By Aleks
Updated October 2026: Buying money orders with gift cards no longer works at these stores, and the tables below are from 2023. Kroger's system blocks gift cards for money orders, Safeway/Albertsons only takes cash or bank debit cards, and many Walmart stores turn gift cards away. Amex also closed every Serve account in June 2026. For plays that still work, check out our Methods guide.
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 |
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.