Yes, you can get a money order from your bank in most cases. Chase, Citibank, Citizens Bank, TD Bank, U.S. Bank, and Wells Fargo all sell them at branch locations, usually for a $5 fee and capped at $1,000 per order. Bank of America does not sell money orders at all, and online-only banks such as Ally have no branches to issue them. If your bank is one of the sellers, you can walk in with a photo ID and walk out with the money order in a few minutes.
Which Banks Sell Them and Which Don’t
The major national banks that sell money orders at the teller window include Chase, Citibank, Citizens Bank, TD Bank, U.S. Bank, and Wells Fargo. Each charges a flat per-order fee and caps the face value at $1,000. Several waive the fee for customers who hold premium checking accounts.
Credit unions frequently sell them too, sometimes at lower fees than large banks, though it varies by institution. The notable gap is Bank of America, which has stopped offering money orders, along with online-only banks that have no physical branches. If your bank falls in that group, the U.S. Postal Service and Walmart are the usual next stops.
What It Costs at the Bank Versus Other Sellers
Banks are the most expensive place to buy a money order. Chase charges $5 for each order up to $1,000 and waives the fee for Secure Checking, Premier Plus, Sapphire, and Private Client account holders.1Chase. Additional Banking Services and Fees for Personal Accounts Wells Fargo charges the same $5.2Wells Fargo. Consumer and Business Account Fees Compare that to:
- U.S. Postal Service: $2.55 for amounts up to $500, and $3.60 for $500.01 to $1,000.3USPS. Notice 123
- Walmart: $1 maximum per money order.4Walmart. Money Orders
- Grocery and convenience stores: typically $0.70 to $2 through Western Union or MoneyGram.
If you’re buying one for rent every month, the gap matters. A year of monthly money orders runs $60 at a bank and $12 at Walmart. The bank’s real advantage is the trust some recipients place in a bank-issued instrument, which carries weight in real estate or legal transactions. For most other uses, a cheaper issuer does the same job.
The $1,000 Cap and When a Cashier’s Check Makes More Sense
A single money order from a bank or the USPS maxes out at $1,000.5USPS. Money Orders If you owe more, you’ll need multiple orders, each with its own fee. A $2,800 rent payment, for example, means three separate money orders.
Once you’re above $1,000, a cashier’s check is usually the better tool. Banks issue cashier’s checks with no upper dollar limit, and the fee is typically $10.2Wells Fargo. Consumer and Business Account Fees One $10 cashier’s check for that $2,800 beats three $5 money orders both on cost and on paperwork.
What to Bring and How the Purchase Works
Bring a valid government-issued photo ID: driver’s license, state ID, or passport. Banks ask for ID on every money order purchase as part of their anti-fraud policies.
Also come with the exact legal name of the person or business you’re paying, the precise dollar amount, and any reference numbers the recipient needs, such as a utility account number or lease reference, which goes on the memo line. Getting the payee name right matters because most issuers can’t change it once the order is printed.
At the teller window, you’ll state the amount and payee, present your ID, and let the teller deduct the face value plus the fee from your checking or savings account. Some banks also accept debit cards. Once the money order prints, sign it in the purchaser field before you leave. An unsigned order can cause problems when the recipient tries to cash or deposit it.
Keep the Receipt
The teller will hand you a detachable receipt or a separate printed record with the money order’s serial number. That receipt is the only way to track whether the order has been cashed and the only straightforward path to a replacement if it goes missing. Treat it like cash until the recipient confirms the payment landed. Without it, requesting a stop payment or a replacement from your bank gets slower and more expensive, and the fee and timeline vary by institution.
Buying With Cash: Recordkeeping and the Structuring Trap
If you’re paying for the money order out of your account, none of this applies. If you’re paying cash, federal rules kick in at certain thresholds. When you buy $3,000 or more in money orders with currency in a single day, the bank must record your name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, and the details of the ID you presented, along with the serial numbers and dollar amounts of every order.6eCFR. 31 CFR 1010.415 – Purchases of Bank Checks and Drafts, Cashiers Checks, Money Orders and Travelers Checks At $10,000 in cash transactions in a single business day, the bank files a Currency Transaction Report with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. These reports are routine and don’t suggest wrongdoing.
What does create legal trouble is deliberately splitting purchases to stay under those thresholds. Buying $2,500 in money orders at one branch and another $2,500 at a different branch the same day to avoid the $3,000 recordkeeping rule is called structuring, and it’s a federal crime even when the underlying money is entirely legitimate.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 31 USC 5324 – Structuring Transactions to Evade Reporting Requirement Prohibited Penalties include up to five years in prison and substantial fines. Tellers are trained to watch for the pattern. If you have a legitimate need to buy several thousand dollars in money orders with cash, the safer approach is to buy them in one transaction and let the bank file whatever paperwork the rules require.