Unless you drive a fully electric car, you are likely visiting a gas station one to two times every week. That could make gas stations one of the most convenient places for you to cash the payroll check you just received. Or the personal check a friend or client gave to you.
Convenience isn’t the only reason why gas stations can be a helpful place to cash checks. For some, it’s more of a necessity. For instance, if you can’t have (or choose not to have) a bank account, at times it can be difficult to find banks that will cash checks for non-customers.
Also, those who work as truckers often find themselves in barren areas where the closest bank branch could be miles off the highway. Being able to cash a check at a gas station can help them get the funds they need without getting behind on their delivery schedule.
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18 Gas Stations that Cash Checks
Whatever the reason may be that you want to find gas stations that cash checks, we’ve got you covered. Below, you’ll find 18 gas stations that have been known to cash checks.
1. Chevron
Chevron is the parent company that operates the gas stations that bear its name as well as its subsidiaries Texaco and Caltex. While Chevron has over 300 company-owned stores, there are nearly 400 franchised Chevron and Texaco stores.
Since these stores are independently owned and operated, some of them cash checks. Ask the Chevron in your area to see if they provide check cashing services.
2. Citgo
Around 6,000 independently-owned gas stations and convenience store use Citgo fuel. Depending on the policies of the Citgo owners in your area, you may be able to cash a check there.
3. Dillons
Many gas stations that offer check-cashing services are ones that are attached to supermarket chains. Dillons, being part of the Kroger family of stores, is one grocery store brand that does offer check-cashing.
All Dillons with gas stations cash checks, but you’ll have to go inside the main store. Unfortunately, you can’t cash personal checks at Dillons (or at any Kroger-owned store). But they will cash most other types of checks, including:
- Payroll
- Government
- Income tax refund
- Insurance settlement
- Business
While fees will vary by store and location, Kroger says that they start at $3 and will go up from there. Dillons and other Kroger-operated stores have a check-cashing limit of $5,000. Most Kroger-owned stores will cash money orders as well.
Find a Dillons near you (You can also filter by locations with gas stations).
4. Fred Meyer
Fred Meyer is another member of the Kroger family of grocery stores. They are mostly located in the western U.S. states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska.
Some Fred Meyer stores have attached gas stations. As is the practice with all Kroger-owned stores, all Fred Meyer locations offer cash checking services, with the same limits and fees as Dillons listed above.
Find a Fred Meyer near you. (You can also filter by locations with gas stations).
5. GetGo
GetGo is a gas station and convenience store chain owned by the supermarket company Giant Eagle. They are located in Pennsylvania and a few of its surrounding states.
Some GetGos are stand-alone stores. But, if you have a check that you want to cash, you’ll need to find one that’s attached to a Giant Eagle store. Then you must go inside the main store to cash your check.
6. Hy-Vee
Hy-Vee is a Midwestern supermarket chain that has over 240 stores. Some locations have gas stations in addition to other add-on services like health clinics, coffee shops and fitness centers.
All Hy-Vee stores do offer cash checking services. So if you happen to be filling up your tank at a Hy-Vee fuel station, you can pop into the grocery store afterward to cash your check.
7. King Soopers
King Soopers is another member of the Kroger family of stores. They have a dominant presence in Colorado and a few stores in Wyoming as well. Many stores also have attached gas stations.
Keep in mind that they have the same check-cashing policy as other Kroger-owned stores, which means they do not cash personal checks.
Find a King Soopers near you. (You can also filter by locations with gas stations)
8. Kroger
With Kroger being the largest supermarket chain in the U.S., there’s a good chance you may have a Kroger store near you. And a large number of Krogers also have attached fuel stations.
Plus, if you wait to do your shopping and cash your check later in the week, Kroger stores offer freebies on Fridays.
Find a Kroger near you. (You can also filter by locations with gas stations)
9. Love’s Travel Stops
Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores is a popular truck stop chain. Currently Love’s operates in over 40 states.
Love’s “country stores” are just convenience stores with gas stations attached. But their “travel stops” are impressive. They typically offer a large number of amenities and services. These include showers, restaurant offerings, printing services, fax services and money services.
I called the Love’s closest to me and confirmed that they do cash checks. But unfortunately, they only cash trucker payroll checks, like COMcheks and TCheks.
10. Meijer
Meijer is a supermarket chain that is popular throughout the Midwest, especially in Michigan.
Many locations have attached fuel stations. You’ll need to go inside the main store and visit the customer service desk if you want to cash a check at Meijer.
11. Pilot Flying J
Pilot Flying J is the largest operator travel stop chain in the United States. Their locations are known for being “full service” and offering a wide variety of services to truckers and other customers. Many Pilot Flying J’s will have these services:
- Trip Paks
- High-speed internet kiosks
- ATMs
- Western Union stores
- Public laundries
And, yes, check cashing.
Check Cashing services are available at all locations 24 hours a day up to $999.99 for a fee. And if you fuel a minimum of 25 gallons, you can cash a check up to $200 free of charge at the same location within two hours of fueling.
Pilot Flying J locations can cash checks from billing companies, Pilot Flying J Direct Bill Customers and members of NATSO.
Find a Pilot Flying J near you.
12. Ralphs
Ralphs is another member of the Kroger family of stores.
Most stores are in the Southern California area. Thus, if you’re a California resident, Ralphs could be a great place to take care of getting some gas and cashing a check at one stop.
Find a Ralphs near you. (You can also filter by locations with gas stations).
13. Safeway
One of the larger supermarket chains in the U.S., Safeway is located in 18 states and includes nearly 900 stores.
Many Safeway locations have attached gas stations, and all Safeway stores offer check-cashing services. Like Kroger-owned stores, Safeway does not cash personal checks.
The kinds of checks you can cash include:
- Payroll
- Government
- Social Security benefit
- Tax refund
- Unemployment benefit
Safeway charges a check-cashing fee of $2.25 for every $200 cashed and have a check-cashing limit of $1,499.
14. 7-Eleven
Ok, so this one’s take a bit of explanation.
7-Eleven doesn’t technically offer check-cashing services at their over 8,000 stores. But they do offer a service called Transact that you could take advantage of to get the full value of your checks in cash.
Here’s how it works. You sign up for the Transact service, and 7-Eleven provides you with an account for their mobile app as well as a reloadable prepaid debit card. Transact can handle Direct Deposit, so your payroll check could get loaded directly onto the card.
All other types of checks can be deposited into your Transact account using the mobile deposit feature on their app. Then, once the funds are in your account, you can withdraw cash for free using 7-Eleven ATMs.
Transact offers a lot of the same features of bank accounts such as the ability to track your spending online or send money to friends. So for those who don’t have a bank account, Transact could be a good alternative.
15. Shell
With over 14,000 Shell-branded gas stations located in all 50 states, there’s a good chance that you have a Shell in your town.
Many Shell stations are independently owned. And some of them offer check-cashing. So the next time you are at your local Shell for a fill-up, stop in and ask the store manager if they cash checks and what fees they charge.
16. Sunoco
Nearly all of the over 5,000 Sunoco gas stations located throughout the U.S. are locally owned and operated. This is a good thing and a bad thing.
It’s good because it means there’s a chance that the owners of the Sunoco locations near you may offer check-cashing. But the downside is that every location can set its own policy.
So it’s impossible to know for sure which ones do and don’t provide check-cashing without checking with each local station individually.
But if you do have a Sunoco nearby that offers check-cashing, expect to pay a fee for the service.
17. TravelCenters of America
TravelCenters of America is another popular truck stop chain with locations scattered throughout the U.S. They offer check-cashing up to $300 for company and NATSO-approved accounts.
If you are an UltraOne Platinum member, check-cashing is offered completely free. All other customers can receive free check-cashing with a qualifying purchase (60 gallons of gas or $60 in non-fuel goods or services).
Otherwise, you will be charged a fee for cashing a check at one of their stores. Fees vary by location.
Find a TravelCenters of America near you.
18. Walmart
As the largest retailer in the world, it only fits that we end our list with Walmart. It’s open 24 hours a day, and no matter where you live, you probably have a Walmart near you. Plus, there’s a good chance you may even have one with an attached fuel station a short distance away.
Walmart is known for offering a large variety of money services at all of its stores, including cash checking. You can get cash-in-hand directly, or you can opt to load your cash onto your Walmart card.
Walmart charges the following fees for check-cashing at their stores:
- For checks up to $1,000: Max fee of $4
- For checks greater than $1,000: Max fee of $8
How to Cash a Check at a Gas Station
When you’re trying to cash a check at any place other than your own bank, you can expect that the store management will have identity verification policies in place to prevent fraud.
Every store will have different guidelines and requirements. But in general, you can expect that you’ll need to bring along your social security number or Taxpayer Identification Numbers, plus some sort of ID.
Here are a few types of ID that are commonly accepted:
- Driver’s License
- State‐issued
- Military
- Resident Alien
- Matricula Consular
- US-issued passport
If you don’t have any of those types of IDs, some stores will allow you to provide two forms of secondary ID. Here are a few examples of secondary IDs that are sometimes accepted:
- High school photo
- College photo
- Employment photo
- Firearms permit photo
- Foreign driver’s license photo
- Permanent resident photo card
- U.S. birth certificate
- U.S. employment authorization photo
- Welfare photo
Once you’ve shown your social security or Tax Identification Number and proper ID, you should be given your money right away!
Summary
Gas stations can be more useful than many realize. Yes, many people only think of gas station convenience stores as being places to grab a quick Coke and a bag of Cheetos. But many gas stations offer so much more — with a wide range of available amenities including convenient cash-checking services.
Did we miss any gas stations that cash checks? If so, connect with us on social media to let us know!