Even in the age of QR codes and instant-pay apps, an old-school payment tool is still delivering — literally.
U.S. MSB Daily News
USMSB.com – At India’s famed Tirumala temple complex, devotees continue to send offerings to Lord Venkateswara via money order, then wait for their neighborhood postman to bring back a “blessings” packet under a program known as Aseervachanam, launched in 2009 through a tie-up between India Post and the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).
A paper payment — with a physical “proof of blessing”
The concept is simple: devotees mail any amount they choose (some reportedly send as little as ₹10) and, in return, receive a small gift set that includes sacred items such as akshintalu (turmeric-mixed sacred rice), kumkum, and a pocket-sized photo of the deities — delivered to their door.
TTD officials say the emotional pull is the point: it’s not just a donation, it’s a tangible “receipt” of faith.
The numbers are still big in the UPI era
In 2025 alone, TTD says it received about ₹3.1 crore via money orders from roughly 1.2–1.26 lakh devotees.
Across 16 years, the scheme has reportedly brought in 31.68 lakh money-order donations totaling around ₹49.18–₹49.19 crore.
And India Post isn’t just processing nostalgia: one postal official said the system delivers around 500 e-money orders a day linked to the program.
This isn’t just an India story — money orders still move serious volume in the U.S.
If you think money orders are a relic, U.S. data says otherwise.
- The Federal Reserve reports 13% of U.S. adults used nonbank check cashing or money orders in 2024, roughly in line with recent years.
- The Fed’s payments data shows postal money orders processed in 2024 totaled about 57 million items worth roughly $18 billion (average value $319).
- FDIC survey results highlight why the product persists: among unbanked households that used money orders, more than nine in ten did so to pay bills.
- USPS is still investing in money orders: it rolled out a redesigned money order in February 2025 and confirmed that both the new and “legacy” designs would continue to be accepted at Post Offices and financial institutions.
MSB takeaway
Money orders survive for the same reasons they’re showing up at Tirumala: access, trust, and “proof”.
For MSBs and compliance teams, the lesson is straightforward: legacy instruments don’t vanish just because faster rails exist. When customers need bill-pay functionality without full banking, or when the “delivery experience” itself matters, money orders remain a durable — and measurable — part of the payments ecosystem.
U.S. MSB Daily News
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