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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 Oct 28, 2019, 5:45 am
  #1351  
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 2,947
Originally Posted by ogg
What? Is that a recent change? I always have had to change product type to debit if using any MC card.
Shoot! I misread the original post. The visa will work fine, but yes, you need to use the workaround on the MasterCard. Sorry about that.
TTT103 is offline  
Old Oct 28, 2019, 8:36 pm
  #1352  
 
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: 4,550
Back home from Las Vegas. BAU at my very friendly WM. No ID's <$1K, $0.88 fee.
redtop43 is offline  
Old Oct 28, 2019, 9:54 pm
  #1353  
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Titanium, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 69
In Phoenix area, one WM had it at $1, the other at .88. Will be hitting more WM's this week on my work trip and have more datapoints..
fearless2357 is offline  
Old Oct 29, 2019, 10:34 am
  #1354  
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 48
Originally Posted by fearless2357
In Phoenix area, one WM had it at $1, the other at .88. Will be hitting more WM's this week on my work trip and have more datapoints..
My Phoenix WM is $0.88
moflyer2k is offline  
Old Oct 29, 2019, 10:35 am
  #1355  
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 3,507
Originally Posted by TTT103
Shoot! I misread the original post. The visa will work fine, but yes, you need to use the workaround on the MasterCard. Sorry about that.
HAHA...looks like someone got a senior moment.
ericdabbs is offline  
Old Oct 29, 2019, 3:51 pm
  #1356  
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 662
Originally Posted by Stivelio
This one is happening for real.
Have you seen this written on paper ?
briang191 is offline  
Old Oct 29, 2019, 4:53 pm
  #1357  
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP. Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,134
Business as usual at the 3 WMs I use within a 10 mile radius of me, fee is still .88. No ID on the two $500 transactions in the last 4 days.

Next time I visit I'll find a way to sneak in a question about the rumor on fees going up. Although even if it is .98 its not a big deal to me. Just a cost of playing the game IMHO.
gmt4 is offline  
Old Oct 29, 2019, 4:58 pm
  #1358  
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 299
I guess this forum will be jumping after midnight 10/31
barrytuneup is offline  
Old Oct 29, 2019, 5:45 pm
  #1359  
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Programs: All of them
Posts: 1,664
My CSRs have no recollection of any memos about impending changes, and fee is still 0.68 I'm hoping whatever they're rolling out is just regional in areas with high fraud.
littlewinglet is offline  
Old Oct 29, 2019, 7:25 pm
  #1360  
ogg
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 317
Originally Posted by littlewinglet
My CSRs have no recollection of any memos about impending changes, and fee is still 0.68 I'm hoping whatever they're rolling out is just regional in areas with high fraud.
.68? Where are you located?
ogg is offline  
Old Oct 29, 2019, 7:31 pm
  #1361  
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Programs: All of them
Posts: 1,664
Originally Posted by ogg
.68? Where are you located?
South Texas
littlewinglet is offline  
Old Oct 30, 2019, 6:16 am
  #1362  
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 2,947
Originally Posted by barrytuneup
I guess this forum will be jumping after midnight 10/31
I plan to have drained all gift cards by the 31st just in case.
TTT103 is offline  
Old Oct 30, 2019, 7:20 am
  #1363  
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Marriott/SPG Platinum
Posts: 496
a WM blue vest employee(not yellow vest CSM) told me yesterday a WM CBL(computer based leaning) was saying WM system will eventually only allow monthly 8k MOs and check ID for $100+ MO purchase. when he was talking to me about that CBL , a yellow vest CSM standing next to him was as suprised as I was.
coolguy100 is offline  
Old Oct 30, 2019, 7:30 am
  #1364  
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Programs: All of them
Posts: 1,664
Talking

Originally Posted by coolguy100
a WM blue vest employee(not yellow vest CSM) told me yesterday a WM CBL(computer based leaning) was saying WM system will eventually only allow monthly 8k MOs and check ID for $100+ MO purchase. when he was talking to me about that CBL , a yellow vest CSM standing next to him was as suprised as I was.
Time to short TPG stock. Without easy MS for MSR, his Sapphire peddling business model is doomed.
littlewinglet is offline  
Old Oct 30, 2019, 11:28 am
  #1365  
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Colorado
Programs: Alaska, Shell VC, Wyndham VC, Starwood, RCI, II--I bought it on eBay!
Posts: 159
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.
cheaptimesharetraveler is offline  


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