Check Cashing Near You — 98-City Directory

3,134+ check cashing and money services locations across the 100 largest US metros — ACE Cash Express, Money Mart, Speedy Cash, United, and independent storefronts, with addresses, phone numbers, and hours. Plus what it actually costs, and the cheaper ways to cash a payroll, government, tax refund, or personal check when you don't have a bank account.

Last updated: 2026-08-14

Quick Overview

Cheapest first: your own bank ($0), then the bank the check is drawn on (must cash it for non-customers — Regulation CC), then Walmart MoneyCenter (flat $4 under $1,000 / $8 up to $5,000), then grocery store money services ($3–7), then check deposit apps (free in ~10 days), and finally check cashing stores (1.5%–5%, but the longest hours and no account needed).

Every city page lists the walk-in stores near you with phones. No ID, no account, or past banking problems? We cover second chance checking, prepaid cards that deposit checks by phone, and getting a state ID — the three things that make check cashing cheap again.

US metros covered

3,134+

Check cashing locations tracked

~4%

US households unbanked (FDIC)

$200–1K

Yearly cost of store fees at 2–5%

What Cashing a Check Costs — Every Option Compared

Published fee schedules and typical ranges, June 2026. Store fees vary by state and check type.

Where	Typical fee	Notes
Your own bank / credit union	$0	Deposit + withdraw; first $200–$400 usually available immediately
Bank the check is drawn on	$0–10	Regulation CC requires cashing for non-customers with ID
Walmart MoneyCenter	$4 / $8	Flat fee: $4 up to $1,000, $8 up to $5,000; 7 days a week
Grocery money services (Kroger, Safeway, WinCo…)	$3–7	Payroll & government checks; limits and policies vary by chain
PayPal / Venmo / prepaid card app	$0–5%	Free in ~10 days; ~1% payroll/government, ~5% personal for instant
Check cashing stores (ACE, Money Mart, Speedy Cash…)	1.5–5%	Any check type, evening/weekend hours, no account needed

Check Cashing Stores by City — 98 Metro Guides

Local directories — chains and independent storefronts with addresses, phones, and hours — for each metro area.

Alabama

Arizona

Phoenix~376
Tucson~15

Arkansas

Little Rock~5

California

Florida

Georgia

Atlanta~69
Savannah~4

Illinois

Chicago~35

Indiana

Indianapolis~27

Iowa

Des Moines~10

Kansas

Topeka~8
Wichita~15

Kentucky

Louisville~6

Louisiana

Maryland

Baltimore~42

Massachusetts

Michigan

Detroit~33
Grand Rapids~8

Minnesota

Minneapolis~16
Saint Paul~16

Mississippi

Jackson~7

Missouri

Nebraska

Lincoln~1
Omaha~2

Nevada

Las Vegas~65
Reno~20

New Jersey

Jersey City~71
Newark~71

New Mexico

Albuquerque~20

New York

North Carolina

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City~17
Tulsa~57

Oregon

Eugene~5
Portland~26

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

Providence~2

South Carolina

Columbia~36
Greenville~70

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Salt Lake City~57

Virginia

Washington

Wisconsin

Madison~14
Milwaukee~36

Why people use check cashing stores (and what it costs them)

About 1 in 25 US households has no bank account — the FDIC's national survey puts it at roughly 4%. The reasons are practical: a past account closed for overdrafts (a ChexSystems record that blocks new accounts for five years), minimum balance fees that cost more than check fees, no government ID, or plain distrust after a bad banking experience. Domestic violence survivors and people leaving incarceration often fall in this group — an address change alone can freeze an account.

Check cashing stores fill that gap: no account, no credit check, instant cash, and hours when banks are closed. The price is real — cashing a $1,500 paycheck at 3% twice a month is over $1,000 a year. Every cheaper route on the table above works without pristine banking history, and our second chance banking guide lists accounts that approve people with ChexSystems records, past closures, and even past fraud flags.

Your rights at the counter

The paying bank must cash its own checks. Regulation CC (federal) requires a bank to cash a check drawn on itself when presented in person with ID — customer or not. Bring the check and photo ID to a branch of the bank named on it.

Stores must verify your ID but can't run credit. Federal anti-money-laundering rules make ID checks mandatory at check cashers — which is hard if your ID is gone. Some stores accept a passport or matrícula; if you have nothing, our no-documents guide covers rebuilding ID from scratch.

Many states cap the fee.Roughly half the states license check cashers and set maximum fees by check type. If a store charges over 5% anywhere, ask what the state cap is — and complain to your state banking regulator if it's over.

You guarantee the check.Cash it, and if it bounces the store reclaims the money from you plus fees. That's also how fake-check scams work — never send money back off a check until it clears at the paying bank. Report scams at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do check cashing stores charge?

Usually 1.5%–5% of the check's face value, set by check type and state: government benefits and payroll checks at the low end (often 1%–2%), personal and two-party checks at the high end (3%–5%, when accepted at all). Many states license check cashers and cap fees — the cap, not competition, is often what sets the price. For comparison, Walmart Money Centers charge a flat $4 for checks up to $1,000 and $8 up to $5,000, and your own bank deposits checks free.

Can I cash a check without a bank account?

Yes. Walk-in check cashing stores require only a government photo ID — no account, no credit check, no ChexSystems. That's exactly why they exist: about 4% of US households have no bank account (FDIC National Survey), often because of past overdrafts, account closures, minimum-balance costs, or ID problems. The trade-off is price: paying 2%–5% per check costs a typical worker $200–$1,000 a year. If the reason you're unbanked is a past account problem, second chance checking and non-ChexSystems banks solve it permanently.

What's the cheapest way to cash a check?

In order: (1) your own bank or credit union — free; (2) the bank the check is drawn on — federal Regulation CC requires it to cash checks drawn on itself for non-customers with ID, usually for a $0–10 fee; (3) Walmart MoneyCenter — flat $4 under $1,000 / $8 up to $5,000; (4) grocery store money services desks (Kroger, Safeway, WinCo, Publix) — typically $3–7; (5) mobile deposit to PayPal, Venmo, or a prepaid card — free in ~10 days, or about 1%–5% for instant; (6) check cashing stores — fastest with the longest hours, but the highest fee.

Do check cashing places run a credit check?

No. Check cashing is not credit — there's no credit check, no ChexSystems check, and nothing reported to credit bureaus. You need a government photo ID and the physical check. The store verifies identity because federal anti-money-laundering rules require it, and some use check-verification networks (Certegy, TeleCheck) to spot fraud on the check itself — a bounced past check in those networks can get a future check declined, but that's not a credit report.

Can I cash a two-party or personal check anywhere?

Fewer places take them and fees are higher. Personal checks are the riskiest for the store, so many chains decline them or charge the top rate (up to 5%); two-party checks (made out to two people) usually require both parties present with ID, or a specific endorsement depending on whether the names are joined by 'and' or 'or'. Mobile deposit is often the better route: PayPal and Venmo accept personal checks via photo, charging about 5% for instant funding or nothing if you wait ~10 days for it to clear.

What happens if a check I cashed bounces?

You owe the money back. When you cash a check, you guarantee it — if the payer's account is empty or the check is fake, the store (or bank, or app) reverses the deposit and comes after you for the full amount plus fees, sometimes with a database flag that gets you declined at other check cashers. That's also the mechanics of fake-check scams: the 'employer' or 'buyer' overpays, you send back the difference, the check reverses, and you're out both. Never send money back off a check until it has fully cleared at the paying bank.

How do I stop needing check cashing altogether?

Two steps, both realistic with a record or bad banking history: (1) open a second chance or non-ChexSystems checking account — many credit unions and online banks approve people with past closures, and direct deposit gets you funds the morning of payday, free; (2) if you truly can't hold a bank account, a prepaid debit card with mobile check deposit and no monthly fee with direct deposit (GO2bank, Walmart MoneyCard, and others compared in our prepaid cards guide) cashes checks by phone for far less than storefronts. Cash advance apps can then bridge small gaps without fees.

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Disclaimer: This is informational only, not financial or legal advice. Fees, limits, and policies vary by state, chain, and location — confirm before relying on any number here. Listings are compiled from chain store locators, United Check Cashing, and OpenStreetMap as of the date above. We are not affiliated with any listed location and receive nothing if you use one.