Can You Mail Money With USPS? Money Orders vs. Cash

Yes, you can mail money with USPS. It’s legal to send cash, but a USPS money order is the safer way, because it can be tracked and replaced if it’s lost or stolen. A single domestic money order can be for up to $1,000. Cash sent by regular mail can’t be replaced if it goes missing, and even insured mail and Priority Mail Express cover currency only up to $15.

This guide covers how to send a USPS money order, how its security features work, the rules for mailing cash, and what changed for sending money abroad.

What Is the Safest Way to Mail Money With USPS?

A USPS money order is the safest way for most people. It’s a prepaid paper payment that only the named recipient can cash, it can’t bounce, and you keep a receipt that lets USPS trace and replace it. Mailing a personal check is the other common option, and our guide on how to mail a check safely covers it.

For most domestic payments, a money order in a stamped envelope gives you the best mix of security and simplicity. If you also want proof that it arrived, send the envelope with a tracked service, as covered below.

How Do You Send a USPS Money Order?

1. Go to a Post Office. USPS money orders are sold at Post Office counters, with a limit of $1,000 per money order within the U.S.
2. Pay with cash or a debit card. USPS doesn’t accept credit cards for money orders. If you need to send an amount over the $1,000 limit, buy more than one.
3. Fill it in right away. Write the recipient’s name in the “Pay To” line and your name and address as the sender, so a lost money order can’t be filled in by someone else.
4. Keep the receipt. You need it to check the status online or to replace a lost or stolen money order.
5. Mail it. A First-Class Mail stamp works for a standard envelope. For tracking, add Certified Mail or send it Priority Mail.

First-Class Mail letters usually arrive in 1–5 days. Our guide to how fast USPS is across its services compares the faster options, and our tips for shipping for less help keep postage costs down. Domestic USPS money orders never expire.

What Security Features Do USPS Money Orders Have?

USPS money orders carry several anti-counterfeiting features, and the newer designs added a QR code. USPS lists these features on its money order page:

• Newer red and blue designs (introduced in 2025): a Pony Express rider watermark, a “United States Postal Service” watermark, an embedded security thread that reads “USPS,” subtle eagle head and American flag designs, and a QR code in the center that links to the status check.
• Older green and purple designs: Ben Franklin watermarks, the 1970 U.S. Mail eagle logo, and a multicolored security thread that reads “USPS.”

Older designs are still valid. Hold a money order up to the light to check it: real watermarks are hard to see without light behind the paper, so a watermark that’s easy to see with the paper flat is a warning sign. The amount written in words should also match the amount in numbers.

Can You Mail Cash With USPS?

Yes, mailing cash with USPS is legal, but it’s risky. A First-Class envelope with cash has no tracking and no insurance, so if it goes missing there’s nothing to claim. Paying for insurance doesn’t change much: under the Domestic Mail Manual, the indemnity for currency is capped at $15 for both insured mail and Priority Mail Express.

The one USPS service built for cash is Registered Mail. It records a chain of custody at every step, and you can insure it for up to $50,000. Registered Mail is slower than other options and costs extra, so it makes sense only for large sums or valuables. Our guide to how USPS insurance works and what it covers explains insured mail and Registered Mail in more detail.

If you mail a small amount of cash anyway, wrap the bills in paper so they can’t be seen through the envelope, seal it well, and don’t write “cash” or “money” anywhere on the outside.

How Do You Track or Replace a USPS Money Order?

You can check whether a money order has been cashed with the USPS Money Orders application. Enter the serial number, Post Office number and dollar amount from your receipt, scan the QR code on newer money orders, or call 1-866-459-7822. This shows the money order’s status. To follow the envelope itself, use the tracking number from Certified Mail or Priority Mail, as explained in our guide to USPS tracking.

You can’t stop payment on a USPS money order, but USPS can replace one that’s lost or stolen:

1. Take your receipt to any Post Office and ask to start a Money Order Inquiry. USPS charges a processing fee.
2. USPS may take up to 30 days to confirm that the money order is lost or stolen.
3. The investigation can take up to 60 days. If USPS confirms the money order wasn’t cashed, it issues a replacement.

If the envelope was sent with tracking and goes missing, our guide on what happens if USPS loses your package explains the search request process.

Where Can the Recipient Cash a USPS Money Order?

The recipient can cash a USPS money order at any Post Office, where cashing is free. Most banks and some stores also cash them, and a rural carrier may cash one if they have enough cash on hand. The recipient should:

• Bring a primary photo ID, such as a driver’s license or passport.
• Wait to sign the money order until they’re at the counter, in front of the retail associate.
• Expect to be paid the exact face amount. Money orders don’t earn interest.

Money orders made out to an organization, to more than one person, or to a minor have extra requirements, so ask at the counter first.

Can You Mail Money Internationally With USPS?

Not with a USPS money order. USPS no longer sells international money orders, and it stopped cashing them on October 1, 2025, when its International Money Transfer Service ended under a final rule published in August 2024. Foreign postal services in the countries that took part also stopped cashing USPS international money orders on that date.

To send money abroad, use a bank wire or an online money transfer service. Mailing cash internationally is risky for the same reasons it is at home, and many countries restrict sending currency by post.

Other carriers don’t fill this gap. UPS stores don’t sell money orders, as our guide to UPS money orders explains, and our FedEx money order guide answers the same question for FedEx. For more on how USPS compares with private carriers, see the FedEx shipping hub and our USPS First-Class vs. UPS Ground comparison.

If you’re mailing a package rather than a payment, ParcelPath offers free access to discounted USPS and UPS labels, with up to 89% off USPS and up to 85% off UPS. You can compare live USPS and UPS rates for your package, and our roundup of shipping services and solutions covers other options.

More unusual mail: yes, you can mail a potato through USPS with no box at all.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you mail money with USPS?

Yes. You can mail cash, a check or a USPS money order. A money order is the safest choice: it has a $1,000 limit per money order, it can be traced online, and USPS can replace it if it’s lost or stolen. Cash in regular mail has no insurance, and insured mail covers currency only up to $15.

What is the maximum amount for a USPS money order?

A single domestic USPS money order can be for up to $1,000. To send more, buy several money orders in the same visit. You can pay with cash or a debit card, but not with a credit card. Keep every receipt, because each one is needed to check that money order’s status or replace it.

Is it safe to mail cash through USPS?

It’s legal but not safe. Regular mail has no tracking or insurance for cash, and the Domestic Mail Manual caps indemnity for currency at $15 on insured mail and Priority Mail Express. Registered Mail is the only USPS service suited to cash, with insurance available up to $50,000. For most amounts, a money order is the better choice.

How long does it take to replace a lost USPS money order?

It can take up to 90 days. Start a Money Order Inquiry at any Post Office with your receipt and pay the processing fee. USPS may take up to 30 days to confirm the loss or theft and up to 60 more days to investigate, then issues a replacement if the original wasn’t cashed.

Do USPS money orders expire?

No. Domestic USPS money orders never expire, and they don’t earn interest, so the recipient gets the exact face amount whenever they cash it. For other common postal questions, our USPS frequently asked questions page covers more topics, and our look at how reliable USPS is covers delivery performance.

Sources

• USPS: Money Orders
• USPS: International Money Transfers
• USPS Domestic Mail Manual 609: Filing Indemnity Claims for Loss or Damage

Part of our USPS Frequently Asked Questions guide. Related: USPS Shipping, USPS First Class vs UPS Ground, FedEx Shipping.