Money orders
Money order vs cashier’s check: which one to use
The tool opens on cashier’s check fees for $3,000; the calculator below it shows the same sum in money orders. Compare the two totals for your amount.
Published fees, 10 of 15 banks
$8 to $10
Fees for account holders; most banks sell these only to customers, and many accounts waive them.
| TD Bank | $8 |
| Chase | $10 |
| Wells Fargo | $10 |
| Citi | $10 |
| U.S. Bank | $10 |
| PNC | $10 |
| Truist | $10 |
| Capital One | $10 |
| Regions | $10 |
| M&T Bank | $10 |
| Bank of America | not published |
| Fifth Third | not published |
| Citizens | page not readable |
| Huntington | page not readable |
| KeyBank | page not readable |
A cashier’s check is available the next business day when deposited in person (Reg CC § 229.10(c)). None of these banks publishes whether it still sells certified checks.
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A money order and a cashier’s check are both prepaid: the money leaves your hands when you buy them, so neither can bounce for lack of funds. They differ in who sells them, how much they carry and what they cost. A money order is sold by the Post Office, stores and banks to anyone, but each slip is capped, at $1,000 at the Post Office, and the fee is per slip: $3.75 for a postal money order above $500. A cashier’s check is a check drawn by a bank on itself, signed by a bank officer, sold mostly to the bank’s own customers, for $10 at Chase, Wells Fargo, Citi, U.S. Bank, PNC, Truist and Regions and $8 at TD Bank, with no published cap at the counter. For $3,000, three postal money orders cost $11.25; one cashier’s check costs one fee. Regulation CC treats both postal money orders and cashier’s checks as next-day items when deposited in person (12 CFR 229.10(c)); store money orders are ordinary checks. Fees read on October 27, 2026.
Fees, limits and rules read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
Side by side
| Money order | Cashier’s check | |
|---|---|---|
| Issued by | USPS, Western Union, MoneyGram, banks | a bank or credit union, on itself |
| Sold to | anyone (banks: usually customers) | usually account holders only |
| Cap per item | $1,000 at USPS and most stores | no published cap at the counter |
| Fee | $2.65 / $3.75 at USPS, $1 max at Walmart | $8 to $10 at banks that publish it |
| Pay with | cash, debit card | from your account, or cash |
| Next-day availability (teller deposit) | postal money orders only | yes |
| If lost | refund or inquiry, fee up to $23 | sworn statement; waiting period at some banks |
What each costs for your amount
Below about $2,000, money orders are usually cheaper: one or two slips at a store or the Post Office cost less than a bank’s $10. Above that, the per-slip fee adds up. The calculator below gives the money order total for any amount; compare it with the cashier’s check fee shown above it.
How many money orders for this amount?
Total fees
$11.25
| Money orders needed | 3 |
| Cap per money order | $1,000 |
| You hand over | $3,011.25 |
3 of $1,000.
| Amount | Postal money orders | Fees | One cashier’s check |
|---|---|---|---|
| $500 | 1 | $2.65 | $10 |
| $1,500 | 2 | $6.40 | $10 |
| $3,000 | 3 | $11.25 | $10 |
| $5,000 | 5 | $18.75 | $10 |
| $9,000 | 9 | $33.75 | $10 |
Speed for the payee
A cashier’s check deposited in person with a teller must be available the next business day under Regulation CC, and so must a postal money order. Deposited through an app or an ATM, both may wait until the second business day. A Western Union or MoneyGram money order is not on the next-day list, so it follows the ordinary check schedule: $275 the next business day and the rest by the second. For the payee of a large sum, the difference rarely exceeds one day, unless the deposit is over $6,725 and the bank invokes the large-deposit exception, which applies to both.
When to use which
Use money orders for amounts up to a few thousand dollars, for rent, for agencies that accept them, and whenever you have no bank account. Use a cashier’s check for a single large payment, such as a car bought from a private seller, a security deposit, or a closing that asks for certified funds, and when the payee requires it. For a payment between people who know each other, a bank transfer is free and leaves a record; the Zelle limits page shows how much your bank lets you send.
Fraud on both sides
Counterfeits of both exist. The FTC warns that fake checks may look like cashier’s checks or money orders and can fool bank employees, and the OCC notes that it may take weeks to find out that a cashier’s check is fake. If a buyer pays you with either one for more than the price and asks for the difference back, it is a scam. Verify a cashier’s check by calling the issuing bank on a number you looked up yourself, never the one printed on the check. The fake check page has the details.