# International Money Orders

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-money-orders/67020>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 30, 2001, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-money-orders/67020 "2001-05-30T22:08:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 9\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-money-orders/67020/1 "2001-05-30T22:08:15Z")

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I need to send a money order for 24.75 in Sterling pounds. I have tried 4 banks in my town and none of them do international money orders. Where can I have one made up? I am in the U.S.

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**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-money-orders/67020/2 "2001-05-30T22:17:44Z")

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Try the Post Office.

Make sure you keep all the paperwork. I had to do this to pre-pay a hotel bill a few months ago and it was a pain.

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**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-money-orders/67020/3 "2001-05-30T22:18:32Z")

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If it’s to someone you know, you can use Thomas Cook Moneygrams. Hand over the cash at Thomas Cook or, IIRC, American Express offices, and you can arrange to have someone pick it up in the UK at a local office.

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**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-money-orders/67020/4 "2001-05-30T23:15:12Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by cher3 \*  
> \*\*Try the Post Office.
> 
> Make sure you keep all the paperwork. I had to do this to pre-pay a hotel bill a few months ago and it was a pain. \*\*

I wanted to send a MO to Scotland a few weeks ago and was told that I had to send the money and mailing info to the USPO in St. Louis and they would forward it to its destination. The entire process would have taken about 4-6 weeks!

I sent well-disguised cash instead. It took 12 days.

BTW, it was a small amount - $17.00 US

BTW pt.2 - I’ve sent cash to various parts of the world in the past 2 years and have never had anything go astray.

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**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-money-orders/67020/5 "2001-05-30T23:17:02Z")

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Cher the Post Office will make one that is good for US Funds, not Sterling unfortunately.

mattk-It’s for an auction that I won and need to pay him for the product. There are no Thomas Cook’s here or Americian Express offices.

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**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-money-orders/67020/6 "2001-05-30T23:49:34Z")

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You can use any of these or other similar services:  
[http://www.moneygram.com/](http://www.moneygram.com/)  
[http://www.wib-bank.net/services/moneygram.htm](http://www.wib-bank.net/services/moneygram.htm)  
[http://www.westernunion.com/](http://www.westernunion.com/)

They advertise on TV all the time.

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**Author:** ![MrDeath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/22d042/32.png) [@MrDeath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDeath)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2001, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-money-orders/67020/7 "2001-06-01T05:24:38Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by MannyL \*  
> **Cher the Post Office will make one that is good for US Funds, not Sterling unfortunately.**

Or for convenience, you could send me your money, and I’ll go down to my Canadian post office, where they’re more than happy to do money orders in Canadian or U.S. dollars or Sterling (presumably Euros are in the offing). I’ll even accept U.S. money 🙂

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**Author:** ![reprise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@reprise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/reprise)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2001, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-money-orders/67020/8 "2001-06-01T05:34:18Z")

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Try Wells Fargo.

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**Author:** ![NiceGuyJack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/niceguyjack/32/3069_2.png) [@NiceGuyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NiceGuyJack)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2001, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-money-orders/67020/9 "2001-06-01T06:37:09Z")

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HSBC (New York) arranged a cashiers check in HK$ for me a couple of times. But then, they are a global bank.  
Smaller US banks tend to be clueless about foreign currency transactions. If you’re in a small town, you may not have access to banks which can handle it.

Jack
