Cash check at Publix money market - Frugal Reality

Can You Cash Check at Publix? Money Order Policy Guide

You know Walmart, Meijer, Aldi, Albertsons, and maybe Food Lion. But do you know Publix? If you don’t live in the southern states, probably not.

So, what is Publix?

Publix is a regional grocery chain in the southeastern US that has been around since 1930. It has over 1,252 store locations in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Florida, and North Carolina. Florida has the most Publix store locations of all the states. It also offers financial services like money orders, check to cash, get cashback with a check, fax services, lotto tickets, sell stamps, coin-counting machines, ATMs for withdrawing, and sells gift cards.

Can you cash a check at Publix?

Short Answer: Apart from grocery shopping, you can also cash checks and buy money orders at Publix. The retailer does cash payroll and personal checks for a fee. Also, you can buy Western Union money orders at Publix for less than $1, but you can’t cash them.

Read on to learn more about the Publix check cashing policy and money order guide.

Publix Supermarket Check Cashing Policy

In today’s world, people lead busy lives. It seems like there aren’t enough hours in the day to attend to the time-sensitive matters and accommodate a tight schedule. At such times, finding a gas station or grocery store nearby that cashes checks is a great convenience.

Publix can be a great alternative to banks and credit unions if you live in any of the southeastern states when you want to cash a check. You can do so while running some other errands and save yourself a trip to the bank. It can be great for your time management strategies.

Here are two more reasons to cash a check at Publix:

  • Cash a check late at night: Some Publix stores are open as late as 10 p.m. Even at 6 p.m., most banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions are closed. Publix is a good place to cash a check after hours.
  • No bank account: For various reasons, some people don’t have a bank account. Maybe, they don’t have a valid government-issued ID, which is mandatory for having a bank account. According to Business Insider, there are about 14 million American’s without a bank account. Publix can be a haven for the unbanked population receiving some form of payment via a check.

Such convenience doesn’t come for free! Just like other check cashing stores, there are fees and requirements. Before you visit a Publix store near you, it is vital to understand the Publix supermarket check cashing policy.

What are the Requirements to Cash a Check at Publix?

Checks are open to manipulations and theft, which makes them potential candidates for fraud. Publix imposes some conditions and requirements to protect itself and its customers to avoid costly and unwanted losses.

To cash a check a Publix, you must meet the following requirements:

  • Cashable checks: Customers can only cash payroll and personal checks at Publix. You cannot cash rebate checks, utility deposit checks, tax return checks, insurance settlements, nor any other type.
  • Verification process: Publix processes checks electronically. Their check verification process is handled by Certegy, an electronic third-party check verification company.
  • Identification: The grocery store will not cash checks without an ID. You’ll be required to produce any of the following documents: valid state-issued ID, military ID, passport, or driver’s license.

There may be some exceptions at some Publix locations. For example, some customers have reported being unable to cash payroll checks at certain Publix locations because the employer’s phone number wasn’t printed on it. Having the employer’s information printed on the check can make a difference at your local Publix.

Does Publix Cash Payroll Checks?

Publix will cash payroll checks and personal checks that are printed. If you have a handwritten check, call ahead of time to see if your location will accept it. Many locations do, but it’s always up to the store manager to decide.

Bring the check to the cashier along with either your driver’s license, state-issued ID card, or military ID to cash a payroll check at Publix.

Your check will be processed electronically via Certegy, a third-party electronic check verification company. You’ll receive your money once the cashier verifies and confirms your identity. It’s payday!

Will Publix Cash a Personal Check?

All Publix stores cash personal checks and payroll checks. They will rarely cash the following types of checks: insurance settlement, tax return, rebate, and utility deposit.

To cash a personal check at Publix, the official requirement is that all checks should be printed. Cashing a personal handwritten check is always the discretion of the location management.

Publix is a good alternative to Walmart since Walmart rarely cashes personal checks.

Unlike Publix, Walmart will cash the following types of checks: insurance settlement, utility deposit, tax return, rebate, and more.

Can I Cash a Stimulus Check at Publix?

You may find some Publix locations that cash paper stimulus checks, but generally, only payroll and personal ones.

Usually, a stimulus check is considered an IRS refund check issued to a taxpayer. These types of checks are expected during the tax season, January to April. Although tax refund checks are considered safe, it’s unfortunate that you may not be able to cash them in most Publix stores.

Walmart will be the best place to cash a stimulus check without a bank account. They will cash tax refund checks for up to $7,500 during the tax season.

How Much Does Publix Charge to Cash a Check?

The fee for cashing checks at Publix depends on whether it’s a personal or payroll check and the amount. Publix charges a $3 to $6 flat fee.

Isn’t that expensive? For people who cash multiple checks, these charges can add up quickly. But it won’t matter for someone without a checking account who rarely does it.

You are paying for convenience! Think of the gas money, opportunity cost, and your time if you had to go to the bank during business hours vs. while shopping at Publix late at night.

Can You Write a Check for Cash Back at Publix?

Publix allows customers to write a check of up to $25 over the purchase. For instance, let’s say you have goods worth $100 in your shopping cart. You can write your check up to $125. That means you will get $25 cashback. Sometimes you want to go shopping and pay via a check, but you also need some cash at the same time.

How Big of a Check Will Publix Cash?

The size of the check Publix will cash depends on the type of check. You can cash one personal check up to $75 per day or for the whole month. A customer can keep cashing several smaller personal checks throughout the month as long as their combined total doesn’t exceed the $75 monthly limit.

Payroll checks have a weekly limit of $500. If you cash one large check of $500 at once, then that’s it. You can’t cash another one during the week. But you can cash several paychecks as long as their combined total doesn’t exceed the $500 weekly limit.

Sometimes the largest check you can cash at Publix may vary by store location. While most stores have a $75 monthly limit for personal checks and a $500 weekly limit for paychecks, don’t be surprised to find some locations with lower limits. It is usually at the discretion of the store manager.

Before you carry your large check to the nearby Publix store, call ahead of time to inquire about their limits.

How Many Checks Can You Cash at Publix?

Personal checks have a daily as well as a monthly limit of $75. That means you can only cash one personal check of $75 or below per day, but several checks per month if their combined total doesn’t exceed the monthly limit of $75.

Publix customers are limited to one payroll check of $500 per day. The weekly limit is $500, which means you can cash several smaller checks during the week as long as their combined total doesn’t exceed $500. Cashing several smaller checks is ideal for people who work more than one job or under the table jobs.

What Time Does Publix Cash Checks?

Most Publix stores have regular operating hours from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. Publix offers financial service every day of the week but stops cashing checks around 10 p.m. daily, even on weekends.

See our guide on the best 24-hour check cashing near me if you work unusual hours.

Publix Money Order Policy

There are key differences between money orders and checks that are used to facilitate payments. Unlike checks, money orders are prepaid and will only be issued after you have paid the money.

What Are The Advantages of Using a Money Order vs. a Check?  

Here are some of the advantages of a money market:

  • Privacy: Checks display some of your bank and personal details. Money orders don’t show your personal information. They’re excellent for making payments without exposing any personal information and reducing fraud. Use it to pay someone or a company you don’t completely trust, like Craigslist, OfferUp, or for sites like Craigslist.  
  • No bouncing checks: Money orders are already prepaid. Sufficient funds are already guaranteed. You won’t have to worry about incurring overdraft fees!
  • No checking account: For some reason, you may not have a checking account. In this case, purchasing a money order is better than carrying cash, especially if you want to pay for a larger purchase.

What is the Publix Money Order Policy?

Here are the details for how to get a money order at Publix:

  • Type of Publix money order: All Publix sell Western Union money orders.
  • Purchasing a Publix money order: Visit any store locations during regular business hours (7 a.m. to 10 p.m.) and purchase one directly from the customer service desk. You will find customer service desks that offer money-related services inside all Publix supermarkets, like coin counting machines and ATMs to withdraw from.
  • Cash a Publix money order: You can buy money orders at Publix, but you can’t cash any!
  • Availability: You can purchase Publix money orders at all Publix stores, except for GreeWise Markets.

How To Do a Money Order at Publix?

Purchasing a money order is pretty straightforward because there are no conditions or specific requirements. Visit the Publix customer service desk and request to buy a money order. It’s that simple!

What are the Publix Money Order Fees?

A money order costs less than $1 to buy at Publix. The fees range from $0.85 to $0.99. This fee must be paid through any of the Publix-approved payment methods.

You can pay for a money order at Publix with cash, debit cards, or a prepaid debit card. They will not accept credit cards, checks, or gift cards. They limit the forms of payment to eliminate processing fees and reduce fraud. 

What is the Publix Money Order Limit?

The Publix money order limit is $500. That means if you need a $1000 money order, you will need to buy two. But some stores allow you to purchase a money order over $1000. In this case, you will need to produce your government-issued photo ID.

Does Publix Refund Money Orders?

You can’t return a money order to Publix.

What if you purchased a money order from Publix, but you no longer need it? Well, there is a way around it, but you will have to pay to play!

Publix money orders are issued and processed through Western Union. If you have a Publix money order that you don’t need anymore, you can request a Western Union refund.

Western Union refunds, however, aren’t free. You will pay a processing fee of $15 to $30 to get a Western Union money order refund! The fee may be worth it if it’s a large money order.

What is the Publix Money Order Hours?

Publix money order hours are generally 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. That means you buy a money order at Publix late at night. It is important to note that all Publix locations operate seven days a week with the weekend hours. Publix stores don’t operate 24 hours.

Publix Check Cashing and Money Order Summary

The ability to cash a check at a nearby grocery chain is a big plus to the modern-day, busy customer. Tough economic times have also taught many to juggle a frugal life! Saving a trip to the bank means more gas in your car!

Publix offers you the convenience of cashing a check while running some other errands so that you can save time and money. They offer additional services like making copies, coin counting machines, sells gift cards, gas stations, carpet cleaner rentals, and more.

If you live in the southeastern states, visit any of their more than 1200 store locations.


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