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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 Jan 25, 2019, 11:13 am
  #181  
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Originally Posted by fearless2357
Socal has some spots that still work for me, and I buy $1k at them. Mostly outside the main LA metro area. A couple in SD also still work for me. Try and hit Walmarts where travel hackers don't live nearby and they definitely still work.
Problem when you live in OC
Thing is, it is SO easy for me to buy MO in the Middle of Nowhere Mid West, I really don't even want to try in SoCal ... but good to know there are some spots left in this amazing State.
carlitos is offline  
Old Jan 26, 2019, 11:55 am
  #182  
 
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Max of 4 cards per transaction.
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Old Jan 27, 2019, 2:56 pm
  #183  
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
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Forgive my ignorance, but why is it bad to have to show your ID when purchasing a MO ad Wally?
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Old Jan 27, 2019, 7:23 pm
  #184  
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Originally Posted by Morkai
Forgive my ignorance, but why is it bad to have to show your ID when purchasing a MO ad Wally?
Because this practice is considered bad with the general public.... So you want to hide yourself as much as you can. I'll consider to cover my face with red paint etc....
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Old Jan 27, 2019, 9:20 pm
  #185  
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
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Originally Posted by Morkai
Forgive my ignorance, but why is it bad to have to show your ID when purchasing a MO ad Wally?
It is not inherently bad. Some folks are more uptight over privacy than others, or worried that the database might be used to track (and ban) the heavy hitters. To each his own......
Steve in Olympia is offline  
Old Jan 27, 2019, 11:15 pm
  #186  
 
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Nothing bad or wrong with it, whenever I buy $2000+ they request my DL.
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Old Jan 28, 2019, 1:15 am
  #187  
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
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We all have receipts/proof the cards we are using are ours and not stolen so I am fine showing my DL for 20-30K a month. We are buying points the creative way for less money.
Travelz is offline  
Old Jan 28, 2019, 10:51 am
  #188  
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
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Originally Posted by Morkai
Forgive my ignorance, but why is it bad to have to show your ID when purchasing a MO ad Wally?
My main beef is the time it takes for them to key in the information -- these people are not the brightest tacks in the box, show them an out-of-state DL and their heads practically explode. Too bad WM can't/won't optically scan DL like CVS.
farwest101 likes this.
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Old Jan 28, 2019, 11:10 am
  #189  
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
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Originally Posted by tuphat
My main beef is the time it takes for them to key in the information -- these people are not the brightest tacks in the box, show them an out-of-state DL and their heads practically explode. Too bad WM can't/won't optically scan DL like CVS.
AGREED!! If they could scan my ID or some kind of Walmart loyalty card, everything would go faster for everyone!
gm9928 is offline  
Old Jan 28, 2019, 11:29 am
  #190  
 
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 1
cards drained but not refilled

Hi guys, I know I have seen this situation covered but I can't find the post.
I purchased MO for 799.12, swiped 3x$200 no problem, 4th card would not swipe. Declined as "not authorized" even though they are all identical metabank VGC.
CSR cancelled the transaction. She said the cards would not be charged since she never completed the transaction. Here's where I screwed up: I believed her.
She also said there was no receipt to give.
So I walked out of the store.
Now as you can imagine I have 3 drained cards and no MO.
What to do now? Its been 24 hours. Do I call the store up?
kilbus is offline  
Old Jan 28, 2019, 12:53 pm
  #191  
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: DFW
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Originally Posted by tuphat
My main beef is the time it takes for them to key in the information -- these people are not the brightest tacks in the box, show them an out-of-state DL and their heads practically explode. Too bad WM can't/won't optically scan DL like CVS.
That is my #1 issue as well. However, a close #2 is that Target's customer database was hacked not too long ago and many customers information was stolen and sold. If they are hacking Target, I'm pretty sure they are trying to hack Walmart as well. It's not quite as much of a concern now since they stopped asking for SSN, but still the less personal info you have out there the better in my opinion.
knopfler is offline  
Old Jan 28, 2019, 12:56 pm
  #192  
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: DFW
Posts: 684
Originally Posted by kilbus
Hi guys, I know I have seen this situation covered but I can't find the post.
I purchased MO for 799.12, swiped 3x$200 no problem, 4th card would not swipe. Declined as "not authorized" even though they are all identical metabank VGC.
CSR cancelled the transaction. She said the cards would not be charged since she never completed the transaction. Here's where I screwed up: I believed her.
She also said there was no receipt to give.
So I walked out of the store.
Now as you can imagine I have 3 drained cards and no MO.
What to do now? Its been 24 hours. Do I call the store up?
You should be good if the transaction was cancelled before the entire amount was paid for. The money is usually back on the cards in less than 24 hours, however I have had one occurrence of this where it took 3-4 days for the money to go back on the cards.
farwest101 likes this.
knopfler is offline  
Old Jan 28, 2019, 1:38 pm
  #193  
 
Join Date: May 2015
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Posts: 1,933
Originally Posted by tuphat
My main beef is the time it takes for them to key in the information -- these people are not the brightest tacks in the box, show them an out-of-state DL and their heads practically explode. Too bad WM can't/won't optically scan DL like CVS.
Get your MO at CVS then, why ..... about here. Problem solved.
mhdena is online now  
Old Jan 28, 2019, 1:57 pm
  #194  
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 483
It would be great if they could create staging for MO in the App like BP, then we could use the fast lane!
Travelz is offline  
Old Jan 30, 2019, 5:41 pm
  #195  
 
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 12
Originally Posted by carlitos
Problem when you live in OC
Thing is, it is SO easy for me to buy MO in the Middle of Nowhere Mid West, I really don't even want to try in SoCal ... but good to know there are some spots left in this amazing State.
So true - here in OC, I get carded for amounts less than $500. Needless to say, I get shot down every time. I thought that dressing in better clothes might help, but that didn't do a bit of difference.
Surely there can be a compromise somewhere. I'm not against showing my ID if it meant that I could drain those gebits. If showing ID is good enough for the DEA to curb methamphetamine manufacturing when buying Sudafed, couldn't the same rules apply for MOs and gebits?
GeneralKrull is offline  


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