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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 Apr 11, 2019, 8:57 pm
  #421  
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The random money service clerk in Ohio has spoken. It’s all over everyone, it was fun while it lasted!
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Old Apr 11, 2019, 9:12 pm
  #422  
 
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Originally Posted by beast7276
The random money service clerk in Ohio has spoken. It’s all over everyone, it was fun while it lasted!
Likewise.... I am hoping it’s just a “random money service clerk in Ohio” thing... will just wait and see I guess
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Old Apr 11, 2019, 9:22 pm
  #423  
 
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Originally Posted by pancakeman27
Personally, I don't see the value of churning 200s, so I always stick to a 2 card limit anyways and go with the 2x500 routine or 1x500-1x300. Anything more just seems cumbersome, and I want to stay as easy and below the radar as possible.
Well.....Staples promos + Office Depot promos + 5 ink cards in the household = too many $200 cards to liquidate
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Old Apr 12, 2019, 12:11 am
  #424  
 
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Originally Posted by OHijAAzi73

Well.....Staples promos + Office Depot promos + 5 ink cards in the household = too many $200 cards to liquidate
i haven't used.my ink.for years. local staples and od are not.MS friendly, only allow buying one.vgc, cant scale up.
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Old Apr 12, 2019, 5:46 am
  #425  
 
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Originally Posted by OHijAAzi73
Guys.... rumor has it that a new limit is coming soon to money orders using debit cards... according to a money service clerk, any similar data points?!

Allegedly the new limits is coming from Money Gram and not Walmart, I was able to do 4x200 still with my favorite guy but another clerk who was next to him mentioned the new limit to him but he didn’t know about it and just ignored her.... for now. So will just wait and see if this virus spread to other Walmarts in my area.... This was in the Buckeyes state.
Some of my WMs do enforce the 2 card limit, some don't.
But then again, some tell me to take a hike when I say "debit card" and others do not.

It could be a MG rule for some sites, and for others it is just a clerk experiencing a power grab seizure and imposing their rules on these purchases. This is why it is always a WMMV event each time you walk into a WM.
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Old Apr 12, 2019, 9:45 am
  #426  
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
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Did 4x$500 this morning, no issues, BAU
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Old Apr 12, 2019, 10:32 am
  #427  
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
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Originally Posted by coolguy100
i haven't used.my ink.for years. local staples and od are not.MS friendly, only allow buying one.vgc, cant scale up.
Staples online $300 vgcs x 6 daily using ink/scp
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Old Apr 12, 2019, 4:32 pm
  #428  
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
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Walmart Terminals Showing Gift Card Notification

Started today as I was purchasing a money order today at Walmart and the friendly cashier said "Gift Card" was displayed on the screen when I used my VGC to pay for the money order. Has anyone else encountered this issue. Tried another WSS in the area and after sliding my VGC cashier asked to check my card and tell me gift cards were not accepted. Has anybody encountered a notification displaying on terminals if a VGC is used starting today?

This would kill GC at every Walmart. This would wipe out almost all MSers at Walmart instantly.

Last edited by businessworkflyer; Apr 12, 2019 at 5:01 pm Reason: Update
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Old Apr 12, 2019, 5:07 pm
  #429  
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
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Just bought mo with a vgc in Walmart, no mention of gift card pop up by cashier, in CA.
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Old Apr 12, 2019, 6:20 pm
  #430  
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 4
Tried 2 WM in my area (North Cali). Both told, no gift cards for MO anymore. I asked one clerk if it was system-wide program change. She said it might go through the system, but the associate would get in trouble for doing it. Seems like WM is enforcing the policy on employee.
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Old Apr 12, 2019, 7:11 pm
  #431  
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
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BAU today at my normal Walmart
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Old Apr 12, 2019, 8:28 pm
  #432  
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
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Originally Posted by businessworkflyer
Started today as I was purchasing a money order today at Walmart and the friendly cashier said "Gift Card" was displayed on the screen when I used my VGC to pay for the money order. Has anyone else encountered this issue. Tried another WSS in the area and after sliding my VGC cashier asked to check my card and tell me gift cards were not accepted. Has anybody encountered a notification displaying on terminals if a VGC is used starting today?

This would kill GC at every Walmart. This would wipe out almost all MSers at Walmart instantly.
this game can die anytime... folks need to have a backup plan.
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Old Apr 12, 2019, 11:49 pm
  #433  
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Titanium, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 69
Originally Posted by businessworkflyer
Started today as I was purchasing a money order today at Walmart and the friendly cashier said "Gift Card" was displayed on the screen when I used my VGC to pay for the money order. Has anyone else encountered this issue.
To get more data points here - what type Vgc did you use? Issued by what bank?

EDIT: I started looking into the posts you had on FT, and it seems you posted on 2018 Walmart MO thread saying Moneygram was going to shut people down and the MO game is going to end soon, and people who buy too much will get flagged by money laundering etc. How come your posts always seem to be about shutdowns and crackdowns that never actually happened in the end?

I literally have bought $8k of MO last week at 4 different stores, no issues at all. But if someone else here on FT can actually independently confirm this has happened to them, please post and clear the air. Otherwise I don't think there is much credibility at all here from a single post, considering your past posts in the WM thread.
rightpin likes this.

Last edited by fearless2357; Apr 13, 2019 at 12:21 am
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Old Apr 13, 2019, 1:42 am
  #434  
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,528
Originally Posted by coffeet
Tried 2 WM in my area (North Cali). Both told, no gift cards for MO anymore. I asked one clerk if it was system-wide program change. She said it might go through the system, but the associate would get in trouble for doing it. Seems like WM is enforcing the policy on employee.
Bay Area? Apparently a few of the Walmarts that were not previously are now cracking down.
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Old Apr 13, 2019, 2:14 pm
  #435  
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Titanium, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 69
Just went to 3 Walmarts in Socal today (outside of metro area) able to unload $1k at each.
fearless2357 is offline  


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