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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 Jan 8, 2019, 6:09 pm
  #46  
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 299
Originally Posted by barrytuneup
WM employees will not do a job of a detective for the the wages they pay. !! I think the OP is full of it!!
original poster is elegua. Not mamibear
barrytuneup is offline  
Old Jan 8, 2019, 6:14 pm
  #47  
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 299
Originally Posted by knopfler
I would estimate $10k a week on average for about a year. I deposited other stuff like a portion of my paycheck, paypal deposits, some cash here and there. But MO's were the largest percentage of my deposits by far.
I can list banks in NY CT Upstate NY that have no problem with 1500 MO deposits weekly going on 4.5 years..Santander/HSBC/MTB/Key/Popular/WF/TD.. and all can be done at ATM..except for HSBC.. Their ATM doesn't read the WM MO. Have to go to teller and still OK.One time got a call (2 years ago) from the higher ups at TD. They wanted to know how I get all these MO. Told him the truth..VGC..WM.Said he is satisfied and that was 2 years ago. AOK.
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Old Jan 8, 2019, 6:15 pm
  #48  
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 1,727
Originally Posted by barrytuneup
original poster is elegua. Not mamibear
my primary WM told me today there is a memo that no mo starting Jan 1 2020 and another for 2021 and 2022.. you heard it here first ,, the sky is falling
cruisr likes this.
Chelski is offline  
Old Jan 8, 2019, 6:17 pm
  #49  
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 1,727
Originally Posted by Billy Mumphrey
It's been a while since I've tried a Walmart in NoVa, but anyone know if the Tysons/Vienna and Fairfax locations are selling MOs again?
isn’t Tyson’s unlimited?
Chelski is offline  
Old Jan 8, 2019, 9:12 pm
  #50  
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 47
Any insight of what cards i can buy from drugstore that will liquidate easily at WM? I am trying to take advantage of the CF Q1 category and I have been looking around cvs/walgreen stores but they're mostly vanillas.
pao2dapao is offline  
Old Jan 8, 2019, 9:37 pm
  #51  
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 92
Originally Posted by pao2dapao
Any insight of what cards i can buy from drugstore that will liquidate easily at WM? I am trying to take advantage of the CF Q1 category and I have been looking around cvs/walgreen stores but they're mostly vanillas.
National drugstore chains are mostly locked into InComm's Vanilla products. So you either need a local drugstore chain with different GCs or a place that will take Vanillas for MOs.
briang191 and cuthroat like this.
noassumptions is offline  
Old Jan 9, 2019, 7:02 am
  #52  
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 31
Just an update to my WM BAU upstate NY. Finally did more than 998.12. Asked for ID. Manual type in, no SSN. Not sure address was listed, decent length name didn't take her long. All previous trips since reported here 1k+ requires ID have been less than 1k. Figured I'd try one over just once, couldn't hurt.
Dardack is offline  
Old Jan 9, 2019, 7:03 am
  #53  
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 31
Originally Posted by pao2dapao
Any insight of what cards i can buy from drugstore that will liquidate easily at WM? I am trying to take advantage of the CF Q1 category and I have been looking around cvs/walgreen stores but they're mostly vanillas.
You can liquidate OneVGC at WM if BB/Serve reload at this time.
Dardack is offline  
Old Jan 9, 2019, 7:49 am
  #54  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 198
Originally Posted by Dardack
Just an update to my WM BAU upstate NY. Finally did more than 998.12. Asked for ID. Manual type in, no SSN. Not sure address was listed, decent length name didn't take her long. All previous trips since reported here 1k+ requires ID have been less than 1k. Figured I'd try one over just once, couldn't hurt.
Thank you for providing us with this very helpful datapoint. I'm happy to know that the nationwide roll out of ID above 1k also applies to your store.
beast7276 is offline  
Old Jan 9, 2019, 8:04 am
  #55  
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 3,688
Originally Posted by pao2dapao
Any insight of what cards i can buy from drugstore that will liquidate easily at WM?
If you have S and/or BB cards, you can test if they work at YOUR WM to load either of the two axp prepaids. They won't work to buy MOs or load to other prepaid reloadables. Do not ask the associate, just swipe the vanilla to load the axp prepaid and see if it drains without even asking for PIN. This works ONLY at select WMs that's why you have to try it at your WMs first.
Mamibear is offline  
Old Jan 9, 2019, 9:39 am
  #56  
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 47
Originally Posted by Dardack
You can liquidate OneVGC at WM if BB/Serve reload at this time.
thx. time to hop back on again with serve
pao2dapao is offline  
Old Jan 9, 2019, 1:12 pm
  #57  
 
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 30
Originally Posted by Chelski

isn’t Tyson’s unlimited?
Hasn't been unlimited for probably 4-6 months?
thedealkiller is offline  
Old Jan 9, 2019, 2:44 pm
  #58  
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Northeastern United States
Posts: 592
Originally Posted by barrytuneup
I can list banks in NY CT Upstate NY that have no problem with 1500 MO deposits weekly going on 4.5 years..Santander/HSBC/MTB/Key/Popular/WF/TD.. and all can be done at ATM..except for HSBC.. Their ATM doesn't read the WM MO. Have to go to teller and still OK.One time got a call (2 years ago) from the higher ups at TD. They wanted to know how I get all these MO. Told him the truth..VGC..WM.Said he is satisfied and that was 2 years ago. AOK.
I've had the same experience at TD. Started pushing volume about six months after opening my account and got a call asking about the large amiunt of MO deposits. Told the truth and they said they'd let the branch manager know and I've never heard anything else about it even though I push double or more what I did back then. Great bank for MS IME.
Prometheus77 is offline  
Old Jan 9, 2019, 3:25 pm
  #59  
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 3,496
Any one have any issue with unloading USB VGCs today? I tried with 3 different cards and I am getting the "unable to debit transaction" message. Am in the SoCal area.
ericdabbs is online now  
Old Jan 9, 2019, 6:09 pm
  #60  
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Programs: Lots
Posts: 320
Originally Posted by thedealkiller
Hasn't been unlimited for probably 4-6 months?
Are they even back to allowing it? Haven't been back there since the end of 2017 when they shut it down.
devastitis is offline  

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