Walmart doesn’t just offer groceries and an array of big-box-store items to its customers — it also provides on-site financial services at a place called the MoneyCenter. The MoneyCenter offers many of the same services as a bank, including a checking account and check cashing. This can serve as either a convenience or as a banking alternative for consumers. Find out more about how the Walmart MoneyCenter works.
What Is Walmart’s MoneyCenter?
The MoneyCenter is similar to a traditional bank branch, providing products and services that people can use to complete everyday banking activities. MoneyCenter offers services such as sending money, securing installment financing, cashing checks, printing checks, paying bills, buying money orders and arranging tax prep services. MoneyCenter members access their funds through Walmart’s partners.
Keep in mind that some services come with fees you may not typically see from a bank.
Walmart MoneyCenter Services
| Bill pay | Consumers can pay bills in Walmart stores with over 20,000 billers available. |
| Bluebird American Express Prepaid Debit account | A fee-free debit card that can be used for receiving direct deposits, making online bill payments and money transfers and reloading with cash at Walmart. |
| Check cashing | Customers can cash personal checks up to $200 and all other checks up to $5,000 for instant cash or have the amount added to a Walmart MoneyCard. |
| Check printing | Order customizable checks online or in-store. |
| Coinstar | A kiosk where you can redeem your coins for cash, gift cards or even a charity donation. |
| GO2bank account | A mobile bank account provided by Green Dot Bank. |
| Netspend Visa | A reloadable, prepaid debit card without money fees. |
| One debit account | An online banking option with a debit card that can earn 3% cash back on purchases made at Walmart if you have a $5,000 balance or are a Plus customer. |
| Walmart MoneyCard | A debit card offered by Green Dot Bank with benefits including free online bill pay services, no overdraft fees and cash back rewards on Walmart purchases. |
| Walmart2Walmart money transfers | A service for money transfers within the United States, Puerto Rico and Mexico, provided by Ria. |
| Walmart2World money transfers | A service for money transfers to a network of over 580,000 locations in over 200 countries and territories, also provided by Ria. |
| Tax preparation services | Jackson Hewitt provides these services with on-site professionals in over 3,000 stores to help consumers file taxes, by appointment. |
Walmart MoneyCenter’s Hours of Operation
Walmart hours are 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. MoneyCenter hours may differ, depending on the location. It’s best to call for more details.
Follow these steps to access the address, phone number and hours of your closest Walmart location.
1. Visit the Walmart store finder on your laptop, tablet or mobile device.
2. Enter your ZIP code and click “Find store.”
3. Click “store detail” to learn the store hours and get the phone number.
4. Click the “Money Services” icon to search only for stores with a MoneyCenter. If a Walmart doesn’t have a dedicated MoneyCenter, it still offers a number of financial services. Call to see what is available.
Is Walmart MoneyCenter Safe?
The Federal Trade Commission sued Walmart
in June 2022 for allegedly allowing scammers to defraud consumers out of hundreds of millions of dollars. From 2013 to 2018, the lawsuit alleges, Walmart collected profits from fees while “turning a blind eye” to fraudsters using its money transfer services while impersonating IRS agents or relatives in need or running other scams.
Aside from these complaints, the MoneyCenter’s GO2bank account and MoneyCard are Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.-insured. The Bluebird account also has FDIC pass-through insurance, except on its temporary cards.
Walmart MoneyCenter Alternatives
Walmart’s MoneyCenter serves as a viable option for consumers unable to open a bank account or for those looking for convenience, but there are other banking options available.
If you have a negative banking report, a second-chance checking account could be a good idea. This type of account gives you the opportunity to repair your rocky banking history, as well as possible access to an extensive ATM network and FDIC insurance. However, these accounts usually come with more fees than a standard checking account.
If you’re looking for alternatives to transferring money through Walmart, you can use wire transfers, although they come with high fees. An easier and cheaper option is to use peer-to-peer (P2P) payment services such as Venmo, Cash App, Zelle or PayPal.
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Guide to the Walmart MoneyCenter originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 11/20/24: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
