Can money orders be tracked?


Quick Answer

The easiest way to track a money order is to look it up by serial or other number identifier. If one of those numbers is not available, some institutions may be able to find the status by searching a name or phone number of the sender or recipient.

Continue Reading

Full Answer

Depending on the institution from which the money order was purchased, the tracking information will vary. For example, money orders purchased through the United States Postal Service, or USPS, have a serial number. Consumers can do a convenient online search for their money order using that serial number. A bank or other financial institution is required to complete an official form in order to make an inquiry about a USPS money order.

Money orders purchased through Western Union are assigned a Money Transfer Control Number, or MTCN. To track a money transfer through Western Union, a person needs to have the MTCN, the receiver's countryand the amount and currency of the transfer. If the MTCN is not available, another option is to use the phone number of the person sending the money. If for some reason neither one of those pieces of information are available, there is an option to track a Western Union transfer by the sender's first and last name, the receiver's country, the receiver's first and last name and the amount and currency of the transfer.

Learn more about Personal Banking

Related Questions