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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 23, 2020, 3:35 pm
  #1891  
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: SoCal
Posts: 175
Update: I checked my receipts. The store that is now charging $1.00 for MOs is located at 14501 Lakewood Blvd. in Paramount, CA.
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Old Jan 23, 2020, 4:29 pm
  #1892  
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Originally Posted by strummerjones
Update: I checked my receipts. The store that is now charging $1.00 for MOs is located at 14501 Lakewood Blvd. in Paramount, CA.

Down MIA way last month 1 was $.98 and 1 was $.68 the rest $.88

Yet the other week in SoCal all 11 places out there I hit was $.88

Last edited by craz; Jan 23, 2020 at 4:35 pm
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Old Jan 23, 2020, 4:34 pm
  #1893  
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Originally Posted by ogg
Look, it's a glitch in processing--just like that occasional glitch you see when a gebit runs as a credit card for billpay or MO and actually gets approved, so a small slip spits out that you have to sign because it was a charge, not a debit. It can happen with a single card and not split payments also, although you're more likely to see it with split payments since there are more cards used in a transaction than one, increasingly the likelihood of this problem occurring.

It's been meaningless for my transactions. The CSRs have never said anything about it when it happens; I don't think the ones I've worked with ever noticed it.

the only places where it made a difference was up in The NE main Met areas, once I hit the boondocks there was only 1 place where it mattered. then again as long as there are numerous places within a given mileage area, I can live with the occasional walking out empty handed. And the OC out West
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Old Jan 26, 2020, 8:13 am
  #1894  
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 25
VGC not working at my WM

Attempted 999 MO at MC and VGC ( from GCM) payment would not process. system update? South central PA
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Old Jan 26, 2020, 8:50 am
  #1895  
 
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: USA
Programs: UR and MR
Posts: 88
were you doing split payment? have you tried multiple WMs?
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Old Jan 26, 2020, 8:57 am
  #1896  
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 25
were you doing split payment? have you tried multiple WMs


Split payment but first card failed. Same happened on 2nd try with different card on first of split.
Unrelated but left and went to friendly DG and cards failed on Serve load as well. Getting tough out there.

Havent tried MO for a couple of days at home base WM. Went there but Karen was working the desk will try soon when friendly CSRs are there.

edit: checked balances and cards are fine. Went to local supermarkets and got a few 499’s
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Old Jan 26, 2020, 9:01 am
  #1897  
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Originally Posted by mwillard1960
were you doing split payment? have you tried multiple WMs


Split payment but first card failed. Same happened on 2nd try with different card on first of split.
Unrelated but left and went to friendly DG and cards failed on Serve load as well. Getting tough out there.

Havent tried MO for a couple of days at home base WM. Went there but Karen was working the desk will try soon when friendly CSRs are there.
I dont DG but Ive read recently that DG is Dead and FD is still somewhat alive,
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Old Jan 26, 2020, 9:01 am
  #1898  
 
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: USA
Programs: UR and MR
Posts: 88
Originally Posted by mwillard1960
were you doing split payment? have you tried multiple WMs


Split payment but first card failed. Same happened on 2nd try with different card on first of split.
Unrelated but left and went to friendly DG and cards failed on Serve load as well. Getting tough out there.

Havent tried MO for a couple of days at home base WM. Went there but Karen was working the desk will try soon when friendly CSRs are there.

edit: checked balances and cards are fine. Went to local supermarkets and got a few 499’s
GEBIT card loads at DG does not work any more. Try a 499.12 MO and see if that still works.
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Old Jan 26, 2020, 11:39 am
  #1899  
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Originally Posted by mwillard1960
Attempted 999 MO at MC and VGC ( from GCM) payment would not process. system update? South central PA
yep. Gift cards are dead at WM, now. Thx for the heads up.
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Old Jan 26, 2020, 4:31 pm
  #1900  
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Join Date: Nov 1999
Posts: 24,153
Originally Posted by beast7276
yep. Gift cards are dead at WM, now. Thx for the heads up.
Better said is The Printers are Dead at Wally, cant remember ever having so many o/o/o
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Old Jan 26, 2020, 6:22 pm
  #1901  
jk2
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,516
Originally Posted by craz
Better said is The Printers are Dead at Wally, cant remember ever having so many o/o/o
so, is it temporally problem? I didn't hit stores today.
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Old Jan 26, 2020, 6:29 pm
  #1902  
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Posts: 24,153
Originally Posted by jk2
so, is it temporally problem? I didn't hit stores today.
Its an individual store problem, not a system problem, but I tried hitting a # of different places and each had the same problem. Usually they would hang a sign so its a quick exit stage left, w/o the sign you simply wait on the line and then get the good news :-(
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Old Jan 26, 2020, 8:23 pm
  #1903  
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Programs: none
Posts: 106
Went Wally wait for 5 minutes, no mo due to 🖨️ not working after vgc drained, cashier refunded me cash.
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Old Jan 27, 2020, 8:42 am
  #1904  
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Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 198
Originally Posted by mySimon411
Went Wally wait for 5 minutes, no mo due to 🖨️ not working after vgc drained, cashier refunded me cash.
fascinating. What did you have for breakfast?
BLoch12 likes this.
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Old Jan 28, 2020, 3:00 am
  #1905  
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: S.E. Pennsylvania
Programs: SPG, SW Air, AA, all of'em!
Posts: 239
New WM $750 limit triggers "send to" name field?

Just visited Wally in Petersburg, Va. Told CSR I wanted MO for $799. New to me, cashier tells me any MO over $750 requires me to provide her the name to place in the "send to" name field. She asked me the name of the person I was sending it to, so she could enter it in her system. I initially declined, stating, I was not sure how to word the name, and asked her to change to a lower amount (699) but then the POS locked up, so the transaction could not be completed.

I rarely go to this store, and did not know this CSR; no suspicion detected. No ID requested of me either, as expected.

Any experience out there with this?
fletchbo is offline  


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