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Buying Money Orders at Walmart (2019 - 2022)

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)

Old Oct 30, 2019, 11:30 am
  #1366  
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god i love FT
veeRob likes this.
beast7276 is offline  
Old Oct 30, 2019, 11:36 am
  #1367  
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 213
I still find it shocking that people are doing ".12" money orders. This is not how you fly under radar. Do an even dollar amount and use the 6 cents on the cards for grocery store SCO purchases (regular groceries).
camaross likes this.
alanisrox69 is offline  
Old Oct 30, 2019, 1:05 pm
  #1368  
ogg
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
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Originally Posted by alanisrox69
I still find it shocking that people are doing ".12" money orders. This is not how you fly under radar. Do an even dollar amount and use the 6 cents on the cards for grocery store SCO purchases (regular groceries).
Why is it necessary to "fly under radar"? The random requests for ID have nothing to do with the amount of the money order you're trying to buy. If a CSR doesn't want to sell you a money order, I doubt that depends on the amount either.
cuthroat likes this.
ogg is offline  
Old Oct 30, 2019, 1:27 pm
  #1369  
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Originally Posted by alanisrox69
I still find it shocking that people are doing ".12" money orders. This is not how you fly under radar. Do an even dollar amount and use the 6 cents on the cards for grocery store SCO purchases (regular groceries).
Like I said before - just keep 'em coming. I'm truly entertained!
beast7276 is offline  
Old Oct 30, 2019, 1:29 pm
  #1370  
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
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Originally Posted by alanisrox69
I still find it shocking that people are doing ".12" money orders. This is not how you fly under radar. Do an even dollar amount and use the 6 cents on the cards for grocery store SCO purchases (regular groceries).
I don't feel any need to fly under the radar. The cashiers at my WM all know me and know what I'm doing.
ChrisFlyer66 is offline  
Old Oct 30, 2019, 1:56 pm
  #1371  
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Originally Posted by ogg
Why is it necessary to "fly under radar"? The random requests for ID have nothing to do with the amount of the money order you're trying to buy. If a CSR doesn't want to sell you a money order, I doubt that depends on the amount either.
I found when the total is exactly $500 or $1000 that the csr will ask to see the card before allowing the transaction to go thru, nothing to do with having to show ID. However whenever I ask for an MO where it wont end up in a 00 total it looks alot more legit and as of yet havent been asked to show the card.

card gets drain when I make a legit purchase, so not much of a loss pts wise
craz is offline  
Old Oct 30, 2019, 1:56 pm
  #1372  
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 239
I think the issue of flying under the radar isn't just on a personal level, but it draws attention to the whole MS/MO system. It raises suspicions when people are constantly getting odd money orders for $XXX.12 instead of a normal, say, $800 or $950. Not sure if it has any real effect, but the last thing anybody wants is WM looking into it and limiting MO to something like $100 or $200.
History05 is offline  
Old Oct 30, 2019, 2:24 pm
  #1373  
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
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Originally Posted by History05
I think the issue of flying under the radar isn't just on a personal level, but it draws attention to the whole MS/MO system. It raises suspicions when people are constantly getting odd money orders for $XXX.12 instead of a normal, say, $800 or $950. Not sure if it has any real effect, but the last thing anybody wants is WM looking into it and limiting MO to something like $100 or $200.
It has no effect. I am sure the latest MG block was more of not the amount of each MO was being bought but the total amount in 1 transaction was being bought. I have no doubt that the Simon VGC effect since mid July has definitely elevated the MO numbers being issued and is being watched.
ericdabbs is offline  
Old Oct 30, 2019, 2:48 pm
  #1374  
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
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Originally Posted by ericdabbs
I have no doubt that the Simon VGC effect since mid July has definitely elevated the MO numbers being issued and is being watched.
agreeed...a lot of new guys has been getting into this hobby...using a simple 2% cash back can be lucrative..$300 profit for 20k simon VGC.
coolguy100 is offline  
Old Oct 30, 2019, 3:49 pm
  #1375  
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: DFW
Posts: 454
Originally Posted by cheaptimesharetraveler
I hope everyone is wrong about WalMart stopping money order sales by ID'ing everyone and looking at the debit card. I do have one WalMart that suddenly wouldn't help me at all with buying a money order for $899.12, but they helped my husband when he went in, and that is just not okay. I find that the middle-aged women can be quite rude to other women. The rest of our WalMart stores have been okay so far. We have four go-to and used to have five. This is the suburbs of Denver. One store didn't sell us money orders and then started selling them to us after a while. I think a different person started running that department. We do less than $10k per month, and really a lot less lately because it's just harder to go that many times.

I might still get by with this at our local Kroger (King Soopers), but maybe we would have to do $300 at a time. That would be ridiculous.
The issue is not that they are going to check your ID - a lot of us have names on the cards we're using anyway - which would make them valid to be used - the issue is that if you do $150 dollar MO, now you have $7850 left. And once you do a $1000 MO, now you have $6850 left. Once you are down to zero, you are blocked from doing more than a $100 MO (if that part of the training is accurate) for the rest of the rolling 30 day period. This will be catastrophic to many people who have friendly Walmarts - because it will no longer be employee/manager discretion.
horseymen is offline  
Old Oct 30, 2019, 4:58 pm
  #1376  
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
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Today the money order fee at my local WM was $1. Sad.
Steelcurtain is offline  
Old Oct 30, 2019, 5:25 pm
  #1377  
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
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Originally Posted by horseymen
The issue is not that they are going to check your ID - a lot of us have names on the cards we're using anyway - which would make them valid to be used - the issue is that if you do $150 dollar MO, now you have $7850 left. And once you do a $1000 MO, now you have $6850 left. Once you are down to zero, you are blocked from doing more than a $100 MO (if that part of the training is accurate) for the rest of the rolling 30 day period. This will be catastrophic to many people who have friendly Walmarts - because it will no longer be employee/manager discretion.
Even if you don't care about the $8k limit, who is to say they won't one day decide that everybody doing over $4k/mo should be banned?
nall is offline  
Old Oct 30, 2019, 6:27 pm
  #1378  
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 299
well BAU at 4PM in my 2WM. (CT) 2 999.12 MO at WM #1 and 2 999.12 MO at WM # 2. Fee still .88. Im draining my last 4 tomorrow and wait to see what happens. Have not bought VGC for the past 7 days via grocery or GCM. Was planning on the S&S MCGC 2x gas points deal starting Fri since I can liquidate at Grocery..but post on DOC today speaks about MCGC fraud. Quandry. But I could buy VGC and just liquidate up to 8k and be out of biz for a month at WM. Keep tuned.
barrytuneup is offline  
Old Oct 30, 2019, 6:32 pm
  #1379  
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 299
also if this goes into effect.. SUB will be so hard to do and GCM and GC.com and grocery stores will feel the loss of biz. Who else buys 500.00 GC? i figure MG does not make anything on these MO so they can do this. Am I wrong.? Ill be glad to get 8k monthly but will lose 75% of my earnings. And Acme grocery will probably not want to do the volume I lose from WM.
barrytuneup is offline  
Old Oct 30, 2019, 8:24 pm
  #1380  
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 2,805
Originally Posted by Steelcurtain
Today the money order fee at my local WM was $1. Sad.
You are depressed over a 12-cent increase???

It actually simplifies M.O. purchases.
Steve in Olympia is offline  

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