By Aleks
Updated November 2026. The short answer: yes, sometimes. You can still buy a money order with a Visa or Mastercard gift card at some grocery stores and post offices, but it's a lot less reliable than when we wrote this in 2023. Whether it works depends on the store, the cashier and the card you're holding, so it's still worth probing your local shops.
Where it still works (2026)
| Store | What I've seen in 2026 | Before you go |
|---|---|---|
| USPS | Official policy says no gift cards, but some post offices still take them. I've had two datapoints in the last few months: one post office sold me money orders with Visa and Mastercard gift cards, up to $2,000 at a time, and another refused. | Insert the chip and enter the PIN. Fees are higher than at grocery stores. |
| Walmart | Mixed. I've seen a datapoint of a Mastercard gift card from 7-Eleven going through in October, split across cards, and others of gift cards getting declined in September. Walmart can also stop selling to you after you buy a lot of them. | Try one small money order first. |
| Kroger and its stores (Ralphs, Fry's, King Soopers and others) | Kroger blocks many Visa gift cards for money orders. I've seen datapoints of Mastercard gift cards still working. Cards that run as credit, including Apple Pay, get declined. | Bring a Mastercard gift card and expect the PIN prompt. Some cashiers ask for a bank-issued card. |
| Safeway and Albertsons | The strictest. Many stores only take cash or bank debit cards, Apple Pay doesn't work, and some stores cap money orders at $500. Recent reports are mostly declines. | Don't plan a trip around it. |
| H-E-B | Partly works. I've seen a datapoint from April of 2 × $200 Mastercard gift cards going through on one money order before the next card declined. Other H-E-Bs refuse gift cards outright. | Keep each money order small. |
| Publix | Most datapoints I've seen are declines. Many stores check ID and won't sell money orders to gift cards. | Skip it. |
| CVS and Walgreens | Most don't sell money orders at all. | Skip it. |
What helps
- Run it as debit. Money orders need a PIN. If the register treats your card as credit (Apple Pay often does), it fails.
- Mastercard beats Visa right now. I've seen several datapoints of Mastercard gift cards working where Visa ones from the same store got blocked.
- Start small. Do one money order with one card before you try a stack. Splitting a $500 money order across cards is where declines happen.
- Mind the deposit side. Banks notice. I've seen datapoints of Wells Fargo closing accounts after two years of $20K+ a month in money order deposits, and of a credit union reversing two ATM-deposited money orders three weeks later.
Is it still worth it?
Run your own numbers. The fee calculator below adds up the card fees and the money order fee against the points you earn.
Gift card fee calculator
Change any number. Results update as you type.
How we calculate. Cards = spend ÷ card size, rounded up. Each card pays the card fee and one cash-out fee. Gas, time and card bonuses aren't included.
You come out ahead by
at 0.33¢ per point
Our 2023 tables
These are the results we published in 2023. Issuers and store policies have changed a lot since then, so use them as a starting point, not a promise.
As a follow-up to our post on purchasing money orders with gift cards, I wanted to share more detail on which gift cards can be liquidated where. If you haven’t read that article yet, and are interested in liquidating your gift cards via money orders, then I suggest you read that first. Here, I’ll focus on which gift card types can be used at three of the most common locations for purchasing money orders: Kroger affiliates, Safeway affiliates, and Walmart.
Gift card networks
Now, to give some context, you may know that Visa/Mastercard gift cards fall into different buckets, or gift card “networks”. The various networks are the different institutions that operate the gift card. You can usually find the network that your gift card belongs to by checking the back of the card. Typically, gift cards fall into one of the following networks:
- Blackhawk Network
- U.S. Bank
- Incomm
- Vanilla
- Metabank
- Serve
Depending on the network, you may or may not be able to purchase a money order using that card. So to help, this post outlines which cards you can use in which location. This will be a live list that we will maintain over time, and is based on my own and others’ personal experiences.
Kroger Affiliates
These are generally the following: Kroger, Ralphs, Dillons, Smith's, King Soopers, Fry's, QFC, City Market, Owen's, Jay C, Pay Less, Baker's, Gerbes, Harris Teeter, Pick 'n Save, Metro Market, Mariano's.
Metabank Cards
Staples
Works
“Everywhere” VGCs / Grocery Everywhere
Works
“Everywhere” VGCs / Dining Everywhere
Works
“Everywhere” VGCs / Style Everywhere
Fail
U.S. Bank Cards
Visa
Works
Mastercard
Works
Vanilla Cards
Visa
Works
Mastercard
Works
Incomm Cards
Visa
Works
Mastercard
Works
Serve Cards
Visa
Fail
AmEx
Fail
Walmart MoneyCard
Visa
Works
Gift card compatibility by card network
Card network | Card type | Result |
|---|---|---|
Metabank Cards | Staples | Works |
“Everywhere” VGCs / Grocery Everywhere | Works | |
“Everywhere” VGCs / Dining Everywhere | Works | |
“Everywhere” VGCs / Style Everywhere | Fail | |
U.S. Bank Cards | Visa | Works |
Mastercard | Works | |
Vanilla Cards | Visa | Works |
Mastercard | Works | |
Incomm Cards | Visa | Works |
Mastercard | Works | |
Serve Cards | Visa | Fail |
AmEx | Fail | |
Walmart MoneyCard | Visa | Works |
Safeway Affiliates
These generally include the following: Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen, Carrs, Kings Food Markets, and Balducci's Food Lovers Market.
Metabank Cards
Staples
Works
“Everywhere” VGCs / Grocery Everywhere
Works
“Everywhere” VGCs / Style Everywhere
Fail
U.S. Bank Cards
Visa
Works
Mastercard
Works
Vanilla Cards
Visa
Works
Mastercard
Works
Incomm Cards
Visa
Works
Mastercard
Works
Serve Cards
Visa
Works
AmEx
Fail
Gift card compatibility by card network
Card network | Card type | Result |
|---|---|---|
Metabank Cards | Staples | Works |
“Everywhere” VGCs / Grocery Everywhere | Works | |
“Everywhere” VGCs / Style Everywhere | Fail | |
U.S. Bank Cards | Visa | Works |
Mastercard | Works | |
Vanilla Cards | Visa | Works |
Mastercard | Works | |
Incomm Cards | Visa | Works |
Mastercard | Works | |
Serve Cards | Visa | Works |
AmEx | Fail |
Walmart
Metabank Cards
Staples
Works
“Everywhere” VGCs / Grocery Everywhere
Works
“Everywhere” VGCs / Dining Everywhere
At Neighborhood Markets
U.S. Bank Cards
Visa
Works
Mastercard
Works
Vanilla Cards
Visa
Works
Mastercard
Works
Incomm Cards
Visa
Works
Mastercard
Works
Serve Cards
Visa
Works
AmEx
Fail
Gift card compatibility by card network
Card network | Card type | Result |
|---|---|---|
Metabank Cards | Staples | Works |
“Everywhere” VGCs / Grocery Everywhere | Works | |
“Everywhere” VGCs / Dining Everywhere | At Neighborhood Markets | |
U.S. Bank Cards | Visa | Works |
Mastercard | Works | |
Vanilla Cards | Visa | Works |
Mastercard | Works | |
Incomm Cards | Visa | Works |
Mastercard | Works | |
Serve Cards | Visa | Works |
AmEx | Fail |
Sources: USPS memo on gift cards for money orders, Kroger blocks gift card money orders, Safeway/Albertsons debit-only, plus my own datapoints and ones I've seen, January to October 2026.
Comments 3 comments
Questions and datapoints from readers.
I have had success with Dining, Style, and Grocery Everywhere VGCs at Walmart SuperCenter.
My staples fixed $200 GC dis not work at walmart. Called the card 3 times and said the card will not go through for money orders.
I bought one of the $200 cards at Staples and it worked for a money order, so I bought 9 more. Aaaaaand they did not work.