Safeway Check Cashing Policy: A check cashing policy is a set of guidelines that a company or financial institution uses to determine whether or not to cash a check.
The policy will vary depending on the entity, but typically, it will take into account factors such as the amount of the check, the relationship between the payee and payor, and whether or not the check is certified.
Grocery stores that cash checks typically have a check cashing policy that allows them to cash personal checks, payroll, and government checks.
The check must be written in the correct amount, have the proper identification from the payee, and have a readable bank routing number and account number.
Do you live near a Safeway? If so, you might probably be wondering If Safeway cashes checks.
Keep on reading to find out what’s Safeway’s check cashing policy, do Safeway stores cash checks or not, if yes, what type of checks does Safeway cash?
And what are the requirements you need to meet in order to get your check cashed at Safeway? Are there any limits on how much you can cash?
Check Cashing Policy At Safeway In 2022
As of 2022, Safeway has a check-cashing policy in place that allows customers to cash a variety of different types of checks including payroll checks and government-issued checks. So, if you’re in need of a service to cash your check, Safeway may be the ideal place for you. However, it’s important to remember that Safeway will charge you a fee for cashing your check.
The check-cashing fee that Safeway charges vary depending on the type of check you’re cashing. However, it generally ranges from 1% to 2% of your check’s value.
Showing your driver’s license or government-issued photo ID may be required. So, make sure you have your ID on hand when cashing a check at Safeway.
Types Of Checks Accepted
Currently, Safeway allows customers to cash –
- Payroll Checks
- Stimulus Checks
- Cashier’s Checks
- Tax Refund Checks
- Retirement Account Distribution Checks
- Government checks
- Disability Checks
- Social security Checks
- Unemployment Checks
A payroll check is a check written by an employer to their employee for the amount of wage earned. These are common and can usually be cashed at banks or check cashing places including Safeway.
Stimulus checks are government-issued checks that are part of the coronavirus relief package. These can be cashed at most places, including Safeway.
A cashier’s check is a check that is issued by a bank and guaranteed by the bank’s funds. These are common and can usually be cashed at banks or check cashing places including Safeway.
A tax refund check is a check that is issued by the government to a taxpayer who has overpaid their taxes. These can be cashed at most places, including Safeway.
A retirement account distribution check is a check that is issued to a retiree from their retirement account. These can be cashed at most places, including Safeway.
Other government checks including social security, disability, and unemployment checks can also be cashed at Safeway.
However, you must contact customer service in advance to confirm that they can cash your specific type of government check.
Check-Cashing Limits
At Safeway, the maximum check-cashing limit is $1,500. This means you could cash a check for up to $1,500 at Safeway and any check that is over that amount cannot be cashed.
So, if you need to cash a check that is for $2,000, you would need to go to another location that can cash checks for larger amounts of money.
For example, let’s say that you want to cash your payroll check at Safeway. Your payroll check is for $2,500.
In this case, you would not be able to cash the entire check at Safeway and would need to go to another location that can handle larger check-cashing transactions.
Banks, credit unions, and check cashing places like ACE Cash Express often have higher check-cashing limits than grocery stores like Safeway.
So, if you need to cash a large check, you may want to try one of these other places instead.
Check-Cashing Fees
Wondering how much it costs to cash a check at Safeway? At most Safeway locations, a check cashing fee of 1.15% is charged. So, if you need to cash a $500 check, you’ll pay a fee of $5.75.
It can also be very expensive to cash checks at Safeway if the amount is large – for example, a $1,000 check will cost you $11.25 in fees from Safeway!
Here’s a table showing how much it costs to cash a check at Safeway –
| Check Value | Safeway Cashing Fee |
|---|---|
| $200 | $2.25 |
| $500 | $5.75 |
| $1,000 | $11.25 |
| $1,500 | $17 |
As the maximum cashable amount at Safeway is $1,500 for all types of checks, this means that you could end up paying close to $17 in fees to cash a check of that value.
If you frequently need to cash checks and want to avoid high check-cashing fees at Safeway (or any other store), consider opening a checking account with a bank or credit union.
Most financial institutions will let you cash checks for free (or for a very low fee) if you have an account with them.
Number Of Checks Cashable
As per the Safeway check cashing policy, the grocery store chain doesn’t have a set limit on how many checks a customer can cash at once, but there is a limit to what kind of checks they will cash, and also limits based on the amount of money each check adds up to.
So basically, if you’re cashing one or two payroll checks or cashier’s checks and the amount of money in each check isn’t too high, then you should be able to cash all your checks at Safeway.
However, if the total amount of money from your payroll checks or stimulus checks is very high (like over $1,000 each), then you might only be able to cash one or two of them.
Check-Cashing Verification
As of 2022, Safeway uses a third-party check verification service called Certegy. It is one of the largest check verification services in the U.S., accepting both personal and business checks.
So, basically, when you present a check at Safeway, the cashier runs it through Certegy’s verification system.
The system then approves, denies, or requires further identification. If your check is successfully verified, Safeway will honor it.
But if it’s declined, then you should ask why and see what other options are available to you. Here are some common reasons Certegy rejects checks:
- Insufficient funds in the payor’s account
- The check is fraudulent or has been altered in some way
- Providing insufficient identification (e.g., no ID, expired ID, etc.)
- Certegy does not have enough information about the payer to verify their identity or the legitimacy of the check
- The bank account is closed or frozen
- A stop payment has been placed on the check by either the payer or their bank
- The check is from a foreign country or is in another currency
- There are outstanding checks on the account that have not yet cleared
- The check number is invalid or has already been used
- The routing number is invalid or does not match the payer’s bank
These are just a few of the reasons your check could be declined. If you have any questions, you should ask the cashier or manager for more information.
When And Where
In order to cash checks at Safeway, you’ll need to visit the customer service desk in your nearest store during the business hours of operation.
Generally, most Safeway locations start their operating at 6 AM and close at 11 PM during weekdays but it’s best to call your local Safeway store to confirm.
It’s best to visit your local Safeway store at around 9 AM-10 AM so that you’ll be able to avoid the long lines and cash your check!
Aside from cashing checks, Safeway also offers other services such as money orders and gift cards.
Cashier’s Checks
As per Safeway’s check cashing policy, you can cash cashier’s checks at Safeway. So, if you have a cashier’s check, you can go to Safeway and get it cashed.
Safeway typically charges $2.25 for every $200 check cashed, but fees may vary by location. For example, if your cashier’s check is worth $750, then the cashing fee would be around $8.50.
There is a maximum check amount of $1,500 that you can cash at Safeway. So if your cashier’s check is worth more than this, you will not be able to get it cashed at Safeway.
The same limit applies to other types of checks like payroll checks, and government-issued checks including social security checks, stimulus checks, unemployment benefits checks, tax refund checks, and disability checks.
Personal Checks
As of 2022, Safeway doesn’t cash personal checks. So, you will not be able to cash your two-party checks at a Safeway store near you.
If you need to cash a check, you can try using an app like Cash App or PayPal. You may also be able to cash your personal check at a grocery store like Kroger or Walmart.
3rd-Party Checks
Even third-party check-cashing is not a service that Safeway offers.
So, visiting a check-cashing store or using a check-cashing app will be your best bet for getting access to the funds from your third-party check.
A third-party check is a check made out to someone else, such as a utility bill or rent payment. It’s different from a two-party check, which is made out to you and another person.
Generally speaking, most grocery stores will not cash third-party checks as a matter of policy. As these types of checks can be easily forged, they present a higher risk for fraud.
And so, if you need to cash a third-party check, you’ll likely need to visit a check-cashing store or use a check-cashing app.
Some of the most popular apps for cashing checks include Ingo Money, Cash App, and PayPal.
Handwritten Checks
Currently, Safeway doesn’t cash handwritten checks. So, you’ll either have to cash the check elsewhere or open up a checking account so that the bank can cash the check for you.
A handwritten check is a check that’s written out by hand. You’ll see this if someone writes you a check for rent or other purposes and doesn’t have any other way to pay you.
These checks are not always accepted by banks, credit unions, and check-cashing places like Safeway.
The reason for this is that they’re harder to verify and there’s a higher risk of fraud with handwritten checks.
But, there are other places where you can cash a handwritten check. For example, you can go to a check-cashing place, like ACE Cash Express or Speedy Cash.
Other places you can visit to cash a handwritten personal check include Check Into Cash, PLS Check Cashing, Money Mart, and Check ‘N Go.
Safeway Check Writing Policy
Currently, Safeway accepts checks as a form of payment method. So, customers can write a check during the checkout to pay for everything in their cart.
As per its check writing policy, you may write a check for the total amount payable at the checkout counter.
Or you can write a check for $25 more than the payable amount in order to get cash back at the counter.
However, you will be asked to present a valid ID before you try to pay with a check at Safeway.
Please note that you cannot pay with checks online on safeway.com! And also, you might not be able to use your check to pay for certain things like renting a carpet cleaner from Safeway.
Summary
As of 2022, Safeway will cash all types of checks except personal and handwritten checks. So, at your nearest Safeway store, you will be able to cash government checks including tax refund checks, stimulus checks, unemployment checks, & payroll checks and cashier’s checks.
However, for every check that you want to cash at Safeway, there is a service fee of $2.25 for every $200 on the check. This fee is not applicable to stimulus checks.
Additionally, there is a limit of $1500 that you can cash at Safeway and if your check exceeds this amount then the store will not be able to process it.
In order to cash a check, you might require to show your governemnt-issued valid photo ID like a driver’s license or passport.
I hope this article helped you in getting all your queries answered related to cashing checks at Safeway stores.