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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 Nov 7, 2020, 12:05 am
  #2476  
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: PHL (kinda, no airport is really close)
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Posts: 4,550
Originally Posted by Travelz
There seems to be a swipe limit. $250 per swipe worked for me today. Sucks
Can we drill down? Are you saying you tried to swipe a card with over $250 on it for the full amount and it failed, but when you dropped down to $250 per swipe it succeeded, and you were able to drain the entire card?
redtop43 is offline  
Old Nov 7, 2020, 1:04 am
  #2477  
 
Join Date: Apr 2020
Posts: 235
Originally Posted by littlewinglet
That limit is definitely not across the board, I mean regular people come and get MOs over 250 all the time. Either they're trying to limit selectively by BIN or you found a glitch in the glitch.
It sounds like it's a limit by BIN, similar to the vanilla limit
jumbotron_ is offline  
Old Nov 7, 2020, 1:51 am
  #2478  
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 2,293
Originally Posted by littlewinglet
That limit is definitely not across the board, I mean regular people come and get MOs over 250 all the time. Either they're trying to limit selectively by BIN or you found a glitch in the glitch.
it would seem Meta is blocking swipes above $250 (not WM). So a “real” debit card will still work.

In the Simon thread, someone called Meta and was told it was declined because they were buying “money” products.
danpeake is offline  
Old Nov 7, 2020, 2:00 am
  #2479  
 
Join Date: Apr 2020
Posts: 235
Originally Posted by danpeake
it would seem Meta is blocking swipes above $250 (not WM). So a “real” debit card will still work.

In the Simon thread, someone called Meta and was told it was declined because they were buying “money” products.
If there is a limit, it is on the WM side not meta side. Or else other MO spots would have the same issue.
jumbotron_ is offline  
Old Nov 7, 2020, 4:31 am
  #2480  
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
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Originally Posted by jumbotron_
If there is a limit, it is on the WM side not meta side. Or else other MO spots would have the same issue.
Time for people to start testing the system and reporting the DPs.

For me, I have had no issues using $200 VGCs and buying $800 MOs. There have been so many sales on these at OM and Staples that I have not purchased a SMGC in months. However, my wife buys $3K/month so I am going to have her buy only one and see if we have an issue with it. Will report back.

This should not be difficult to figure out.
radonc1 is offline  
Old Nov 7, 2020, 4:34 am
  #2481  
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 2,293
Originally Posted by jumbotron_
If there is a limit, it is on the WM side not meta side. Or else other MO spots would have the same issue.
Doubt it. They could just be blocking WM transactions above that level.
danpeake is offline  
Old Nov 7, 2020, 4:58 am
  #2482  
jk2
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,512
Originally Posted by danpeake
Doubt it. They could just be blocking WM transactions above that level.
Just a speculation - real debits are all chip, vgcs are swipe only. May be "swipe only" transactions are limited to $250?
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Old Nov 7, 2020, 6:49 am
  #2483  
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
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Originally Posted by danpeake
it would seem Meta is blocking swipes above $250 (not WM). So a “real” debit card will still work.

In the Simon thread, someone called Meta and was told it was declined because they were buying “money” products.
That doesn't explain why it's been working fine in most grocery stores. The comment you allude to was posted once before where the support reply made it seem like transaction was going through as cash advance or money-back. Whatever the term is where you cash out the GC, which isn't allowed.
littlewinglet is offline  
Old Nov 7, 2020, 7:50 am
  #2484  
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 85
I think you're on the right track jk2; I know we're discussing WMT, but I'd point out that a large grocery chain in the SE requires a chip if purchasing more than $500 in MO. So, your theory makes sense. But, it could also be Metabank blocking transactions over a certain amount at known recycling centers or it could be WMT limiting transactions over a certain amount for certain BINs. My guess is it's one of the latter two. So if Mr. Simon is reading this, please get started on selling a chipped reloadable card to at least take care of one of the possibilities....thx

Last edited by ECCM; Nov 7, 2020 at 8:23 am
ECCM is offline  
Old Nov 7, 2020, 8:15 am
  #2485  
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 483
We need to try different amounts. I know $500 did not work, but $250 worked. Maybe 499.99 will work.
danpeake likes this.
Travelz is offline  
Old Nov 7, 2020, 8:45 am
  #2486  
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
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Originally Posted by Travelz
We need to try different amounts. I know $500 did not work, but $250 worked. Maybe 499.99 will work.
I tried varying amounts in the $490s and none worked.
doggiefizzle is offline  
Old Nov 7, 2020, 8:46 am
  #2487  
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
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Fresh DP:

Went to WM today, figured out exactly $400 works, and not a cent more. This is with in-store Simon cards BIN 4551 72.....

Also, decline codes this time were all over the place, 01, 05 and 56.

This was for MO, I'm out of BP limit until tomorrow so couldn't try that. Also don't have any other 500 metas to test. I'll try to run these at my local grocery chains over next few days and see if that makes a difference.
littlewinglet is offline  
Old Nov 7, 2020, 8:47 am
  #2488  
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 375
Bought a $300 MO for $300.88 with a Simon VGC today.
ChrisFlyer66 likes this.
Chasepoints is offline  
Old Nov 7, 2020, 8:52 am
  #2489  
ogg
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 317
Originally Posted by littlewinglet
Fresh DP:

Went to WM today, figured out exactly $400 works, and not a cent more. This is with in-store Simon cards BIN 4551 72.....

Also, decline codes this time were all over the place, 01, 05 and 56.

This was for MO, I'm out of BP limit until tomorrow so couldn't try that. Also don't have any other 500 metas to test. I'll try to run these at my local grocery chains over next few days and see if that makes a difference.
Nice find! Thanks for sharing. When you tried <=$400, did you get any declines?
ogg is offline  
Old Nov 7, 2020, 9:01 am
  #2490  
 
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Originally Posted by ogg
Nice find! Thanks for sharing. When you tried <=$400, did you get any declines?
Nope! After the 1K decline, I started trying random amounts under 500 (498, 475, 450, 400).

Then told cashier to get me $1598 total in MOs, figuring worst case I'll do 4x400, but along the way tried 401 and it gave an error.

Edit: sorry, I guess I didn't try under 400, but what's the point. If 400 works and 401 doesn't that's our new upper limit, until maybe this gets resolved if it's a temp glitch.

Edit 2: someone here whos till buys Vanillas, please test it at WM and see what error codes you get. We can compare and see if it's a WM software change or maybe Meta is blocking it.
littlewinglet is offline  

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