# I have more stupid questions: How does one cash a money order? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 6, 2013, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-more-stupid-questions-how-does-one-cash-a-money-order/662807 "2013-07-06T19:17:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2013, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-more-stupid-questions-how-does-one-cash-a-money-order/662807/21 "2013-07-07T17:15:04Z")
Do you have a brokerage account? The firm I work for, as well as most big firms, accepts money orders as a form of deposit. It won’t be converted to cash, but you can, of course, request a withdrawal from the account once the money order is cleared. A bit time consuming, but there shouldn’t be any fees involved. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2013, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-more-stupid-questions-how-does-one-cash-a-money-order/662807/22 "2013-07-07T17:50:23Z")
> [@](#): > > I wish it were issued by a well-known institution. It was issued by some folks called Continental Express out in Orange County, CA. You might be wondering who the hell paid me with a money order. My idiot brother who is so bad with money that he had to borrow it from me, and just when I thought I was never going to see it again, he mails it to me a year later with a fucking money order. This guy, I swear… > > Anyway, when I opened my ING account, I had a local bank account, and then I closed it. Don’t ask me why. I think they had too many fees or something. In any case, you are very much right about why it’s important to have a local account. I found this out twice the hard way this weekend! First when I lost my debit card and found out it would take FIVE business days to receive a replacement. Yikes! Five days access to my money? I have a credit card that could keep me afloat but still, that’s ridiculous. And second, trying to redeem this f-ing money order. First, it’s good that your brother paid you back. Second, use this money order to open a local bank account. That solves two problems, right? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2013, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-more-stupid-questions-how-does-one-cash-a-money-order/662807/23 "2013-07-07T18:01:19Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > I wish it were issued by a well-known institution. It was issued by some folks called Continental Express out in Orange County, CA. You might be wondering who the hell paid me with a money order. My idiot brother who is so bad with money that he had to borrow it from me, and just when I thought I was never going to see it again, he mails it to me a year later with a fucking money order. This guy, I swear… I don’t know if [this](http://www.continentalexpressmoneyorders.com/index.htm) is the same company but if it is, it looks _really_ sketchy. There’s no address listed, which never a good sign in my experience. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-more-stupid-questions-how-does-one-cash-a-money-order/662807/24 "2013-07-08T23:32:57Z")
Local banks are becoming a real pain in the ass as well. A couple of years ago I had an account at a local bank in Florida, and my wife had a check issued to her that she signed to me. A perfectly negotiable instrument under UCC Section 3. But, nope, bank policy, cannot cash 3rd party checks even though I had enough money in my account. No exceptions. Even though I could have taken that check to the hated Wal-Mart and they could have verified those funds in 2 seconds, a brick and mortar bank still needs the 5 business day rule. I like online banking as well, but this particular situation is a pain in the ass. ---
**Author:** ![LibrarySpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f9ae1b/32.png) [@LibrarySpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LibrarySpy)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-more-stupid-questions-how-does-one-cash-a-money-order/662807/25 "2013-07-09T12:48:58Z")
Sign it over to a trusted friend who can write you a check. But yeah, it’ll probably take 10 days to clear, from sketchy McSketchville Issuer. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-more-stupid-questions-how-does-one-cash-a-money-order/662807/26 "2013-07-09T15:46:10Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > But, nope, bank policy, cannot cash 3rd party checks even though I had enough money in my account. No exceptions. Even though I could have taken that check to the hated Wal-Mart and they could have verified those funds in 2 seconds, a brick and mortar bank still needs the 5 business day rule. Wait. . . Could you deposit the cashiers check into your own account? Does the bank accept cashiers checks for deposit? And if you otherwise already had enough money in your account, you couldn’t just withdraw some of that, or write a check against it? ---
**Author:** ![Lazlo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lazlo/32/9678_2.png) [@Lazlo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lazlo)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-more-stupid-questions-how-does-one-cash-a-money-order/662807/27 "2013-07-09T18:03:35Z")
[Walmart. The fee is three bucks, max, if it’s $1000 or less.](http://www.walmart.com/cp/In-Store-Check-Cashing/1079829) EDIT: Hah! I just read that you already knew that, Mean Old Lady. ---
**Author:** ![misling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ab097/32.png) [@misling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/misling)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-more-stupid-questions-how-does-one-cash-a-money-order/662807/28 "2013-07-09T18:08:14Z")
I don’t know if you feel like opening a different account, but USAA will accept money orders for deposit via mail and several other methods. Go to [USAA.com](http://USAA.com) and search ‘deposit money order’ for details. They are a very good credit union. I have always been more than happy with their service. And their phone support is excellent. They were formed to serve the military originally, and they are used to dealing with all sorts of money situations long distance. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-more-stupid-questions-how-does-one-cash-a-money-order/662807/29 "2013-07-09T18:13:58Z")
> [@misling](#): > > I don’t know if you feel like opening a different account, but USAA will accept money orders for deposit via mail and several other methods. > Go to [USAA.com](http://USAA.com) and search ‘deposit money order’ for details. > > They are a very good credit union. I have always been more than happy with their service. And their phone support is excellent. > They were formed to serve the military originally, and they are used to dealing with all sorts of money situations long distance. USAA’s pretty awesome if you can get it, but [not everybody can](https://www.usaa.com/inet/pages/pub_eligibility_task_entry?akredirect=true). (Every now and then I bug my dad (Vietnam vet) to sign up so that I can get an account with them, heh.) ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-more-stupid-questions-how-does-one-cash-a-money-order/662807/30 "2013-07-09T20:55:53Z")
Transferring money via paper can be a pain these days. I realize that OP’s money order is not USPS, but postal money orders would seem to be very convenient. AFAIK, post offices all over the world accept each others’ international money orders; the fees are very small; the purchaser can choose whether currency conversion is done at source or destination. (Thai post offices also accept Western Union money orders.) ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-more-stupid-questions-how-does-one-cash-a-money-order/662807/31 "2013-07-09T21:10:37Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > One option could be to sign it over to a friend who has a bank account at a place that allows deposits of money orders, and have them pay you the funds in cash or a check that you can deposit. Naw, even that doesn’t work, I tried that for a friend, and my bank refused to accept a third-party check, even for deposit to my account, which had enough balance in it to cover it. I asked why, they said “It’s our policy”. I asked why they have that policy, they said “to protect you”. I told them I’d sign a notarized statement that I assume all loss, damages or liability for it, and I was told “It’s our policy”, apparently only two answers in their mental rolodex. It’s even worse if its a postal money order. It can only be cashed at a postal station that keeps enough cash on hand to cover it. They won’t even arrange to get the money if you tell them you will come back tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![Tacit\_Knowledge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@Tacit\_Knowledge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tacit_Knowledge)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2013, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-more-stupid-questions-how-does-one-cash-a-money-order/662807/32 "2013-07-10T07:42:52Z")
If you know the person the check came from just ask them to pay cash, regular check or credit card (if you’re set up to accept them and are willing to pay the fee). Or ask a friend of family bennet with an account to cash it for you then sign it over. Or get a real bank account and stop fooling with a faceless Internet bank. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2013, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-more-stupid-questions-how-does-one-cash-a-money-order/662807/33 "2013-07-10T18:15:25Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > First when I lost my debit card and found out it would take FIVE business days to receive a replacement. Yikes! Five days access to my money? I’m not positive a local bank would be any better in that regard. It seems like everything I receive from Wells Fargo comes from some out of state processing center. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2013, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-more-stupid-questions-how-does-one-cash-a-money-order/662807/34 "2013-07-10T18:37:13Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Do you have a brokerage account? The firm I work for, as well as most big firms, accepts money orders as a form of deposit. It won’t be converted to cash, but you can, of course, request a withdrawal from the account once the money order is cleared. A bit time consuming, but there shouldn’t be any fees involved. I do not, but I suppose I can set one up. No worries if it’s time consuming. I still haven’t cashed this thing yet, which shows the kind of hurry I’m in. It is nice to know there are options other than giving some check cashing place half my money. > [@LawMonkey](#): > > USAA’s pretty awesome if you can get it, but [not everybody can](https://www.usaa.com/inet/pages/pub_eligibility_task_entry?akredirect=true). (Every now and then I bug my dad (Vietnam vet) to sign up so that I can get an account with them, heh.) My dad’s a vet too. Woot! > [@control-z](#): > > I’m not positive a local bank would be any better in that regard. It seems like everything I receive from Wells Fargo comes from some out of state processing center. Yeah, but I could go inside a local bank and take money out. I can’t walk into ING and request a withdrawal. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2013, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-more-stupid-questions-how-does-one-cash-a-money-order/662807/35 "2013-07-10T20:30:37Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > I’m not positive a local bank would be any better in that regard. It seems like everything I receive from Wells Fargo comes from some out of state processing center. I have a friend who frequently loses their debit card and is a Wells Fargo customer. You can go to a Wells Fargo branch with ID and they will give you a temporary debit card. Then a permanent card will be mailed to you. I am not saying that all banks work this way. ---
**Author:** ![Running\_with\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Running\_with\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Running_with_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2013, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-more-stupid-questions-how-does-one-cash-a-money-order/662807/36 "2013-07-10T20:46:14Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > I’m not positive a local bank would be any better in that regard. It seems like everything I receive from Wells Fargo comes from some out of state processing center. FWIW, Citibank sent my replacement ATM card via overnight courier (e.g. UPS). And Chase is aggressively advertising (at least in the NY metro area) that you can simply go into a branch and get a replacement card. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2013, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-more-stupid-questions-how-does-one-cash-a-money-order/662807/37 "2013-07-10T20:47:18Z")
My credit union can top Wells Fargo, at least if you go to the right branch :D. I went over there once with a dead debit card (my own fault, it had gone through the laundry. I’ve since found that a debit card will survive the washer, but not the dryer) and my ID. Twenty minutes later, I walked out with a nice new working card in my pocket. They didn’t even charge a replacement fee. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-more-stupid-questions-how-does-one-cash-a-money-order/662807.md?page=1)