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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 8, 2019, 10:11 am
  #1456  
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 47
Originally Posted by ChrisFlyer66
I deleted a few posts because this thread was starting to get off track.

hey i know you're in SD and i was talking to the WM csr that we both go to and did they tell you they aren't accepting vgc at the moment? This was just implemented a couple days ago
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Old Nov 8, 2019, 10:15 am
  #1457  
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: SAN
Programs: Delta Gold. Hilton Diamond. Hyatt Explorist.
Posts: 1,677
Originally Posted by viking123
Has anyone been able to buy MO using GCs in San Diego recently (for sure not allowed at two locations)? If so, which Walmart(s)? OK to PM me if preferred.
Originally Posted by pao2dapao
hey i know you're in SD and i was talking to the WM csr that we both go to and did they tell you they aren't accepting vgc at the moment? This was just implemented a couple days ago
I haven't personally talked to the CSR, but I know that all of the Walmarts in San Diego died off in the last few months. It's too bad, because San Diego used to be very MS friendly.
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Old Nov 8, 2019, 10:19 am
  #1458  
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 47
Originally Posted by ChrisFlyer66
. It's too bad, because San Diego used to be very MS friendly.
yeah tough luck, i still have serve so i'll try the regular registers to load
pao2dapao is offline  
Old Nov 8, 2019, 11:59 am
  #1459  
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 299
no changes at my 2 WM upstate NY/CT. did 8k last 3 days with id as usual. skipped 1 day....did another 2k this AM with ID at 1 WM and another 999.00 at 2nd WM with no ID check. So changes have not occured here YET!!!
barrytuneup is offline  
Old Nov 8, 2019, 2:21 pm
  #1460  
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 40
Wmt died.. said over $8k today
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Old Nov 8, 2019, 2:46 pm
  #1461  
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Marriott/SPG Platinum
Posts: 496
Originally Posted by DataPointCharlie
Wmt died.. said over $8k today
system says over 8k per rolling 30 days, then cant sell?

BAU for me....was just in WM.

Last edited by coolguy100; Nov 8, 2019 at 9:17 pm
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Old Nov 9, 2019, 12:41 am
  #1462  
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: PHL (kinda, no airport is really close)
Programs: AA Exp, but not sure for how long. Enterprise Platinum woo-hoo!
Posts: 4,551
Originally Posted by viking123
Sorry for going slightly off topic here:
Now that WM doesn't work anymore (in San Diego) can the GCs be liquidated by paying someone through PayPal (and paying a hefty fee?).
I think that will work, although you might have to register the cards and associate them with a name and address.

You sound like you've been "stuck" with some cards and need an emergency liquidation. Depending on the amount, you can probably use them to pay cable, internet, or wireless bills. You can overpay those in advance too, so if you owe $100 you can still pay $1000 and then you'll have a $900 credit to "work off" over time.

Are you truly dead for all purposes? No billpay? No grocery stores or drug stores or even check cashing type places that will sell MO's?
redtop43 is offline  
Old Nov 9, 2019, 1:32 am
  #1463  
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: SoCal
Posts: 30
Originally Posted by redtop43
Are you truly dead for all purposes? No billpay? No grocery stores or drug stores or even check cashing type places that will sell MO's?
All Grocery stores etc that I have checked only accept cash for MO. I haven't checked check cashing places, but I doubt that they will accept debit cards.
Billpay? I am only aware of WM that accept debit cards for Billpay (e.g. to credit cards). However, not by using GCs anymore in my area - at least not in the few that I have checked. It appears to apply to all San Diego WMs now. It will be interesting to see when it affects other areas of the country.....
I may try GoBank, but the few WM that I have asked also don't accept GC loads
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Old Nov 10, 2019, 3:28 pm
  #1464  
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Marriott/SPG Platinum
Posts: 496
so no news is good news lately
coolguy100 is offline  
Old Nov 10, 2019, 3:35 pm
  #1465  
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 18
My friendly WM already here is still going. Still 88c, ID on split transactions. Only done 2k each time recently since I don't recognize the cashiers but haven't had any issues at all.
yaji is offline  
Old Nov 10, 2019, 5:45 pm
  #1466  
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 692
Originally Posted by viking123
All Grocery stores etc that I have checked only accept cash for MO. I haven't checked check cashing places, but I doubt that they will accept debit cards.
Billpay? I am only aware of WM that accept debit cards for Billpay (e.g. to credit cards). However, not by using GCs anymore in my area - at least not in the few that I have checked. It appears to apply to all San Diego WMs now. It will be interesting to see when it affects other areas of the country.....
I may try GoBank, but the few WM that I have asked also don't accept GC loads
It’s not going to be a nation wide policy it’s specific to those stores. SoCal is a fraud heavy zone so they probably got sick of dealing with it. Two years ago most WM in SD were dead but they came back to life.


Also check your PM’s
compddd is offline  
Old Nov 10, 2019, 6:41 pm
  #1467  
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Programs: Amtrak Guest Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest, Marriott Rewards, Hilton Honors
Posts: 255
New DP: An old hag CSR at an NJ Wal-Mart angrily denied use of 2x$200 Staples VGCs for a M.O. She made it a point to state they were gift cards, did not have my name on them, and insisted the system would reject them. I asked another employee before I left and they basically said the same thing - "it's our policy to not accept those cards."
deker0 is offline  
Old Nov 10, 2019, 9:51 pm
  #1468  
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 4,477
Originally Posted by deker0
... I asked another employee before I left ...
Sooner or later we'll all be tempted to say or do something before leaving WM. It's best to do none of those things.

Last edited by MaxVO; Nov 10, 2019 at 10:01 pm
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Old Nov 10, 2019, 10:00 pm
  #1469  
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Programs: Amtrak Guest Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest, Marriott Rewards, Hilton Honors
Posts: 255
Originally Posted by MaxVO
Sooner or later we'll all be tempted to say or do something before leaving WM. It's probably best not to do any of those things.
Yeah, that's true. Old hag was on a power trip, so I just wanted to be sure that she was giving the actual store policy.
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Old Nov 11, 2019, 5:34 am
  #1470  
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 2,951
Originally Posted by deker0
An old hag CSR...
I've had many frustrating experiences at WM, but remember that many of the older associates are working because they have to--not because they want to. Yes, it's New Jersey, but still not a valid reason.
Happy, ck8, cuthroat and 1 others like this.
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