Walmart Money Services is becoming a one-stop financial services provider that exceeds what any bank offers and with more convenient locations across the whole of the US, open 8 am-8 pm Monday to Saturday, and 10 am-6 pm Sunday.
The Walmart MoneyCenter offers a Walmart Rewards Credit Card, reloadable debit cards, bank transfers, money orders, check cashing, Coinstar machines, bill payments, payment plans, and a huge range of other financial services.
No appointments are necessary for most services; simply turn up to the Walmart MoneyCenter and talk to the agent about what your needs are.
Money Orders
Walmart can provide money orders when you need a check but don’t have a checking account or if your bank charges too much for bank drafts. You can get money orders from customer service or the Moneycenter for $1 and pay via cash or debit card.
You don’t need to bring anything to get a money order from Walmart; simply bring enough cash or money on your debit card to pay for the money order. The exception is if you want a single money order for over $1,000, and then you need a photo ID.
Refunds are possible if you have the money order and original receipt; this reverses all fees and is a much better option than trying to cash the check yourself, which will have costs associated.
Money Orders can be sent internationally, but they are in US funds, so they will be deposited and converted by the bank or financial institution that accepts the money order.
If you want to check the status of your money order to ensure it’s been cashed, you can check the status online by going to the Money Order Status page.
| Walmart | Rite Aid | CVS | |
| Fee | $1 | $0.99 | $1.25 |
| Limits | $1000 per MO | $500 per MO | $500 per MO |
| Refundable At Store | ✓ | ||
| Payment Methods | Cash, Debit, Paypal | Cash | Cash |
Check Cashing
Walmart will cash most preprinted checks, which you can receive in cash or have loaded onto a Walmart MoneyCard. Customer service or the MoneyCenter can help you with check cashing; fees are $4 for checks up to $1,000 or $8 for $1,000 – $5,000.
You only need to bring your check and photo ID to have your check cashed at any Walmart location. However, not all checks can be cashed, especially handwritten or personal checks, but a general list that is accepted is:
- Pre-Printed checks
- Payroll checks
- Government checks
- Tax checks
- Cashiers’ checks
- Insurance settlement checks
- 401(k), retirement disbursement checks
- MoneyGram money orders
- Two-Party personal checks
Two-party personal checks have a limit of $200, all other checks are limited to $5,000 or $7,500 between Jan-Apr (which is tax refund season).
A two-party personal check is where somebody transfers by signing over a check to a third party, which can cause a lot of fraud, so the limits are much lower on this type of check.
You are also limited to 3 checks per day that can be cashed, whether you hit the limit or not.
| Walmart | Rite Aid | CVS | |
| Fee | $4 – $1000 $8 – $1,000 – $5,000 | N/A | N/A |
| Limits | $5000 or 3 check | N/A | N/A |
| Photo ID Required | ✓ | N/A | N/A |
Check Printing
Walmart offers custom check printing at affordable prices rather than having the bank issue you checks, which are expensive. You can make customized checks or pick standard designs. All checks have the required security features and are valid everywhere; prices start at $7.96.
You will need to go to WalmartChecks.com to start the process, create your designs, and make payment. The checks will be sent to your home address, and you can not have them sent to a local Walmart store for pickup.
Once you’ve placed your order, it will take up to 12 days for delivery, and then you’re ready to start issuing checks. They will be accepted and as secure as any check you purchase from a bank.
Your minimum purchase is one pack of checks for $7.96, and you get 150 checks split across five books, which should last most people some time.
If you want to fully customize your checks with photos and different designs, then that is possible, but the prices increase the more customized you make the check, as well as if you want maximum security and fraud protection included with your order.
| Walmart | Staples | |
| Fee | $7.96+ | $23.99+ |
| Limits | Min 150 checks | Min 100 checks |
| Customizable | ✓ | ✓ |
| In-Store | ✓ |
Coinstar
Coinstar is available at most Walmart stores, so if you have a huge container of coins you don’t know what to do with, you can bring it into Walmart to be counted and turned into usable cash, an egift card for big brand stores, or donate the money to charity, fees are 11.9% of the total.
Take your jar or container of coins, find the Coinstar machine at the front of the store, select what payment option you want, and pour your coins into the tray, and the machine will do the counting, which you can follow on the screen.
Coinstar Cash
If you pick cash, then Coinstar will print a receipt, and you can take that to customer service or MoneyCenter to have it turned into cash or even loaded onto your Walmart Cash Card. This option means Coinstar keeps 11.9% of the coins you put in.
Coinstar E-Gift Card
If you pick an e-gift card, you’ll be able to select from a number of big brand stores to get a gift voucher from; the great thing about this option is that there is no 11.9% fee, and you keep every single penny you put into the machine.
Some of the e-gift vouchers you get are, HomeDepot, Amazon, Applebee’s, Chilli’s, Dominos, Doordash, Gap, Hotels.com, IHOP, Lowes, Nike, Outback, Starbucks, and a range of others.
Coinstar Charity
If you select the charity option, you’ll be able to pick from a number of charities, which can differ on each Coinstar machine. Donations are tax-deductible, so keep your receipt for your Walmart tax services appointment.
Some of the charities you can pick are, Red Cross, Children’s Miracle Network, Feeding America, Make A Wish, NAACP, Humain Society, Unicef, United Way, WWF.
| Fees | |
| Cash Back | 11.90% |
| E-Gift Card | 0% |
| Charity | 0% |
Wire Transfer
Walmart can wire transfer money internationally or domestically through partnerships with Western Union, Ria, and MoneyGram. You can set up transfers online or by visiting the MoneyCenter at your local Walmart; fees are $2.50 up to $500, and then fees vary.
Domestic Wire Transfers
Sending money domestically can be done online with Moneygram, or you can go to a Walmart store where you can choose between Moneygram, Western Union, or Ria. The benefits of each are which store is closer to your recipient, as that’s where they need to go to get money.
International Wire Transfers
Sending money internationally is a similar process; you can send it online with MoneyGram or visit your local Walmart store to select between MoneyGram, Western Union, or Ria.
By sending internationally, you can choose to have the recipient pick up cash, wire directly to their bank account, direct to mobile wallets, send to their debit card, have a home delivery of cash, or even provide ATM payouts in some locations.
Fees are $2.50+ to Mexico and $4+ to the rest of the world, with exchange rates also adding to the cost. Check on exchange rates and what you’re getting from Walmart to ensure they’re reasonable.
Installment Financing
Walmart partnered with a number of Buy Now, Pay Later services to provide installment financing, which replaced their layaway service. You have different options based on how quickly you can repay and whether you want to pay upfront interest or risk late fees.
| Monthly Fee | Online/Instore | Limit | Repayment Time | Interest | Late Fees | |
| Affirm | $0 | Instore | $144 – $2000 | 3 – 12 Months | 10% – 30% | N |
| Klarna | $0 | Both | Variable | 4 Weeks | 0% | $7 / Item |
| Zip | $7.95 | Both | $350 – $1000 | 4 Weeks | 0% | $5 / Item |
| Paypal | $0 | Online | $30 – $1500 | 6 Weeks | 0% | N |
| Afterpay | $0 | Online | $2,000 | 6 Weeks | 0% | $10 / Item + $7 7 days later |
It’s not possible to buy everything in-store using Affirm, which is the primary install financing option. Many critical products are ineligible through the service, though this may be due to their low cost and a high minimum of Affirm.
| Eligible Items | Ineligible Items |
| Electronics | Alcohol |
| Video Games | Baby Consumables |
| Toys | Gasoline |
| Home | Groceries and Food |
| Arts & Crafts | Merchandise at the register |
| Musical Instruments | Miscellaneous Supplies |
| Home Improvement | Money Services |
| Auto | Personal Care |
| Sports & Outdoors | Pet Supplies |
| Tools | Pharmacy, Health, and Wellness |
| Baby | Temporary specialty items |
| Jewelry | Tobacco |
| Apparel | Weapons, ammunition, air guns, gun accessories, and hunting supplies |
| Wireless services plans | |
| 1-Hour Photo |
It’s important to be careful when using the Buy Now, Pay later services, as you can get stuck into permanent late fees that just keep compounding and causing more problems. Try to use the service for critical products or big purchases that you need now and will have the money set aside to make payments.
Walmart Pay
Instead of Apple Pay or Google Pay, Walmart decided to create their own touch-free payment system as part of their mobile app called Walmart Pay. You include your credit, debit, or gift cards onto your Walmart app and make payments at any Walmart register or Walmart online.
If you have a Walmart Rewards credit card and add it to Walmart Pay, any purchases you make with it will earn you an extra 5% cash back for 12 months.
Walmart Pay is an app you download, and manually enter your credit or debit card details into. Once you are ready to pay for your items at Walmart, then bring up your Walmart Pay app, select which card to use, and you’ll see a QR code that you can use to scan at the register.
Walmart Pay can’t be directly connected to a bank account, except through a visa or MasterCard debit card, and you can’t use it at Sam’s Club.
Bill Pay
Walmart helps you pay quickly, easily, and cheaply for 20,000+ different bills using bill pay, including your rent or mortgage, utilities, insurance, child support, loans, traffic tickets, and much more. Fees range from $0.88 to $4.99, with payment received within 1-3 days, depending on what you select.
At a minimum, you will need your bill that provides account numbers, company name, and anything else required to connect to your account. If your bill is over $900, you will need a photo ID.
You’ll be able to pay a wide range of bills, including:
- Auto
- TV, Internet, Phone
- Child Support
- Credit card
- Healthcare
- Insurance
- Loans / Mortgage
- Rent
- Taxes
- Traffic Tickets
- Utilities: Electric, Gas, Water
- And more
Payments are made through MoneyGram, CheckFreePay, and Western Union.
| Fees | $0.88 – $4.99 |
| Delivery Speed | 1-3 Days |
| Photo ID Required | Over $900 |
PayPal
Walmart and PayPal have partnered up, and you can load or withdraw PayPal funds at Walmart MoneyCenters or Customer Service, or use your Paypal Cash Card to withdraw or load funds through Walmart ATMs or make purchases in-store and online, fees are $3 per transaction.
Using the Paypal app, you can select Add Cash to load funds to PayPal or Get Cash to withdraw funds into cash in your hands. A QR code will be generated, which needs to be provided to the Walmart agent, who will scan it and load or withdraw money as needed.
If you have a PayPal Cash Card, you can use it in-store the same as any credit card or load it onto your Walmart app to use with Walmart Pay touchless payments.
| Fees | $3 per add/withdraw transaction |
| Add Money | ✓ |
| Withdraw Money | ✓ |
| Pay For Items | ✓ |
Tax Prep Services
During tax season (early January to late April), Walmart Tax Services works with Jackson Hewitt to provide professional tax preparation in-store at all Walmart locations in the US. Fees start at $59, with most tax filings taking 1 hour or less.
Book your tax prep services online, show up for your appointment and either sit and go through your taxes or you can leave them and go shopping, and all going well, they will be completed within an hour. Jackson Hewitt offers two main guarantees with your tax services:
- Maximum refund guarantee
- Lifetime accuracy guarantee
You’ll need to bring your ID, employment verification or W-2, social security number, and your previous years’ federal and state tax returns.
Refunds can be issued by check, prepaid card, or direct deposit to your bank account.
| Fees | $59+ |
| In-Store | Jan – Apr Only |
| Maximum Refund Guarantee | ✓ |
| Accuracy Guarantee | ✓ |
| Refunds | Check, Direct Deposit, Prepaid Card |
