Walmart is well known for its everyday low prices on a wide variety of products such as groceries, electronics, clothing, and more. Walmart also offers a wide range of financial services.
These services include credit cards, prepaid debit cards, domestic & international money transfers, money orders, installment financing, tax prep services, check cashing, and more.
Does Walmart Cash Checks?
Walmart does cash checks at their Money Centers. You can cash checks at Walmart’s Money Center or Customer Service Check. Walmart charges a $4 fee to cash checks up to $1000, and $8 to cash checks between $1,001 to $5,000.
The cost of check cashing at Walmart is typically much cheaper than that at payday loan stores which can go up to 10% of the check value.
On the other hand, some banks such as Capital One and Citibank will cash your check for free even if you do not have an account there.
Some retailers such as Kmart and Hannaford will also cash checks for just $1, much lower than the $4 to $8 charged by Walmart.
Types of Checks Walmart Will Cash
Pre-Printed Checks
Walmart will Cash Pre-Printed Checks Pre-printed checks are checks with information such as payee, amount, and date printed instead of handwritten on it.
Typically, pre-printed checks are issued by businesses and governments for purposes such as payroll, account payable, settlement, and tax refund.
Payroll Checks
Walmart will Cash payroll checks. Payroll checks are checks issued by employers to pay their employees. They are almost always pre-printed checks. Most check cashing places will cash payroll checks.
Government Checks
Walmart will Cash government checks. Government checks are checks issued by the Federal, state or local governments.
They are used for paying government expenses such as employee payrolls, vendor bills, tax refunds, disability benefits, stimulus checks, and social security checks. Government checks are always pre-printed.
Tax Refund Checks
Walmart will Cash tax refund checks. Tax refund checks are government checks issued by the government to pay for tax refunds. They could be for refunding federal, state, or local taxes. Tax refund checks are always pre-printed.
Cashier’s Checks
Walmart will Cash cashier’s checks. A cashier’s check is a check guaranteed by a bank. It is drawn on the bank’s own funds, written in the bank’s name, and signed by a bank cashier.
Cashier’s checks are treated as guaranteed funds because the bank is responsible for paying the check to the payee. Cashier’s checks are always pre-printed.
Insurance Settlement Checks
Walmart will cash insurance settlement checks. An insurance settlement check is a payment sent at the end of a personal injury or car accident case after a settlement has been reached.
It is sent by the defendant’s insurance company to the plaintiff as specified in the settlement.
It is used to cover damages such as medical bills, lost wages, property damages, and more. Insurance settlement checks are always pre-printed.
401k Checks
Walmart will cash 401k or retirement account disbursement check is a distribution from a retirement plan such as a 401(K), IRA, or pension plan.
It serves as a regular payment to the participant of the retirement plan after they have retired. 401(K) & retirement account disbursement checks are always pre-printed.
Money Orders
Walmart will cash MoneyGram Money Orders Originally Purchased at a Walmart. A money order is a guaranteed payment you purchase from a company.
It is similar to a cashier’s check in the sense that they are both guaranteed payments. But unlike a cashier’s check, a money order is sold by places such as Walmart or post offices instead of banks.
Walmart sells money orders issued by a company named MoneyGram. Walmart also cashes money orders issued by MoneyGram, but only if they are purchased at a Walmart.
Two-Party Personal Checks
Walmart will cash two-party personal checks. A two-party personal check is a personal check that has 2 payees.
It is made out to “Party A and Party B” or “Party A or Party B.” In general, Walmart does not cash personal checks.
But it makes an exception for two-party personal checks. But even then, Walmart sets a very low limit for two-party personal checks – it only cashes this type of check for up to $200.
Types of Checks Walmart Will Not Cash
Many types of checks or money orders are not accepted at Walmart for cashing. They include:
Cash Personal Checks: Walmart does not cash personal checks that are not two-party personal checks
Handwritten Checks: Any checks that contain information such as amount, payee, or date written by hand
Third-Party Checks: A third-party check is a check that has been endorsed by the original payee to be signed over to a third party. For example, a check may originally be made out to “Party A.” Then “Party A” writes “Pay to the order of Party B” on the back of the check and endorses it (signs it.) This turns the check into a third-party check
Checks Dated More Than 180 Days Prior: If the date on a check is more than 180 days old, Walmart will not cash that check. For the Walmart MoneyCard App, the threshold is 90 days
Post-dated Checks: A post-dated check is a check with a date written on it that is still in the future. Typically, people post-date a check hoping that the check will not be cashed or deposited until the future indicated date. However, in the United States, post-dated checks are negotiable instruments and can be cashed and deposited at any time. Many banks will cash a post-dated check. But not Walmart
Altered Checks: An altered check is a check that has its information (such as its amount or name of payee) altered
Comchek or Comdata Checks: A Comchek is a form of payment issued by the payment processor Comdata. It is most frequently used by freight brokers to pay truck drivers, and it works in a similar way to a regular check
Non-MoneyGram Money Orders: Walmart only cashes money orders that are issued by the company MoneyGram. All other money orders, including those issued by the post office, Western Union, banks, or credit unions, are not accepted for check cashing
MoneyGram Money Orders Not Purchased at a Walmart: And even if your money order is issued by MoneyGram, Walmart still will not cash it if it was not purchased at a Walmart
