Jan 2, 2019, 9:51 am
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
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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.
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
Buying Money Orders at Walmart (2019 - 2022)
Feb 2, 2019, 9:18 pm
#211
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 12
out of curiosity. Reading the first couple posts from elegua, why is the tone so dark? trying to get a better understanding about this.
it was under my impression that you would simply told "no more" and that'll be the end of it. But there was talk about investigation, laying low, etc.Would you get in big trouble or something for doing this? (MS in general, MO, or GC to MO specifically)
it was under my impression that you would simply told "no more" and that'll be the end of it. But there was talk about investigation, laying low, etc.Would you get in big trouble or something for doing this? (MS in general, MO, or GC to MO specifically)
Feb 3, 2019, 12:37 am
#212
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: NYC
Posts: 25
MG fees for bank issued debit vs non bank issued
I'm just curious why MG cares whether the payments are made with bank issued vs non bank issued debit cards.
do they eat more fees? Is it more prone to risk on their end?
do they eat more fees? Is it more prone to risk on their end?
Feb 3, 2019, 7:29 am
#213
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,528
This is my presumption (although the other parts may be true, too). Prepaid debit cards are not subject to the same fee caps as regular debit cards.
Feb 3, 2019, 1:07 pm
#214
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 1999
Posts: 24,153
Probably a heck of alot more fraud with the non-bank cards or any card w/o a chip. Isnt the issuer responsible if I buy a card yet someone else did something whereby my card is dead and theirs is good and they use, doesnt the issuer have to make good on my card. If a bank card was stolen and somehow you got the pin the bank is responsible but unless a person wrote their pin on their card or someone saw them input their pin or you ran your DC thru a scamming device chances are your bank card will be OK
Feb 4, 2019, 9:43 am
#215
Join Date: May 2017
Programs: Diners Club
Posts: 35
ericdabbs how long did it take for your cards to be unblocked? Who was the backend servicer for your USB cards--is it blackhawk networks?
Feb 4, 2019, 11:27 am
#216
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: The World!!!
Programs: Some of them not all ...
Posts: 1,532
Wow, I can believe people are talking about leaving a survey (positive or negative). I just do not go into that area.
Yes, in OC, i don't even bother trying to get a MO, and I did get at least 10 in the last 10 months. But in my middle of nowhere Wallys, where CSR's seniority ranges from 5 to 15 years, I can even give them the Gebit for them to swipe if the swiping machine on my side is giving me trouble. They don't even look at the card. Good thing Simon VGC can be bought in OC and kept until Middle of nowhere mid west Wally converts them to MOs.
Situation is simple, all people playing this games are usually located in the big 4 metropolitan areas, and all Wally's in North and South Cali, Chicago, DC and NYC surroundings are dead or impossible, or will be in the near future.
Yesterday I pit stop at some Wally s in Louisiana/Alabama while driving towards Florida, and CSR s could not care less about MO at the Money Center via Gebits. So hobby is still well and alive.
Yes, in OC, i don't even bother trying to get a MO, and I did get at least 10 in the last 10 months. But in my middle of nowhere Wallys, where CSR's seniority ranges from 5 to 15 years, I can even give them the Gebit for them to swipe if the swiping machine on my side is giving me trouble. They don't even look at the card. Good thing Simon VGC can be bought in OC and kept until Middle of nowhere mid west Wally converts them to MOs.
Situation is simple, all people playing this games are usually located in the big 4 metropolitan areas, and all Wally's in North and South Cali, Chicago, DC and NYC surroundings are dead or impossible, or will be in the near future.
Yesterday I pit stop at some Wally s in Louisiana/Alabama while driving towards Florida, and CSR s could not care less about MO at the Money Center via Gebits. So hobby is still well and alive.
Feb 4, 2019, 11:52 am
#217
Join Date: May 2016
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Titanium, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 69
This month alone I have done over $40k, $35k in a biz trip to the Midwest, and $5k at home in CA.
Feb 4, 2019, 1:56 pm
#218
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: EWR/PHL/BWI
Posts: 4,412
Exactly right. The people in this thread freaking out about how this will get shutdown are overblowing it. For all other MS things I have done (Paypal MyCash, Vanilla Reloads, Bluebird/Serve) I saw the end before it came, but I don't see this ending. There's just too many Wally's in the world that are left unexploited, and also too many people buying real legit MO's for them not to sell them. Even in the California metro areas (LA, SD, Bay Area) I have been able to unload in $500 increments if I pick my spots right.
This month alone I have done over $40k, $35k in a biz trip to the Midwest, and $5k at home in CA.
This month alone I have done over $40k, $35k in a biz trip to the Midwest, and $5k at home in CA.
Sure, if you live in the remote areas, such as Alabama, Mississippi, Kansas etc, you are in luck. Not many people play MS games there. This is known. We can't move away from metro centers to remote areas just for MSing purpose.
Feb 4, 2019, 6:24 pm
#219
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 12
Speaking of Chicagoland, I figure the game is dead in Cook and DuPage, but has anybody had luck in Will or Kankakee?
Feb 4, 2019, 7:04 pm
#220
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: New York, NY, USA
Programs: UA 1K - 2.1MM, HH LT Diamond, IHG Diamond, Bonvoy LT Titanium, Hyatt Glob
Posts: 766
Feb 4, 2019, 7:38 pm
#221
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: EWR/PHL/BWI
Posts: 4,412
MO or MS is highly location dependent. On the same day, one WM was dead. But another WM just 30 minutes away has the green light on.... You just have to try it.
Feb 5, 2019, 10:00 am
#222
Join Date: May 2016
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Titanium, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 69
Yeah totally agree with you on that - the point was making was it will never be 100% dead. It might be dead in your local metro (like my own in the Bay Area), but there were some people thinking that most to all Wally's would stop allowing gebits for MO's, which I don't think is the case and we won't even get close to that.
Feb 5, 2019, 10:06 am
#223
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 1999
Posts: 24,153
Yeah totally agree with you on that - the point was making was it will never be 100% dead. It might be dead in your local metro (like my own in the Bay Area), but there were some people thinking that most to all Wally's would stop allowing gebits for MO's, which I don't think is the case and we won't even get close to that.
Feb 5, 2019, 10:30 am
#224
Join Date: May 2016
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Titanium, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 69
The gebits people are washing today are sold by a variety of vendors and their isn't an umbrella company like a Vanilla to shut it all down at once. The only thing close to that would be the issuing banks (like Metabank) who so far have not seemed to care at all about this. If the issuing bank shut down their cards, there would be a huge decrease in purchases for the numerous vendors they partner with to sell Metabank issued cards (i.e. Simon Malls being one of them), and they would complain because they actually profit off purchase fees (hence why I receive gifts from vendors when I do MS). Again the Simon Malls cards I am referencing are issued by Metabank, but I am sure you can also get a Metabank card branded with another vendor and so forth. Unless the issuing bank wants to shut it down, I think we are fine, and Metabank has been dealing with this for years now without issue.
Fyi a good amount of Vanillas are Metabank issued, which is an indicator that the issuing bank did not shut down the Vanillas, it likely was Vanilla themselves reaching out to WM or Moneygram.
Feb 5, 2019, 10:38 am
#225
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: EWR/PHL/BWI
Posts: 4,412
WM system shows the VGC or OVGC as "credit" not "debit". I think this may have something to do with the Vanilla reload which was very popular before. I'm not sure since I was not part of it. I'm not sure how the $50 thing works.