How to Trace a Money Order

This article was co-authored by Jill Newman, CPA. Jill Newman is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in Ohio with over 20 years of accounting experience. She has experience working as an accountant in public accounting firms, nonprofits, and educational institutions, and has also honed her communication skills via an MA in English, writing jobs, and as a teacher. She received her CPA from the Accountancy Board of Ohio in 1994 and has a BS in Business Administration/Accounting.

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Money orders are similar to checks, in that you specify who can cash them. They are useful if you don't have a checking account, or if you don't want your personal information or bank account details accessible. Like checks, money orders are often sent through the mail, which involves some uncertainty. Luckily, organizations that provide money orders also provide services to trace the status of those money orders. However, the usefulness and fees of these services vary between issuers and depend on whether or not you have your original receipt. [1] X Research source

Tracing a Money Order with a Receipt

• Some resellers (convenience stores, supermarkets, etc.) may provide you with an additional receipt that does not show the required numbers. This is not the receipt that you need.

Know who to contact. You will need to contact the issuer of the money order. This is the service that actually processes the order, usually your bank, the US Postal Service, or another money-sending service like MoneyGram or Western Union. The name of the issuer will also appear on the money order and receipt. You should not contact the reseller of your money order, which could be any convenience store, supermarket, or other store where your money order was purchased. [2] X Research source

• Most issuers do not offer online tracking. If it is unclear if you can do so, or how you can do so, contact the seller to see if it is possible.

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Choose a shipment method with its own tracking number. Even if you cannot track the money order directly, you can typically track the physical package that contains it. Most mail services and post offices will provide a tracking number, which you can use online to follow the location of the shipment. If the package does not arrive at its destination, you can show your receipt for the money order to the shipper and request reimbursement.

• The representative will only be able to tell you if the money order has been cashed or if it is outstanding, and will not be able to tell you it's location. [4] X Research source

• For USPS money orders, visit a USPS location and ask for a PS Form 6401 Money Order Inquiry. You will need a valid photo ID and a fee of $6.10 to issue the request. From there, USPS will trace your money order and it will appear on the lost money order list on the USPS website if it is indeed lost or stolen. [5] X Research source
• For Western Union or MoneyGram orders, take the receipt to the agent that you bought the money order from. After you fill out the required paperwork and pay a fee ($15 for Western Union), the service will trace the money order for you. For some tracing requests, this may take up to 8 weeks. [6] X Research source

• Western Union has a variety of applications for compensation available to customers, and you must select the appropriate form depending on which materials you have (serial number and receipt, for example). [7] X Research source If the money order has not been cashed, Western Union will either refund your money or replace the money order.
• For MoneyGram money orders, expect that, if the money order has not been cashed, the full amount will be refunded to you within 30 to 65 days of filing the correct paperwork. If the money order has been cashed, though, you will only receive a photocopy of the cashed money order. [8] X Research source
• If you purchased the money order from the USPS, and your money order is found to be lost or stolen, you will be allowed to receive compensation or replacement no sooner than 60 days after you first filed the 6401 form claim mentioned above. [9] X Research source USPS will require a processing fee of $6.10. [10] X Research source

Tracing a Money Order Without a Receipt

Check if you can trace the money order without a receipt. While most banks and issuers will allow you to trace your money order without a receipt, some will not. For example, if you have lost your receipt for a USPS money order and wish to trace it, read no further. USPS does not allow tracing of any money order without a receipt. [11] X Research source Call your issuer's customer service number (easily found on their website) to see if they can trace a money order without a receipt.

Know who to contact. You will need to contact the issuer of the money order. This is the service that actually processes the order, usually your bank, the US Postal Service, or another money-sending service like MoneyGram or Western Union. You should not contact the reseller of your money order, which could be any convenience store, supermarket, or other store where your money order was purchased. [12] X Research source

• Date and time of purchase
• Your contact information
• Where you bought it
• The amount of the money order
• Any information about other money orders you purchased on that day, if applicable.

• For a bank-issued money order, your bank will likely keep a copy of the receipt, as they are the issuing institution. It is also likely that they will be able to identify your money order from your account history and trace it this way. However, none of this is guaranteed and will vary between banks. Contact yours for more information.
• For tracing orders through a non-bank issuer (such as MoneyGram or Western Union) without a receipt, this will have to be done either in person at the store or with the agent that you purchased the money order from or through the mail. Both options will require you to fill out a form that requires some or all of the information listed above, pay a fee, and either turn it in at the store or mail it in. [13] X Research source
  • For Western Union "Research Requests," as these requests are called, a fee of $30 must be paid at the store or included with the mailed-in form. [14] X Research source

  

  • If the money order is located and has not been cashed, Western Union will either refund your money or replace the money order.
  • For MoneyGram money orders, expect that, if the money order has not been cashed, the full amount will be refunded to you within 30 to 65 days of filing the correct paperwork. If the money order has been cashed, though, you will only receive a photocopy of the cashed money order. [15] X Research source
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  Expert Q&A

  How do I still trace money order if I just have a copy of serial numbers but no purchase date? Michael R. Lewis
  Business Advisor

  Michael R. Lewis is a retired corporate executive, entrepreneur, and investment advisor in Texas. He has over 40 years of experience in business and finance, including as a Vice President for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas. He has a BBA in Industrial Management from the University of Texas at Austin.

  Business Advisor Expert Answer

  To track most money orders, you need only the serial number of the money order. You can call the issuer, not the seller, of the order and they will be able to tell you whether the money order has been redeemed.

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  What can you do if you do not remember where you purchased the money order from? Jill Newman, CPA
  Financial Advisor

  Jill Newman is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in Ohio with over 20 years of accounting experience. She has experience working as an accountant in public accounting firms, nonprofits, and educational institutions, and has also honed her communication skills via an MA in English, writing jobs, and as a teacher. She received her CPA from the Accountancy Board of Ohio in 1994 and has a BS in Business Administration/Accounting.

  Financial Advisor Expert Answer

  The issuer name should be on the receipt. If you do not have the receipt and you paid for the money order with a credit card, check your credit card statement. If you paid in cash and do not have the receipt, then re-visit places where you might have bought the money order. Give the employees the exact amount of your money order, and a range of dates when you might have bought it. They should be able to tell you if they processed such a transaction.

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  How do I find out if a money order has reached its destination? Jill Newman, CPA
  Financial Advisor

  Jill Newman is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in Ohio with over 20 years of accounting experience. She has experience working as an accountant in public accounting firms, nonprofits, and educational institutions, and has also honed her communication skills via an MA in English, writing jobs, and as a teacher. She received her CPA from the Accountancy Board of Ohio in 1994 and has a BS in Business Administration/Accounting.

  Financial Advisor Expert Answer

  If the shipping service provided a tracking number, use it on their website to see when the money order was delivered. If you want to know if a money order has been cashed, the method depends on the issuer. Some let you put the money order's serial number on their website, while others let you enter details on an automated phone call. If you do not have a receipt, go back to the original issuer with the details of your purchase to see what your options are.

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  If the money order has not been cashed yet and you still have suspicions that it is lost or stolen, ask the issuer of the money order to put a stop payment order on the money order. Oftentimes this will require an additional fee and can take up to 24 hours. Once the stop payment order has been successfully executed, the issuer will issue a replacement money order in the same dollar amount as the original. [16] X Research source

  Most issuers of money orders require that you wait a predetermined amount of time before tracing a money order. Some issuers will require you to wait as long as 30 days.

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