How Long Is A Moneygram Money Order Valid

Short Answer

Money orders typically don't expire; instead, the money order will begin to lose value when it's between one and three years old. We have more details broken down by the money order issuer below.

Do Money Orders Expire?

Money order issuers each set their own individual expiration policies. In most cases, your money order won't expire but will depreciate in value.

One to three years after purchase, the issuer will charge service fees when you attempt cash or refund the money order, meaning it'll be worth less than it was at the time of purchase.

Service fees typically accrue monthly, so the longer you wait to resolve the issue, the less your money order will be worth.

Below, we list how long you have before a money order will expire, organized by the issuer.

MoneyGram

Expires: Never^[1]
Depreciation policy: Once the money order is a year old, MoneyGram will charge a monthly service fee (in the amount displayed on the back of your money order). MoneyGram will deduct the accumulated service fees from the face value.^[1]

Western Union

Expires: Never^[2]
Depreciation policy: Within one to three years of the original purchase date, the money order will begin to depreciate. The exact service fees will appear on the back of your money order.^[2] Rather than cashing or depositing the money order, you'll need to request a refund from Western Union.^[3]

United States Postal Service (USPS)

Expires: Never^[4] ^[5]
Depreciation policy: No depreciation; the USPS will pay the exact, full value of the money order, regardless of the original purchase date.^[5]

Amscot

Expires: Never^[6]
Depreciation policy: Money orders begin depreciating monthly after one year. Amscot will deduct a monthly service charge of $2 from the face value, with a maximum fee of $144.^[7] ^[6]

Cashing or Refunding an Old Money Order

If you need to check the status of an old money order to see whether someone cashed it, our related research has information about money order tracking.

We also detail how to request a money order refund or replacement.

Note that many banks also sell money orders that don't expire but do depreciate.^[8] To check the status of or request a refund for a bank money order, it's best to visit a local branch and bring the money order receipt, if available.

If you have an old money order that you bought but never filled out, you may be able to make it out to yourself and then cash it. See our lists of places that cash MoneyGram and other types of money orders.

Keep in mind that if your money order has begun to depreciate and is blank, you might need to fill out a refund request rather than cashing it. (As noted above, you shouldn't attempt to cash an old Western Union money order.)

Find out more about money orders in our full money order FAQ.

https://www.moneygram.com/mgo/us/en/help/faq/money-orders[↩][↩]
https://wucare.westernunion.com/s/article/Do-money-orders-have-an-expiration-date?language=en_US[↩][↩]
https://wucare.westernunion.com/s/article/How-do-I-request-a-money-order-refund?language=en_US[↩]
https://www.usps.com/shop/money-orders.htm[↩]
https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/509.htm#3_0[↩][↩]
Amscot customer service (800) 801-4444[↩][↩]
https://www.amscot.com/free-money-orders.aspx[↩]
TD Bank customer service (888) 751-9000 [↩]