Money orders
Western Union money order: sellers, fees and refunds
Independent site: not this company or any bank. The provider’s current terms prevail over the figures shown here.
Western Union money orders are sold by stores that set their own fee. The finder shows what each store publishes; the issuer’s line stays “varies by location”.
Western Union: ? money orders
fee not published
Western Union does not publish a maximum per money order, so the number needed cannot be counted.
| Seller | Needed | Fees | Cap each | Cash |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Union | – | varies by location | – | yes |
| Kroger | 1 | $1.50 max | $1,000 | yes |
| USPS (Post Office) | 1 | $3.75 | $1,000 | yes |
| Chaseaccount holders | 1 | $5 | $1,000 | yes |
| Wells Fargoaccount holders | 1 | $5 | $1,000 | yes |
| Regions | 1 | $2 | $1,000 | ask |
| Walmart | – | varies by location | – | yes |
| Publix | – | not published | – | yes |
| 7-Eleven | – | not published | – | yes |
| MoneyGram | – | not published | – | ask |
| Citiaccount holders | – | not published | – | yes |
| U.S. Bankaccount holders | – | not published | – | yes |
| Truistaccount holders | – | not published | – | yes |
| TD Bankaccount holders | – | not published | – | yes |
Store fees for Western Union and MoneyGram money orders are set by each location; the figure shown is the one published by the store or the issuer, read on the date at the bottom of the page.
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Western Union does not sell money orders itself: participating agents do, mostly supermarkets, discount stores and check cashers, and each sets its own fee. Western Union’s money order page speaks of a nominal fee set by the location and of limits that the location may set, without amounts. The stores’ figures fill the gap where they are published: Walmart states a maximum of $1, and Western Union’s own pages about its retail partners give $1.50 or less at Kroger, with a typical cap of $1,000, and $1 at Publix. Participating 7-Eleven stores sell them for cash. Walgreens, by Western Union’s own account, does not. The retail money order terms set the costs after the sale: a refund costs nothing for a face value of $5 or less, $5 up to $99.99 and $15 from $100, and an uncashed money order loses $1.50 a month after one year, three in California, with exceptions in some states. Read on October 27, 2026.
Fees, limits and rules read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
Where they are sold and for how much
| Store | Fee | Cap per slip | Payment | Cashes them? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walmart | $1 max | not published | cash or debit card | yes, with a fee |
| Kroger | $1.50 or less | $1,000 typically | cash or debit card, no credit card | may, with a fee |
| Publix | $1 | not published | cash or debit card, ID required, no credit card | no |
| 7-Eleven | not published | varies by location | cash at most stores | no |
| Walgreens | not sold | – | – | – |
A Western Union money order looks the same whichever store sold it, but the price and the cap belong to the store. When a store’s figure is not published, the only way to know is to ask at the desk before you queue.
Costs after the sale
The terms printed on the back of each money order, also posted by Western Union, set three costs. A refund of an uncashed money order is free up to $5, $5 from $5.01 to $99.99 and $15 from $100. An uncashed money order is charged $1.50 a month after one year, or after three years in California; Connecticut and Puerto Rico charge nothing, and California, Maryland and Minnesota have their own amounts. The purchase fee itself is never refunded.
What does replacing a lost money order cost?
Processing fee
$15
| You get back | $585 |
| Process | online refund form with serial number, amount and an image of the money order or receipt, only if not cashed |
Western Union: $0 up to $5, $5 from $5.01 to $99.99, $15 from $100.
For a money order of a few hundred dollars, the $15 refund fee is several times the purchase fee. Fill in the payee’s name carefully, since a new money order costs less than a refund of a wrong one.
Asking for a refund or a replacement
Western Union handles lost, stolen and unused money orders through an online refund form. It asks for the serial number, the amount, the purchase date, the reason, where you bought it, and an image of the money order or the receipt. If the money order has not been cashed, the refund is paid in cash at a Western Union agent in about five business days. If someone has already cashed it, the refund is refused and the matter becomes a claim with the store and the police.
Depositing or cashing one you received
A Western Union money order deposited in a bank account is treated like an ordinary check under Regulation CC: $275 must be available the next business day and the rest by the second. It is not on the regulation’s list of next-day items, which names postal money orders but not those of private issuers. To cash one without an account, Walmart’s check cashing desk accepts them for its usual fees, and Western Union says banks, grocery stores and check cashing locations may cash them for a fee.
Western Union money orders and scams
A money order cannot be reversed once cashed, which makes it a favorite of scammers in both directions: as payment demanded from you, and as a counterfeit sent to you. The FTC’s fake check guidance lists Western Union’s fraud line, 1-800-325-6000, for victims of transfers. Never send a money order to someone you have not met, and never deposit one sent by a stranger who asks you to send part of it back. The fake check page describes the patterns.