Some people have never purchased a money order or had the need to use them, but what happens when you are applying to an apartment complex that will only accept money orders or cashiers checks for your application and background check fees? This is only one example of many where you can find yourself in need of a money order and have no other acceptable alternatives. If you’ve never had a need for a money order before, you may find yourself asking where to get one, how to get one, and what is entailed with filling them out properly. Money orders can be found in more places than you think and are much easier to use than you may realize.
What’s a money order?
Money orders are the paper equivalent of a prepaid debit card. You go to your point of purchase, tell them how much currency you need the money order to reflect, and then pay them that amount plus a small processing fee that varies by retailer. When you give this money order to whomever it is due, you have basically given them a check, but one that they know is not going to bounce and you know is not going to overdraw your bank account.
When you fill out a money order, you fill it out almost exactly like a check. You will buy a money order you will receive two things, the money order and a receipt. The receipt detaches from the money order and gives you the number of the money order, point of purchase, and your information that you put on it, just in case of foul play and you need to get a refund. The information required from you on the physical money order is the Payee (the person or business you are paying), an account number where applicable, YOUR address, and your signature. The dollar amounts are already pre-printed for you.
Where can you buy a money order?
You can find money orders in more places than you may realize. Western Union and Moneygram money orders can be found at gas stations, convenience stores, grocery stores, Walmart, Kroger, USPS shipping locations, your local post office, a local bank, AND payday advance offices, just to name a few. You may want to make a phone call or two in order to be sure which of your local area businesses sell money orders, how much their fees are, and how they accept payment for them. (Some retailers will accept a debit card, some accept only cash.) The Kroger, for example, may charge $0.89 fee for your money order purchase and will allow you to pay with a debit card; while the gas station down the street, like Speedway or Marathon, may charge $1.59 or $1.89 but you MUST pay with cash, no debit card transactions allowed. You may get a cheaper fee if you go into the local branch of the bank you do business with and request a money order.
Any way you decide to go, money orders are readily available, easy to find, and easy to use; especially when they are a requirement and you won’t be able to use a more traditional form of payment like cash, checks, and/or credit/debit cards. There are very few retailers that will allow you to use your credit card to purchase a money order. If you do find one and decide that is the way to go, you can expect to accosted with a cash advance fee from your credit card company as well as accruing interest from the date of purchase.
