While cards and digital payment methods have been on the rise in recent years, personal checks are still welcomed by many retailers.
And, among retailers that accept checks as payment, some also allow customers to get cash back at the register.
Getting cash back at the register with a personal check is pretty straightforward. Instead of writing the check for the purchase amount, you write the check for the amount of the purchase plus the amount of cash back you desire.
For example, if your purchase comes to $15.32 and you want $25 cash back, you would write the check for $40.32 to get your desired amount of cash back.
Most stores will require you to show a valid, government-issued ID when using a personal check, and some may also require you to have a store loyalty card.
Also, keep in mind that all stores have cash-back limit policies, with most giving between $20 and $40 cash back at maximum.
What We Recommend
While Hannaford and Winn-Dixie both offer up to $100 in cash back during a single transaction, you can always do multiple transactions at other stores to get your desired amount of cash back.
Food Lion, H-E-B, and Stop & Shop stores all allow you to get up to $50 in cash back from personal check transactions.
The List
Many types of stores accept personal checks as in-store payment, but most retailers that give cash back with personal checks are grocery stores.
We list them below, starting with the stores that have the highest cash-back limits.
1. Hannaford
- Limit: $100[1]
- Other payment methods for cash back: Debit card, Discover credit[1]
- Find a store
Note: Hannaford uses an electronic checking system that does not require you to fill out your check. A blank check is scanned at the register, and customers use the PIN pad to sign the check and request cash-back amounts, similar to a debit card.
2. Winn-Dixie
- Limit: Varies by store location; typically $100[2]
- Other payment methods for cash back: Debit card and Discover credit[2]
- Find a store
Need more cash back? Check out our article about writing a check for cash.
3. Food Lion
- Limit: $50[3]
- Other payment methods for cash back: Debit card and EBT (up to $200)[4]
- Find a store
4. H-E-B
- Limit: $50[5]
- Other payment methods for cash back: Debit card[5]
- Find a store
5. Stop & Shop
- Limit: $50 for new customers; $100 for returning customers[6]
- Other payment methods for cash back: Debit card[6]
- Find a store
6. Wegmans
- Limit: $40[7]
- Other payment methods for cash back: Debit card[7]
- Find a store
Note: Wegmans will also cash personal checks without a purchase for Shoppers Club cardholders (as previously reported).
7. Tops Friendly Markets
- Limit: $40[8]
- Other payment methods for cash back: Debit card[8]
- Find a store
8. Giant Eagle
- Limit: $30[9]
- Other payment methods for cash back: Debit card (up to $50)[9]
- Find a store
9. Albertsons
- Limit: $25[10]
- Other payment methods for cash back: Debit card ($100 to $300), Discover credit (up to $120)[10]
- Find a store
10. Meijer
- Limit: $25 in stores and $5 at gas stations[11]
- Other payment methods for cash back: Debit card (up to $50 in stores and $5 at gas stations)[11]
- Find a store
11. Vons
- Limit: $25[12]
- Other payment methods for cash back: Debit card (up to $200), Discover credit[12]
- Find a store
12. Walmart
- Limit: $20[13]
- Other payment methods for cash back: Debit card (up to $100 in increments of $20)[13]
- Find a store
Our articles have more information about Walmart’s personal check policy and Walmart’s cash-back policy.
13. Target
- Limit: $20[14]
- Other payment methods for cash back: Debit card (up to $40 in $20 increments)[14]
- Find a store
14. Kroger
- Limit: $20; note that Kroger charges a small fee for cash back.[15]
- Other payment methods for cash back: Debit card, Discover credit[15]
- Find a store
Our article has more information about Kroger’s cash-back policy.
15. Walgreens
- Limit: $20[16]
- Other payment methods for cash back: Debit card[16]
- Find a store
Our article has more information about the Walgreens cash-back policy.
16. Market Basket
- Limit: $20[17]
- Other payment methods for cash back: Debit card[17]
- Find a store
Stores That Don’t Give Cash Back With Personal Checks
Some stores will accept personal checks but won’t give cash back for check purchases.
In the course of our research, we found that the following stores don’t give cash back for check purchases: