How to Buy Money Orders With Gift Cards [+Walmart]

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how to buy a money order with a gift card

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The convenience of a money order can be overwhelming, especially for people who do not have a checking account or credit card. Money orders are available in almost any amount, and they allow you to pay taxes and bills without the hassle of cash or checks. The best way to use them is through gift cards, making them even more accessible than ever before. knowing how to buy money orders with gift cards is a snap.

What Are Money Orders

Money orders are a bit like an old-fashioned check. You buy them at a post office, and they get sent to the recipient after you have filled out your name, address, and how much money you want to send. The recipient can cash it or deposit the funds straight into their bank account. The money order will usually have a limited time frame that is stated on the receipt.

Money orders are good to use if you don’t want to finance a purchase through buy now pay later sites that exist.

The History of Money Orders

According to an article by The Balance, “the money order has been around for over 100 years now, and they were created to help immigrants send money back to their families in other countries as it was not always possible or safe to use checks.”

Money Orders Are Safer Than Cash

It can be risky to send cash overseas via FedEx, UPS, or DHL because it leaves you vulnerable to people stealing your package from one of these providers (this occurs all too often). Money orders don’t ever leave your hands. It would be best to watch out for money order scams so you don’t fall victim. 

How to Buy a Money Order With a Gift Card

One of the easiest ways to purchase a money order is with a gift card. There are a lot of stores that sell them, including Walmart. Gifts cards are one of those items that are needed around the holidays, and newlyweds usually need them for their wedding registry. They can be bought in a variety of amounts and are relatively low risk since they’re insured. It’s a safer way to send money than to send money anonymously through PayPal.

How to buy a money order with a gift card at Walmart

The customer would walk into Walmart and purchase one of two items:

  • A. A vanilla Visa or MasterCard gift card for $500 (or any amount).
  • B. Vanilla Reload Network gift cards (these can only be bought at certain stores and are reloadable, which means the balance can be used repeatedly until depleted; this is the method I will use in my example below). The cost of this type of gift card varies by location.

If you go with option B, know that these cards do not automatically have the funds added when you first purchase them.

You must take them home, log in to your account (or register your card online), and add money to the card. This is a great idea for someone who wants some extra time, as it takes 3-5 days for the funds to be added after you purchase them at a store location.

Three Steps to Buy a Money Order at Walmart Using a Gift Card:

  • 1) Choose your gift card amount by selecting from $200, $100, $50, or $25
  • 2) Go to customer service and tell them you want to buy a money order with your gift card, then hand over your gift card
  • 3) Present your ID at the main customer service desk and tell them you want to buy a money order. You will once again hand over your gift card then take your receipt for the purchase. You will have to sign the receipt at this point.

The amount of money you want to put on your gift card must be $500 or more, so if you want a smaller amount issued on the card, then go to Walmart with another gift card.

how to get a money order at walmart with a gift card

If you try to use multiple gift cards at one time to purchase a money order, then they will only accept up to 99% of the total cost in cards. The remainder must be paid with cash or debit/credit.

Other Stores That Sell Money Orders Close By

In addition to Walmart (and other grocery stores), post offices and some banks sell money orders. Even Target has them sometimes! A quick google search for “money order near me” will bring up all sorts of results for where these can be purchased.

Does a Money Order Cost Extra With a Gift Card?

Money orders will usually have an additional deposit fee that varies from $1 to $10, depending on who is issuing it. Walmart’s standard ones are free, but they charge more at their post office locations. Keep this in mind when shopping around for where to get your money order.

What Should I Use My Money Order For?

You can use your money order to pay taxes or bills, which can be done in person or through the mail. Money orders are also commonly used for payment when buying things from people who have had a debit card declined or didn’t have a credit card or checking account.

If you are buying a money order with a gift card, there is no reason not to purchase multiple on the same day. Getting in and out of Walmart using their customer service desk can be done in ten minutes at most, so if you are running errands anyway, it makes sense to save time and money by getting several different money orders in one shot. This will also let your recipient cash all of them at once rather than having to wait for each one to be cashed individually.

Advantages of Buying a Money Order With a Gift Card

One of the top benefits of buying a money order with a gift card is that you can purchase one in any amount. The $1,000 limit on money orders might be sufficient for some people, but it doesn’t work that well for those who don’t have access to checking accounts or credit cards and need to pay their bills.

Additionally, you don’t have to worry about if it is possible to cash a check made to someone else’s name or opening a bank account just to get starter checks to use. 

Walmart Offers Convenience for Using Gift Cards to Buy Money Orders

It’s also important to keep in mind that Walmart may be the only place where you can purchase a money order with a gift card.

buy a money order at walmart with a visa gift card

You Can Buy Multiple Money Orders at Same Time

Additionally, you can get around these limits mentioned above by buying multiple smaller money orders instead of one big one (as long as you haven’t reached any additional restrictions).

Sometimes this method works out better for people because there aren’t any fees for sending multiple mailings within 30 days of each other. This option is very convenient if you want to pay all of your bills in one go. You can choose the amount you spend wisely, knowing how much is covered by each available gift card.

As a final point, it’s worth mentioning that some places might not accept gift cards at all because they don’t want to deal with the risk and hassle involved with them. It may be worth it to call ahead to ensure the location is okay with this method before you set out on your mission.

You can also check on the Walmart check cashing policy as a backup option.

Alternatives to Using a Gift Card to Buy a Money Order

There are a couple alternative methods to get a money order instead of using a gift card. You can buy one in person at the post office, but some places may only take cash. It’s best to call ahead and see if they will take your payment type before heading out. You can also purchase one with cash at the supermarket. They come in the same denominations as stated earlier so that you can avoid any hassle with fees or limits. 

You can pay for your purchase with cash if you have a check to cash. Many places offer instant online check cashing in which you can receive money immediately.

If you just rather hold onto the money, you can transfer a Visa gift card to a bank account instead and park your cash there.

Money Order FAQs

What if I already have a money order? Can I buy another one with that?

You can’t combine money orders to make larger ones simultaneously because it will cost you an extra fee. If you want to do this, it’s best to use one of these methods you may have access to in your areas, such as the grocery store or post office.

Are there any restrictions on how many money orders I can get with gift cards at Walmart within 30 days?

The one thing that will prevent you from getting more than one money order per day is if you run out of funds on your gift card. This means that they’ll hold your card until the balance is gone (assuming you can do a minor transaction and then wait for it to post).

If there’s nothing left on your card, they’ll hold onto it for up to 14 days before returning it to you. This is just their way of protecting themselves from fraudulent activity, but as long as you’re using the correct name and information when buying a money order with gift cards, you shouldn’t have any problems.

What can I do if my gift card balance isn’t enough to cover a money order?

The first step is to contact the specific company that issued your card and see what options they have for you. They might be able to add more funds into your account as long as it hasn’t been drained because of fraudulent activity. If all else fails, then you should try another option (if available), such as using cash at the grocery store or getting one in person at the post office. You can also check out CardCash to see about buying discounted gift cards as well. 

Gift Cards Offer Convenience When Buying Money Orders

Money orders are a convenient way to pay for certain things when you don’t have access to a checking account or credit card. They’re also helpful for paying taxes and bills, but the most important thing is that they are available in almost any amount, no matter the size of the bill. It is possible to purchase them with gift cards, which makes them even more accessible.

There aren’t many disadvantages associated with this method either and there are many ways to buy money orders with gift cards. Walmart offers convenience when using their gift cards as well as multiple money order payment options at once.

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