Walmart Check Cashing [Hours, Fee, Verification, Policy]

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  • Post last modified:May 29, 2021

You need to cash your check right away, but there’s no bank around. If you are near a Walmart, then you can cash your check at Walmart. What is Walmart cash checking?

Check cashing is available at Walmart stores almost everywhere in the United States. Normally, you will be charged a service fee to cash your check. You can cash your preprinted check and other checks authorized by Walmart policy through their check cashing process.

Walmart only allows you to cash a check that is made under your name. As a safety feature, the store will also verify your identity before it releases the money. So, you should bring with you a valid ID. They will verify your check electronically before your money is released.

What are Walmart’s cash checking hours? Most Walmart Money Centers are open from 8 a.m. to 8 a.m. Monday to Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. You can cash your check at the Walmart Money Center.

Read on to learn more about Walmart check cashing, the store hours, the fees, the verification process, and the policies they follow regarding cashing checks. 

Walmart Check Cashing

 walmart check cashing

If you need to cash your check and there’s no bank around, you can always go to a Walmart store to cash it. But be sure that the check is written under your name. And then bring along a valid ID so that they will know it is really you who is cashing it in.

Cashing a check at Walmart is limited to preprinted checks and other checks authorized by the Walmart check cashing policy. Please take note that Walmart will only cash checks that are written under your name. So, you need to bring with you a valid ID to show them that you are the person written on the check.

In most Walmart stores, they will first verify your check. They will process it electronically through third-party acceptance companies such as TeleCheck and Certegy. These two companies are the leaders when it comes to check verification. After your check is verified, only then will you be able to receive your cash.

As of 2018, Walmart is implementing a limit of $5,000 as their check cashing limit. But from January to April of each year, they increase this Walmart check cashing limit to $7,500. Walmart also charges check cashing fees according to the amount of the check. The Walmart check cashing fee for different amounts of checks is as follows:

  • For checks up to $1,000, the processing fee is $4.
  • Checks from $1,001 to $5,000 have a processing fee of $8.
  • For two-Party Personal Checks with a $200 limit, the processing fee is $6.

Unfortunately, cash checking is not allowed and therefore not available at any Walmart stores in New York and New Jersey. This is due to the state laws in these two jurisdictions that somehow prevent Walmart from offering this service to their customers.

Walmart’s Money Center Cash Checking

With Walmart’s Money Center, you are given an alternative to traditional banks. Apart from offering all kinds of consumer items, this store also provides convenient banking alternatives to their customers. It is easier to encash your check at Walmart than at any commercial bank.

Almost 5,000 Walmart stores are spread across the United States, and most of them have money centers where you can cash in your checks at low service fees. Aside from check cashing, they also offer bill payments and money transfers.

Walmart Check Cashing Hours 

Walmart cash checking hours at the Walmart Money Center are generally 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Walmart MoneyCenter services include money transfers, check cashing, and other cash services, such as bill payments.

The majority of Walmart stores open at 7 in the morning and close at 11 in the evening. They operate 7 days a week. However, the exact operating hours may vary from store to store. Typically, most Walmart Money Centers do not follow the operating hours of their main stores.

The Walmart check cashing hours are typically 8 a.m. to 8 a.m. Monday to Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the weekend; however, the hours can differ from store to store.

You can find the exact hours that the Money Center at your local Walmart store operates by visiting Walmart’s official website. Then find the exact operating hours of the local store by following these steps:

  1. Choose “Your Location” and type in your ZIP code.
  2. A drop-down list of stores will appear. Select the store nearest you.
  3. Click on “Details” to view the services offered at that store. That store’s phone number will be listed as well. Call this number to check the exact hours that they open and close.

Another route you can use is to click on the “Store Details” if you are already on the store page. You will see all the departments in that store. If a Walmart store has a Money Center section, you will see “Money Services” listed on that page.

Types of Checks Accepted and Not Accepted

walmart check cashing hours

Just like any other commercial bank, Walmart Money Centers also follow certain policies. While they can accept certain kinds of checks, they can also reject other types of checks.  Remember, it should be made payable to you for a check to be acceptable at any Walmart Money Center.

Acceptable Checks

The types of checks that Walmart Money Centers can accept are the following:

  • Payroll checks
  • 401(k), retirement disbursement checks
  • Preprinted checks
  • Cashier’s checks
  • Tax refund checks
  • Government checks
  • Business checks
  • Insurance settlement checks
  • Two-party personal checks
  • MoneyGram money orders that you purchased at Walmart
  • Money Orders and personal checks
  • Two-party personal checks
  • Out-of-state checks. (Walmart treats out-of-state checks the same way it treats in-state checks.)

Non-Acceptable Checks

The kinds of checks that are not accepted at any Walmart Money Center are the following:

  • Savings bonds checks
  • Post-dated checks
  • Handwritten checks
  • Starter checks
  • Non-MoneyGram money orders
  • Altered checks
  • Personal checks that are checks made out to cash
  • Comdata checks or Comcheks
  • Third-party checks

Walmart Check Cashing Limit

What is the Walmart check cashing policy in regards to limits? During normal non-tax seasons, Walmart Money Centers limit the amount for check cashing to $ 5,000 per check. But during the tax season covering January to April, the cash limit is increased to $7,500.

For two-party personal checks, the limit is $200. There is also a limit on the number of check transactions a person can cash in one day. The limit is three transactions per day. Please take note that any individual Walmart store may set its own limits. You are therefore advised to check with the store before bringing in checks with large amounts.

Cashing Fee

It’s more advantageous to cash your checks at Walmart since their service charges are very reasonable. Certainly, their fees are lower than the fees charged by payday loan centers and even with some commercial banks.

The actual service fee will depend on the amount written on your check. Lower amounts will incur lower fees and vice versa. The higher fees at Walmart check cashing are very reasonable as well. Following are the check cashing fees:

  • For checks up to $1,000, the processing fee is from $3 to $4.
  • From $1,001 to $5,000, the charge is from $6 to $8.
  • Two-party checks with a limit of $200, the fee is $6.

If you want to cash multiple checks, Walmart will charge a processing fee for each check. For instance, cashing in four checks with a total value of less than $1,000 will result in transaction fees of $12 up to $16. If the Money Center charges $3 per transaction, the total is $12. But if the charge is $4 per check, your total charge is $16.

How to Cash a Check at Walmart

walmart check cashing fee

Walmart Money Centers offer two ways of cashing your check. You can either get cold cash, or you can load your money onto a Walmart MoneyCard. If you choose the second option, you will not be charged a reload fee.

The steps of getting your cash are really very simple:

  1. Bring the check to the Walmart Money Center nearest you.
  2. Bring your valid ID, preferably government-issued.
  3. Present the check and your ID to the Money Center or the Walmart customer service desk.
  4. You may be asked to provide your social security number when cashing your check.
  5. Once the cashier approves your ID and authorizes your check, you will be asked to pay the service fee. You can ask the cashier to deduct the service fee from the check amount if you want.
  6. The cashier will then give you the cash, or
  7. You can load part of the amount or the whole amount onto a Walmart MoneyCard.

The MoneyCard may be safer than carrying a large amount of cash. It is actually a Visa debit card that is accepted in stores where Visa debit cards are valid. However, unlike a standard debit card, you can only spend what is actually loaded onto the MoneyCard. So, you won’t be charged with overdraft fees.

Personal Information Required

Check cashing at Walmart is very easy because they won’t ask you to register or buy anything from the store. However, you still need to authenticate your identity. You need to prove that you are the person whose name is on the check that you are encashing.

So, you need to bring with you a valid ID with a photo, preferably government-issued. Some of the IDs you can bring along are your passport, your driver’s license, your state ID cards, and others. Some money centers may also ask for your Social Security number.

Verification Process

Before you can get your cash, your check will undergo the Walmart check cashing verification process. Walmart will verify your check as well as our identity. So, remember to bring your valid ID along with your check.

When you present them to the Money Center of Walmart, they will verify your check electronically through TeleCheck. Some Walmart stores do it through Certegy.

Ensure that you don’t have a folded check and that it is free of any smudges, tears, and wrinkles because Walmart uses check cashing machines to read and verify your check. Otherwise, Walmart will reject and deny it.

Both TeleCheck and Certegy use the information contained in your check to approve or deny it. They will check the amount of the check, the bank account number, the routing number, and your identification.

The decision to accept or deny will depend on the information that is verified by the system. It will also depend on how your check compares to all the checks verified by the system.

They could deny your check if you have not cashed enough checks for their verification system to create a decent file about your identity. Your check could also be denied because of check fraud or because of insufficient funds.

Pros and Cons of Walmart Check Cashing

Definitely, there are many advantages to using the Money Centers of Walmart for cashing your checks. However, there are also some disadvantages that you can encounter:

Pros

  • Check out process is fast and efficient
  • Very reasonable fees
  • Can cash checks while shopping for groceries
  • You don’t need to have a Walmart account to use the service
  • Can choose to receive cash or load part of the amount onto a Walmart MoneyCard
  • There are many store locations to cash checks all over the country

Cons

  • You can only use Walmart MoneyCard on Walmart stores
  • Service fees may be a bit higher than the fees of some commercial banks
  • There are multiple service fees for cashing multiple checks
  • They do not accept handwritten
  • You cannot cash checks that are over the limit

Conclusion: Check Cashing Walmart [Hours, Fee, Verification, Policy]

Check cashing is available at almost all Walmart stores in the United States. Normally, you have to pay a service fee first to cash your check. You can cash preprinted checks and other checks authorized by Walmart policy.

They will only cash a check under your name. So, you should bring with you a valid ID when you cash your check. The store will also verify your check using a third-party verification service before they release your money.