Although WinCo is a discount, no-frills grocery store that primarily sells food, it does provide several financial services to its customers as well. These services are meant to serve as a convenience to its customers because WinCo isn’t a bank, so its check-cashing service works differently than the services that are available at other supermarkets. Anyway, here are the financial services that are available at WinCo.
Does WinCo Cash Checks?
WinCo cashes payroll checks worth up to $1,000 and its check-cashing process has some unique rules. It charges a fee of $10 to cash a check and that’s more than what most supermarkets charge. But when you cash a check there, you also receive two tokens that each give you a $5 discount on a $25 grocery purchase. So if you’re also buying groceries at WinCo, its check-cashing service is effectively free, which is a better deal than what other grocery stores offer.
Does WinCo Sell Money Orders?
WinCo also sells money orders for a small fee. Like many other grocery stores and supermarkets, it has a partnership with the money transfer service Western Union and these money orders are provided by Western Union. WinCo doesn’t cash money orders even though it sells them, but other supermarkets usually don’t cash money orders either. Walmart and CVS do cash money orders, though, if you’re looking for a place to cash them.
Can You Send or Receive Money at WinCo?
You can also send and receive money transfers at WinCo. Like other supermarkets, it has a partnership with the money transmission company Western Union. WinCo has a transaction limit of $1,000 for money orders, which is higher than the limits at major drugstore chains like Walgreens but lower than the limit at Walmart. As always, though, you should expect the supermarket to check your ID if you plan to use its financial services.
Can You Reload Prepaid Cards at WinCo?
You can also reload prepaid cards at WinCo stores. This service is also provided by Western Union. You may need to have a Western Union account to reload a debit card at WinCo, although you can create a new account by visiting the grocery store’s service counter and speaking with the Western Union clerk. WinCo also has its own reloadable prepaid card, which is useful because it doesn’t accept credit cards in-store but does allow you to reload its prepaid card online with a credit card.
Can You Pay Your Utility Bills at WinCo?
You can also pay utility bills, credit card bills, rent, and other bills at WinCo stores. Once again, these bill payment services are provided by Western Union and are available at the service counter at the front of the supermarket. You can also pay your bills at the service counters of other supermarkets that have partnerships with Western Union such as Food 4 Less and Stater Bros.
What Are WinCo Alternatives Where Financial Services Are Available?
Food 4 Less also has in-store service counters that provide the most commonly used financial services that are available at supermarkets. It’s a Kroger store and Kroger has partnerships with several fintechs and financial institutions.
Walmart is another warehouse-style discount store that provides a wide variety of financial services at its in-store service centers, including a few services that aren’t available at other supermarkets.
Superior Grocers is another supermarket where you can send money transfers, cash checks, and get other banking tasks done. It’s also another store that offers a free check-cashing service.
Conclusion
WinCo can serve as a good alternative to a bank branch if you’re also buying groceries there, which many people do because it has low prices. It offers all of the most popular financial services that are commonly available at grocery stores, drugstores, and convenience stores. But you should know that because of this grocery store’s unique token system, you should prepare to buy some groceries if you plan to cash a check there.