC
Dec 5, 2020, 9:52 am
#2913
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 37
What I glean from all these posts regarding the $200 Metabank Visa Cards from Staples and getting money orders at Walmart is the following: You have to limit them to $99 and they will go through.....maybe with 2 swipes before they go through.
I guess I am going to have to experiment again. My two main grocery outlets in my area have become a no go lately as they are checking all cards as they are onto this game I guess. They say it is to reduce fraud.
I am running out of places to liquidate.
I guess I am going to have to experiment again. My two main grocery outlets in my area have become a no go lately as they are checking all cards as they are onto this game I guess. They say it is to reduce fraud.
I am running out of places to liquidate.
Dec 5, 2020, 10:02 am
#2914
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,061
What I glean from all these posts regarding the $200 Metabank Visa Cards from Staples and getting money orders at Walmart is the following: You have to limit them to $99 and they will go through.....maybe with 2 swipes before they go through.
I guess I am going to have to experiment again. My two main grocery outlets in my area have become a no go lately as they are checking all cards as they are onto this game I guess. They say it is to reduce fraud.
I am running out of places to liquidate.
I guess I am going to have to experiment again. My two main grocery outlets in my area have become a no go lately as they are checking all cards as they are onto this game I guess. They say it is to reduce fraud.
I am running out of places to liquidate.
Dec 5, 2020, 10:22 am
#2915
Join Date: Mar 2020
Posts: 3
Man then how did loading BB or buy MO's ever work!!! My point of Meta closing loop holes still stands.
Dec 5, 2020, 3:32 pm
#2916
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 168
What I glean from all these posts regarding the $200 Metabank Visa Cards from Staples and getting money orders at Walmart is the following: You have to limit them to $99 and they will go through.....maybe with 2 swipes before they go through.
I guess I am going to have to experiment again. My two main grocery outlets in my area have become a no go lately as they are checking all cards as they are onto this game I guess. They say it is to reduce fraud.
I am running out of places to liquidate.
I guess I am going to have to experiment again. My two main grocery outlets in my area have become a no go lately as they are checking all cards as they are onto this game I guess. They say it is to reduce fraud.
I am running out of places to liquidate.
Dec 5, 2020, 8:11 pm
#2917
Join Date: May 2019
Programs: AA EXP, UA 1K, Hilton Diamond, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium Elite, Hyatt Lifetime Globalist
Posts: 453
They are not filing a SAR unless they know you and you are a whale. FinCen doesn't care about a few thousand in money orders per month. $15‐20K per month, yeah possibly, but even that is noise for them.
Dec 6, 2020, 7:14 am
#2918
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: Continental Onepass, Hilton, Marriott, USAir and now UA
Posts: 6,442
When enough information is obtained, they may start the MO process by demanding ID and then regulating (translation..denying) the specific purchaser's ability to obtain MOs.
At this point, I am doing nothing to attract the attention of any CSR. This hobby is becoming much more difficult and I don't want to "enhance" that difficulty any further
Dec 6, 2020, 8:30 am
#2919
Join Date: Nov 2020
Posts: 82
Went to buy 2 MOs @ WM today with two $500 USB VGCs. The CSR who has helped me out many times before asked for ID and said there was a POS update overnight, which prompted the ID check. Anyone else experience this today?
Dec 6, 2020, 2:41 pm
#2920
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: Continental Onepass, Hilton, Marriott, USAir and now UA
Posts: 6,442
If what you were doing was the latter, then there is nothing new here. WM routinely asks for ID on $1000 and up MO purchases.
If you were doing the former, then perhaps your specific WM has a rule that anyone purchasing an aggregate of MOs > $1000 needs ID. For the life of me, I cannot fathom why you would spend another MO fee to buy $500 MOs, unless it was your way of avoiding the ID game (which is now, obviously, mute
)
Dec 6, 2020, 3:05 pm
#2921
Join Date: Nov 2020
Posts: 82
From what you wrote, were you buying 2 $500 MOs rather than 1 $1000 MO?
If what you were doing was the latter, then there is nothing new here. WM routinely asks for ID on $1000 and up MO purchases.
If you were doing the former, then perhaps your specific WM has a rule that anyone purchasing an aggregate of MOs > $1000 needs ID. For the life of me, I cannot fathom why you would spend another MO fee to buy $500 MOs, unless it was your way of avoiding the ID game (which is now, obviously, mute)
If what you were doing was the latter, then there is nothing new here. WM routinely asks for ID on $1000 and up MO purchases.
If you were doing the former, then perhaps your specific WM has a rule that anyone purchasing an aggregate of MOs > $1000 needs ID. For the life of me, I cannot fathom why you would spend another MO fee to buy $500 MOs, unless it was your way of avoiding the ID game (which is now, obviously, mute
)In AZ, max MO is $950, so when I have $500 VGCs, I just get two
Dec 6, 2020, 3:06 pm
#2922
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 2,949
On a completely different note, does anyone know if gebits auto drain on the self checkouts at WM? I have a stack from the last year that have small amounts on them.
Dec 6, 2020, 3:24 pm
#2923
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: Continental Onepass, Hilton, Marriott, USAir and now UA
Posts: 6,442
You need to know how much is on each card that you are draining at WM
You might do better to go to a grocery store to drain cards without having to look up each one's residual value.
Dec 7, 2020, 8:43 am
#2925
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 239