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)
Sep 14, 2019, 1:29 pm
#1126
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 38
Instead of a ban, could it be that they have hit a ceiling in purchases for the month? What about trying next month to see if their options have "refreshed"?
Sep 14, 2019, 7:42 pm
#1128
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: USA
Programs: UR and MR
Posts: 88
seems like it's a hit or miss with the need to show my DL with the 999.12 MO purchases. Some places need it and input info on the computer while other places do not. Thinking about buying 999.11 worth at the places that require it...
Sep 14, 2019, 7:50 pm
#1129
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Miami,Fl
Programs: Hertz PC, National Executive Elite, Marriott Platinum, Chase Sapphire Reserve, HH Diamond
Posts: 168
Could this ban be a state thing? which state are most people living in which received a ban?
Sep 14, 2019, 8:54 pm
#1130
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Marriott/SPG Platinum
Posts: 496
People who get banned might be submitted SARs (suspicious activity report) by walmart associates too many times. I noticed one walmart I visited, one walmart associate typed in a lot of info when I just buy 2 MOs with ID, I had to wait for additional 3 minutes, I suspected she was doing SAR on me, then I avoid that walmart for MOs.
Sep 15, 2019, 8:59 am
#1131
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 161
The block is coming from MG, not from WM. It covers both money orders and MG bill payments--CF bill payments aren't affected, showing that WM isn't doing the block, since WM would block those payments too. The block is for transactions that require ID, even if no SSN is required.
Pay no attention to whatever MG tells you if you call and ask. CS people at MG are clueless. They don't know anything about the ban. Some will make up stuff and tell you it's a system glitch, or that you should try a different store, or that WM is doing it so you should check with WM. Don't believe anything they say.
AFAIK, the ban is permanent, across all stores. If you've got alternate IDs, give those a try. But both passports and DLs have your date of birth and name, and that may be enough to block you.
Pay no attention to whatever MG tells you if you call and ask. CS people at MG are clueless. They don't know anything about the ban. Some will make up stuff and tell you it's a system glitch, or that you should try a different store, or that WM is doing it so you should check with WM. Don't believe anything they say.
AFAIK, the ban is permanent, across all stores. If you've got alternate IDs, give those a try. But both passports and DLs have your date of birth and name, and that may be enough to block you.
Also there is a comment a few above yours clearly stating that Walmart admitted to them that it was WM and not MG.
Sep 15, 2019, 9:02 am
#1132
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 161
People who get banned might be submitted SARs (suspicious activity report) by walmart associates too many times. I noticed one walmart I visited, one walmart associate typed in a lot of info when I just buy 2 MOs with ID, I had to wait for additional 3 minutes, I suspected she was doing SAR on me, then I avoid that walmart for MOs.
Sep 15, 2019, 9:24 am
#1134
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 317
I haven't seen any posts anywhere from someone who was banned by MG saying that the ban went away. There are all sorts of reasons why a specific transaction will be denied--but the ban I'm talking about occurs whenever an ID is presented for a moneygram transaction, regardless of store or time of day or recent purchases. Mine has lasted since April. Can you point to a single post anywhere of someone who was banned that says THAT ban went away?
Sep 15, 2019, 9:29 am
#1135
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Marriott/SPG Platinum
Posts: 496
assuming there is a SAR theshold to trigger ban on MO purchase...say 10 times, if 10 SARs cumulatively have been submitted within a period of time on one individual, this person is banned.
Last edited by coolguy100; Sep 15, 2019 at 10:22 am
Sep 15, 2019, 9:32 am
#1136
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 317
Also, SARs require your SSN. If you weren't asked for an SSN, your CSR was NOT filling out a SAR.
Last edited by ogg; Sep 15, 2019 at 9:38 am
Sep 15, 2019, 9:59 am
#1137
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 161
I've seen no evidence that SARs have anything to do with the ban. I'm not sure, but I think the SARs are part of the WM system and aren't sent to MG at all, so any ban from WM would affect CF bps as well.
Also, SARs require your SSN. If you weren't asked for an SSN, your CSR was NOT filling out a SAR.
Also, SARs require your SSN. If you weren't asked for an SSN, your CSR was NOT filling out a SAR.
Sep 15, 2019, 10:02 am
#1138
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 161
No, the post says that MG said WM was responsible. And that means someone at MG gave that response when asked. Ask someone else and you'll get a different response or no response at all--which is my point.
I haven't seen any posts anywhere from someone who was banned by MG saying that the ban went away. There are all sorts of reasons why a specific transaction will be denied--but the ban I'm talking about occurs whenever an ID is presented for a moneygram transaction, regardless of store or time of day or recent purchases. Mine has lasted since April. Can you point to a single post anywhere of someone who was banned that says THAT ban went away?
I haven't seen any posts anywhere from someone who was banned by MG saying that the ban went away. There are all sorts of reasons why a specific transaction will be denied--but the ban I'm talking about occurs whenever an ID is presented for a moneygram transaction, regardless of store or time of day or recent purchases. Mine has lasted since April. Can you point to a single post anywhere of someone who was banned that says THAT ban went away?
I've spoken with multiple people outside FT who've been hit with the ban on a single form of ID, denied at multiple locations, and the ban was gone a week or a month later with no explanation.
Sep 15, 2019, 10:08 am
#1139
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 1,727
Wm does file SARS. The threshold can be as low As $0 if they find something suspicious. Personally speaking, previously they filed every transaction >=$10k. Other locations may not have been as likely to file but at least one I frequented always filed. At least some below $10k were filed as well.
Sep 15, 2019, 10:16 am
#1140
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Miami,Fl
Programs: Hertz PC, National Executive Elite, Marriott Platinum, Chase Sapphire Reserve, HH Diamond
Posts: 168
what is the max value of MO that can be purchased without any form of ID?