# Question about cashier's check, money order, certified check **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 13, 2020, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-cashiers-check-money-order-certified-check/915250 "2020-07-13T22:40:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-cashiers-check-money-order-certified-check/915250/21 "2020-07-14T09:56:22Z")
You won’t be out the money if the deal falls through, unless your specific bank has some weird policy. It’s best to ask at your bank. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-cashiers-check-money-order-certified-check/915250/22 "2020-07-14T11:19:47Z")
> [@](#): > > You won’t be out the money if the deal falls through, unless your specific bank has some weird policy. It’s best to ask at your bank. This is the right answer. Tell your bank what you need to do and ask them the best way to do it. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-cashiers-check-money-order-certified-check/915250/23 "2020-07-14T20:49:51Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Not sure if out of date, but 7-11 was $500, and Google suggests so. And when someone is right, someone is right. And YOU are right! I went into a 7-11 on Brookfield Road in Brookfield, Wisconsin today. Was driving on Capitol Drive and saw the place, so I stopped. Had no other reason to except to satisfy my own curiosity. Sure enough, their max is, in fact, $500. For what it’s worth, ever other establishment around here has a 1K limit. This includes the oodles of grocery stores I’ve gotten them from, some liquor stores I [ahem] occasionally frequent, and the dozen or so stop ‘n rob corner convenance stores I’ve bought them from. The 7-11 was the only place out of literally over multiple dozens I have gotten them from that had a limit of only half a K. Weird, and they need to catch up to the times. But you are right about them. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-cashiers-check-money-order-certified-check/915250/24 "2020-07-14T20:59:16Z")
I suspect the issue with giving a debt collector a certied cheque is that now they know your account number. As I recall from years ago, the bank simply takes one of your cheques, certifies it (stamp or something, and that embossing amount indicator) and puts a hold on the money. Once a debt collector knows your account, they can use that information for a court order or something if there’s dispute over paying. A cashier’s cheque simply tells them what bank you deal with, if they did not know already. ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2020, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-cashiers-check-money-order-certified-check/915250/25 "2020-07-15T00:35:39Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Money orders usually have a limit of $1000. But they typically only cost a buck beyond the face amount which is a lot cheaper than certified/cashier checks cost. That must vary a lot depending on where you’re getting it from - my Credit Union does cashier’s checks for $1, or free if they’re $500 or over. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2020, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-cashiers-check-money-order-certified-check/915250/26 "2020-07-15T02:26:31Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > And there is nothing “sketchy” going on. I’m buying a piano from a private (local) seller. Around here, you can’t hardly give a piano away. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2020, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-cashiers-check-money-order-certified-check/915250/27 "2020-07-15T02:43:06Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > > [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > > > And there is nothing “sketchy” going on. I’m buying a piano from a private (local) seller. > > Around here, you can’t hardly give a piano away Sorry, didn’t intend to threadshit. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2020, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-cashiers-check-money-order-certified-check/915250/28 "2020-07-15T15:41:11Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Around here, you can’t hardly give a piano away. That’s true. Literally last week, someone asked me (by way of a friend of a friend of a coworker) if I wanted a free baby grand. It was in storage, all packed up for moving and they just wanted it gone. If it’s not one of the big names, they’re tough to move, especially household uprights. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-cashiers-check-money-order-certified-check/915250/29 "2020-07-25T13:44:22Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > > [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > > > And there is nothing “sketchy” going on. I’m buying a piano from a private (local) seller. > > Around here, you can’t hardly give a piano away. Yeah, there are a million crap pianos that folks can’t give away. That’s not what I was after. mmm ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-cashiers-check-money-order-certified-check/915250/30 "2020-07-25T16:50:21Z")
Did you get the piano? ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-cashiers-check-money-order-certified-check/915250/31 "2020-07-26T11:56:23Z")
I did and I couldn’t be happier with it. I also hauled away my old piano, destined for the scrap heap. Pretty sad to me that it is worthless. Regarding my original question the bank assured me - as many of you did here - that if the deal fell through I could just return the cashier’s check to the bank and deposit it into my account. mmm [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-cashiers-check-money-order-certified-check/915250.md?page=1)