Do You Write Many Checks Anymore?

[neverlandsky]

0. Haven't wrote a check in over 10 years due to identity fraud.

 

[tvguy]

Seems dangerous to write a check at a store. Someone just needs to take a picture of your check and then can order a box with your account number.

Seems dangerous to write a check at a store. Someone just needs to take a picture of your check and then can order a box with your account number.

My son works in computer IT and he feels that way about all electronic payments that are directly linked to any of his accounts. He uses bill pay where the bank does the actual transfer from THEIR account.
He had to do a lot of wrangling to comply with all the bank's requests when he and his wife bought a house. There were a lot of things he didn't want to them have access to, and of course when someone is lending you hundreds of thousands of dollars, they will only do it if you do provide the documents.

 

[gillep]

Unfortunately about 3 per month. Our lawn service, pool service, and water company all take credit cards, but charge large service fees that I am not willing to pay, so they get old fashioned checks.

I'm old school; almost everything is paid by check. DH gets paid on the last day of the month, so that's when I sit down and pay the bills. Most everything is due mid-month, set up that way intentionally, so everything goes in the mail (indoors at the PO) on the first of the month. I just am not comfortable putting my bank account information out there on the internet. Credit cards will cover me if there're fraudulent charges, but if a hacker can get into my bank account, my money's gone.

I like being "in touch" with our finances. As we charge almost everything and pay it off in full monthly, it's helpful to me to know what's in my accounts at any given time. That way I know if we can afford things. To have bills automatically paid and have the money "leave" the account magically doesn't work for me. How much is going out? Will I have enough to cover the next bill? I have a couple of friends who NEVER know what they have in the bank; everything is auto-paid. Interestingly, they are also my friends who often bounce checks and carry credit card debt. IMO they have distanced themselves from their resources, never really know what they have, never really know what they can afford- OR NOT. This just wouldn't work for me!

I don't really think the two are necessarily linked, it likely has more to do with a person's financial literacy, and personality, than how they use the tools at their disposal. I pay everything I can electronically, I also have my bank and credit card apps on my phone, and I check them all the time. I also get alerts each morning for my bank account balances. I could tell you how much I have in my accounts, and on my cards at any time, and I would be pretty spot on, despite the fact that things happen electronically and automatically. I also have alerts on all of my payments that go out, so I see any withdrawals in real-time, that way if something looks off I can immediately address it. I have never bounced a check in my life, nor come even remotely close, nor do I carry a credit card balance. Electronic payments and banking certainly makes it easier if someone wants to ignore these aspects of their finances, but there are a lot of tools that allow you to stay extremely well informed, if you choose to use them.

 

[22Tink]

Not many. Being in Canada most stores won’t take them but I’d pay debit or credit even if they did. I use a cheque to pay for DD’s hot lunch and fundraisers at school and my housekeeper if I forget to get cash out for her. That’s pretty much it!

 

[CdnCarrie]

Not many. Being in Canada most stores won’t take them but I’d pay debit or credit even if they did. I use a cheque to pay for DD’s hot lunch and fundraisers at school and my housekeeper if I forget to get cash out for her. That’s pretty much it!

End of last school year our kids' school got they amazing program where you can pay for school fundraisers and field trips online. You can also sign the permission form on line! It's awesome.

 

[RangerPooh]

The kids school requires check or cash payment for field trips, lunch accounts, yearbooks, classroom parties, school pictures, etc so I usually send in a check. It would be nice if they set up an online payment system because they are slow in cashing checks. Scouts is another area where it's often cash or check. Our GS troop has a paypal account for functions that we can pay with a CC, but sadly not yet for BS.

 

[CdnCarrie]

Yes, DW refuses to use online banking

Is she a senior? Usually its older people I know that have this irrational fear of technology.
I've paid bills online for 20 years. That's a long time. This isn't new technology. Doesn't she use her bank's app? That's all I use now.

 

[Jennasis]

All the time. Daily even. We have plenty of bills set up on auto pay but our business just runs on check writing. Plus it is the preferred method by which our customers pay us. Cash or check only. Feed, hay, shavings, the grocery store each week.

 

[Mizzoufan]

Is she a senior? Usually its older people I know that have this irrational fear of technology.
I've paid bills online for 20 years. That's a long time. This isn't new technology. Doesn't she use her bank's app? That's all I use now.

I'm not a senior but I sometime just prefer to use checks.

 

[AP1209]

I only pay by check if it's the only option. I also don't like to use auto pay. I manually go online and pay bills.

 

[22Tink]

End of last school year our kids' school got they amazing program where you can pay for school fundraisers and field trips online. You can also sign the permission form on line! It's awesome.

That would be so nice!!

 

[RedAngie]

Yep. 8 times a year (4 x 2) for the quarterly property taxes and water/sewer bills for what was my parents' vacation house. The township doesn't accept electronic bank transfers. They will take credit cards, but there's a stiff service fee.

Almost every week for the house cleaning service. It's a very small operation, only a few employees. Only cash or checks accepted.

I used to pay by check for the lawn/yard service, but they recently started accepting e-payments.

A handful of miscellaneous other times, such as donations or in-home service calls (carpets cleaned, repairs, etc.)

 

[Wendy31]

We write checks for the kids' stuff (swim team fees, co-op fees, etc.), and that's about it.

Our checkbook has carbon copies, &, in August, when I was writing checks for some of the co-op fees, I flipped through the checkbook. And, yes, nearly every single check over the past 3 years has been for kid-related things.

And, yes, it feels like I'm always behind some lady at the grocery store who is writing a check. And she doesn't even get her checkbook out of her pocketbook until AFTER the cashier has given her the total.

 

[Mizzoufan]

WI'm always behind some lady at the grocery store who is writing a check. And she doesn't even get her checkbook out of her pocketbook until AFTER the cashier has given her the total.

It seems like I'm always behind people who take forever using trying to figure out how to use their cards. They can never figure if they insert them if theyhave a chip or not. If they wanna use they as credit or debit if they want cash back if they do how much back. Or they take them out before they are supposed to and then you have to start the process all over again. Seems like with both they can be time consuming to me checks seems much faster to me anyway.

 

[Micca]

That lady in front of me at the store always writes one.

...and takes the time to update her account balance in the back of the checkbook???
I think we only write a small number of checks per month. I did have to write one yesterday when the kid who mows my lawn came by and I didn't have any cash on hand.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Is she a senior? Usually its older people I know that have this irrational fear of technology.
I've paid bills online for 20 years. That's a long time. This isn't new technology. Doesn't she use her bank's app? That's all I use now.

She’s 46. My parents (in their late 70’s) do all their banking online.

DW thinks it’s a security risk - like stolen mail isn’t one. UGH!

 

[dclpluto]

I write checks for my house taxes and to my oil company. Everything else is phone or internet.

 

[scrapquitler]

I still have a few that I have to write, maybe 3 or 4 a month, but most everything is automatically credited or paid on line.

I pay each and every one of my bills by writing a check, putting it in an envelope, sticking a stamp on it and mailing it.

 

[LittleMissMagic]

I write a rent check once a month. I have to write checks for the DMV when I mail in registration. And my auto body guy doesn't take credit card, but I don't see him that often. Probably 20-30 a year.

Back when I was in undergrad in a sorority, I had to write checks for all of my t-shirt orders, function tickets, donations, etc. It was before the days of Venmo - they might do all of that through Venmo now, I'm not sure.

 

[ShirikiUtundu]

I still have a few that I have to write, maybe 3 or 4 a month, but most everything is automatically credited or paid on line.

I write maybe 2 or 3 per month. I also write checks for birthdays - not putting cash or gift cards into the mailbox.