While banks have spent the last two years consolidating and closing, it looks like people have been turning elsewhere for their financial services. Walmart — you might have heard of them — just opened up their 1,000th in-store MoneyCenter and have announced they’re rolling them out to 500 more locations before the end of 2010.

That means that there will soon be MoneyCenters in around 40% of Walmart’s 3,763 locations.

For those unfamiliar with MoneyCenters, it’s basically just a place where you can cash a check (for a minimum of $3), pay your bills (for a minimum of $.88) and make wire transfers (for a “great low fee,” though I’m sure some would differ on the meaning of “great”).

It’s also where you can get yourself a Walmart MoneyCard. That’s the store’s pre-paid Visa debit card, which will cost you $3 to start, $3 a month in “maintenance fees,” and will cost you $3 each time you add money to the card, unless you’re cashing a check.

Have you had any experiences with Walmart MoneyCenters or the MoneyCard? How did it compare to your experiences at banks and check cashing stores?

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