There are multiple ways how and where you can cash a money order, most typical locations include banks, credit unions, post offices, or grocery stores. When choosing a bank, you can decide to deposit the money in your bank account instead of taking cash.
If you are reading this article, you are most probably familiar with the term money order. In case there are still some doubts, here is a simple explanation.
What is a Money Order?
Simply put, the easiest way to get the concept is to liken it to a check. Likewise a check, a money order is a paper document that allows you to pay for something.
The process consists of few simple steps – you just need to obtain a ‘check’ in exchange for cash and then you’re all set up to further use the money order for your intended purposes.
There are differences in prices, depending on where you decide to buy your money order from. There is no such a big difference among supermarkets, convenience stores, or post offices, they all charge around $1.
However, if you decide to buy it in the bank or a credit union, prepare yourself to pay a slightly higher amount of $5 – $10.
What should you also be aware of is that there is a limit of usually a $1000 per one money order.
The payee (the person who receives the check) can either deposit the money to the bank account or simply withdraw cash, which will be discussed further in the article.
Everything has ups and downs. One of the biggest advantages of a money order is its safety. If you lose the paper document or it gets stolen, you can still cancel it.
Compared to cash, you lose everything without the possibility of getting any compensation.
This was a brief introduction to what a money order is, but we’ve covered the central parts. Now it is time to dive into exploring the possibilities of where and how you can access the cash!
How and Where to Cash a Money Order?
We will bring you an insight into the last steps of the whole process.
The money order check itself is useless, unless you, as a payee, cash the money order, to be able to benefit from the monetary value. In fact, you have several options to do so.
Such examples are banks, grocery and convenience stores, post offices, or credit unions.
As a general rule, perhaps the best option to cash your money order is the same place where it was issued. So, for example, if your money order was issued by a bank, it’s a good idea to also cash it at a bank.
Of course, there is always an option to cash it at a nearby grocery store or a post office. You just need to be aware of the fact that some additional fees might crop up in cases where the issuer varies from the place where you intend to pick up the cash.
Bank
If you go for this option, you can also choose to deposit the money to your bank account instead of taking cash, if you don’t need the money urgently.
Keep in mind that in cases where the value of your money order is relatively high, you might not be able to take the whole amount at once.
It is individual and differs from bank to bank, so just make sure to check their policy.
Credit Union
Be aware of the fact that even if it is possible to cash the order at unions in general, different locations might mean different conditions.
For example, generally, you can cash a money order at Western Union, but not all locations support this option. So, to avoid some inconveniences, make sure to check the particular location details in advance.
Post Office
The post office is another convenient location to pick ut the cash. Similar to banks, when you cash your money order at the United States Postal Service and it was also issued at USPS, you don’t pay extra fees.
Grocery Store
A grocery store is also a reliable place to pick up the cash, moreover, the extra fees tend to be relatively low.
Generally speaking, what is interesting about money orders is that you can literally issue the paper document in one country and cash it in a completely different one.
This advantage makes it an attractive payment method suitable for closing international deals.
How to Pick Up the Money?
Step 1: Find a place where it is possible to cash a money order.
As discussed above, it is probable that a nearby grocery store will allow you to do so, or you can look for a bank or a credit union.
Step 2: Validate the money order.
When arriving at your chosen location, find a person that will walk you through the process. The next thing you will be asked to do is to sign your name on the check.
Remember to have your identification document ready. There are no special requirements, you can use either passport, driving license, or any other valid identification evidence.
Step 3:
What’s left now is just to pick up your cash. However, keep in mind you might need to pay some extra fees for the service.
Final Thoughts
A money order is a payment method that is oftentimes not only safer than using cash, but you can also decide to what degree is the process going to be anonymous. You can simply choose not to include your personal details.
By contrast, such information is required to be stated on checks.
When it comes to withdrawing cash, you might want to consider following a few aspects in a particular order, to avoid making some unnecessary flaws.
Most importantly, find out where was the money order, you are about to cash, issued. It should be clear from the paper document itself. As already discussed, an ideal situation would be to have the money order cashed by the same issuer.
The only difference is the amount of money you pay for the service when choosing a provider that differs from an issuer.