Money orders are fully funded at the time of purchase, so stopping payment isn't always as easy as performing that action on a personal check. Nor does it occur as quickly. You have to fill out a request form asking for a refund, send it by mail and pay a $15 or $30 fee, depending on whether or not you have a copy of the money order and the original receipt.
Returns With Receipt
If you have your receipt from the bottom of the money order or a copy of the document, you're more likely to be successful in stopping payment. You'll fill out the customer request form -- available for download on the Western Union website -- for which you'll need the money order number, the amount on the order and the date of purchase. Add your contact information, whom the money order was payable to and where it was purchased. Western Union also asks the reason for the refund request, with five available boxes to check -- lost, stolen, not used, not received or destroyed. Send it to the address on the back of the form. There's a $15 nonrefundable fee. Allow 30 days for the request to process.
Proving Your Case
Should you not have the receipt or a copy of the money order, the chances of getting a refund decrease. Fill out the money order research request form available on the website, and provide any information you have that proves you're the one who purchased the money order. Because purchasing a money order is viewed as a cash transaction, customer information isn't saved, making it incumbent on you to prove you're the rightful owner of the funds. Send the form and any documentation you have to the address provided on the form. Refunds can take as long as eight weeks to process and may be denied if you don't make a convincing enough case. The fee for processing a stop payment in this case is $30.