Editing Money order (section)

==National==

===India===
In India, a money order is a service provided by the [[India Post|Indian Postal Service]].<ref>{{citation |url=http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=103665
  |title=RTI Process gets Further Boost with the Introduction of 'e-Indian Postal Order' for all by the Department of Posts
  |date=February 13, 2014 |access-date=February 16, 2014}}</ref> A payer who wants to send money to a payee pays the amount and a small commission at a post office and receives a receipt for the same. The amount is then delivered as cash to the payee after a few days by a postal employee, at the address specified by the payer. A receipt from the payee is collected and delivered back to the payer at their address. This is more reliable and safer than sending cash in the mail.

It is commonly used for transferring funds to a payee who is in a remote, rural area, where banks may not be conveniently accessible or where many people may not use a bank account at all. Money orders are the most economical way of sending money in India for small amounts.

===United States===
[[File:Money-Order.jpg|thumbnail|right|An international money order issued in Chicago for encashment in Germany]]
In the United States, money orders are generally easy to obtain, and are sold at [[United States Postal Service|post offices]], [[grocery store]]s, and [[convenience store]]s. Some financial service companies such as [[bank]]s and [[credit union]]s may not charge for money orders to their clients. Money orders are trusted financial instrument and are considered to be [[certified funds]] by the [[Internal Revenue Service|IRS]] and other Federal Agencies.<ref>{{CodeFedReg|26|403|29||subpart=C}}</ref><ref>{{CodeFedReg|29|500|144|subpart=E}}</ref> However, just because a particular business can issue a money order does not necessarily mean that they will cash them. The [[United States Postal Service]] (USPS) issues money orders for a small charge at any location, however they are only negotiable within the US and [[Territories of the United States|its possessions]]; after September 2024 the USPS stopped issuing international postal money orders.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pe.usps.com/text/imm/immc3_018.htm |title=370 International Money Transfer Services - Postal Explorer |website=pe.usps.com}}</ref><ref>{{Federal Register|89|57174}}</ref>

The USPS began selling money orders as an alternative to sending currency through the postal system in order to reduce post office robberies, an idea instituted by [[Montgomery Blair]] who was [[Postmaster-General]] 1861–1864.<ref name= prominent>{{cite news |title= Montgomery Blair: A Prominent Figure in Political History Passes Away |newspaper= The Washington Post |date= July 28, 1883 |page= 1 |id= {{ProQuest|137873011}} }}</ref> Money orders were later offered by many more vendors than just the postal service as a means to pay bills and send money internationally where there were not reliable banking or postal systems. Companies that now offer money orders include [[7-11]], [[QuikTrip]], [[Cumberland Farms]], [[Safeway Inc.|Safeway]], [[Western Union]],<ref name="MonOrNYT79" /> [[MoneyGram]], [[CVS Pharmacy|CVS]], and [[Wal-Mart]].