Smith’s Western Union Services: Hours, Fees, etc Detailed

How to Buy a Money Order at Smith’s

Most Smith’s locations allow customers to purchase Western Union money orders at their Money Center desk. You can use the Smith’s money services locator to find the closest store with a Money Center. The majority of Smith’s Money Centers are open from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m., but hours can vary by store. We recommend checking your local store’s hours on the store locator page before you stop by.

For money orders, Smith’s accepts cash only — debit cards and credit cards cannot be used to buy a money order. The cost of a money order varies by location, but you can expect to pay between $0.79 and $2. You’ll get a discount on the price of your money order if you have a Smith’s Shopper’s Card. Shopper’s Cards are rewards cards that allow you to access special store discounts and accumulate points to save on gas and other items purchased at Smith’s. With a Shopper’s Card, you’ll usually pay only $0.69 for a money order.

The maximum amount of a money order purchased at Smith’s varies based on location, but according to our communications with the company, the limit is usually either $500 or $1,000. If you need more than the limit, you can purchase more than one money order.

Does Smith’s have MoneyGram as well? No.

Want to consider a different place? See our article: Where Can I Get a Money Order? At These 50+ Places

How to Cash a Money Order at Smith’s

Most Smith’s locations also cash money orders. The fee is $3. Take note that Smith’s will cash money orders from any issuer except the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). To cash a money order at Smith’s, you’ll need a valid, government-issued photo ID.

No satisfied with Smith’s policy? See our article: Where Can I Cash a Money Order? At These 20+ Places

Using Western Union Bill Pay

Smith’s customers can make payments to over 15,000 businesses through Western Union’s bill pay service. The fee to pay a bill at Smith’s will depend on which company you are paying, but most fees are between $1 and $10. The company must be in the bill pay database to use this service.

To pay a bill at Smith’s, you’ll need to bring the bill with your account number on it, and cash to make the payment. You can’t use credit or debit cards to pay bills with Western Union bill pay. The most common types of bills people pay at Smith’s are utility bills, home mortgage payments, phone bills, car payments, and credit card bills, but you can also pay health care providers, government agencies, and child support.

The Smith’s bill pay service can come in handy, especially if you realize you have a bill that’s due immediately — payments to some companies can be processed the same day to avoid late fees. To find out if your biller is in their database, use the Money Services Biller Lookup.

Using Western Union Money Transfers

Smith’s allows you to send or receive money using Western Union’s Money Transfer service. You can send money either directly to a bank account or to another Western Union location for a friend or loved one to pick up in person. This service works for both national and international money transfers.

To transfer money, you’ll need to bring your government-issued photo ID and be prepared to pay with cash or a debit card. You will also need to know the recipient’s name as it appears on the government-issued ID they’ll use to pick up the funds, along with the country and city, province, or state they live in.

The fee for money transfers usually starts at $4.99 for transfers of $50 or less, but this can vary based on how you pay (cash or debit card) and the Smith’s location you visit. There is no set transfer limit — this depends on your transfer history with Western Union, the payment method you use, and the local laws in the place you’re sending money to.

When the transfer is completed, the agent helping you will provide you with what’s called an MTCN — a money transfer control number. The MTCN is a 10-digit reference code that will be listed on your receipt. You must give the MTCN to the person you’ve sent money to so they can pick up the funds. It’s a good idea to keep the receipt until the recipient has picked up the money.

Card Cashing

The Smith’s Money Center can help you get cash from your payroll, benefits, or debit card. If you have a Smith’s Shopper’s Card, fees for this service start at $3 to access balances up to $2,000, and $5.50 to access balances between $2,000.01 and $5,000. Without a Shopper’s Card, expect to pay about $0.50 more per transaction. A benefit of this service is that you can cash as much or as little of the card balance as you need, and you can get the money in any combination of bill denominations you’d like.

Check Cashing

Smith’s can cash payroll checks, government checks, income tax refund checks, insurance settlement checks, and checks printed from businesses. The Money Center at Smith’s will not cash personal checks, starter checks, or third-party checks

For more information on cashing a check here, see our article: Smith’s Check Cashing Policy

In Summary

The Smith’s Money Center offers a variety of financial services, which are generally available between 8 a.m. – 8 p.m., seven days a week. At Smith’s you can buy a Western Union money order for between $0.69 and $2, and you can cash a money order for $3. You can also cash certain kinds of checks, pay bills and send and receive money through the Western Union bill pay service, and get cash back from a payroll, benefits or debit card. If you’re not near a Smith’s location, there are many other grocery stores that offer similar services.