Comments on: When can we stop writing checks?

By: Joe

Joe — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 21:29:18 +0000

I’d LOVE to pay by credit card if I could. Checks are a hassle, and I want as many rewards points as I can get. Sadly, I cannot pay the big bills by credit (or even online?!) – mortgage, utilities, car payments, etc…

By: Ashley

Ashley — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:04:41 +0000

I still write checks to pay certain bills and don’t think I’ll ever be done using them. I dislike carrying cash so checks are the next best thing if you find yourself in a situation where credit/debit is not accepted.

By: Melanie

Melanie — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 13:29:36 +0000

As a parent with young children, I write a check every single week. The children go to a home daycare where you can either pay by cash or check. well, going to an ATM every week to withdraw the money hardly seems worth it, so each week I write out the fees on a check.
That’s 52 a year without any other consideration of things that only accept cheques (like payment for things at school, fundraisers, etc).

I have at least three more years of writing weekly checks!

By: Clever Dude

Clever Dude — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 02:26:13 +0000

@Adam, churches need to realize that they would get more donations if they accepted credit cards than they would lose from the fee.

By: Adam Webb

Adam Webb — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 01:44:01 +0000

I’m trying to get my church to accept CC donations and there is push-back due to the 2+% that will be lost for processing a credit card. I know that a lot of non-profits/charities do this, but I imagine that 2% is a major component.

I rarely write checks. I use my bank’s online billpay and checks get cut and mailed.

I do occasionally have to write a check for the babysitter when I don’t have cash on hand. I wish there was a better way.

By: Sara

Sara — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 23:58:21 +0000

The only thing I used to have to pay by check was my rent. When I bought a house, I was glad to be getting rid of that (since my mortgage payment is electronically deducted from my bank account), but unfortunately, the stupid HOA only accepts checks, so I still have one monthly check to write. I have to include the stub from the bill they mail me, so it wouldn’t work to have the bank mail them a check directly.

I’ve written a total of 15 checks in 2009, 11 of which were for HOA dues (the other 4: union initiation fee, passport renewal fee, property taxes, and charitable donation). Still, I think it will be a while before we can get rid of checkbooks altogether. Many online bill payments require the account and routing numbers from a check in order to set up the account, and there will still be those last few payments that can be made only by check. Even if you can get the bank to mail a paper check in those situations, I’d rather keep my checkbook for the convenience of writing a check on the spot.

By: psychsarah

psychsarah — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 22:10:26 +0000

I would love to phase out cheques completely. The only place I regularly write them is for my chorus dues. It’s a small, non-profit organization. I could, in theory, pay cash, but we pay by putting our dues in an envelope and leaving it in the treasurer’s box (which is out on the table during rehearsals). I just don’t feel good about leaving cash out without a paper trail.If the majority of the chorus weren’t err…more mature… (trying not to say “old” here) I’d suggest the iPhone app.

By: Andy Hough

Andy Hough — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 21:39:41 +0000

I rarely use checks. I wrote one for my first month’s rent and security deposit for my apartment. I probably hadn’t written a check before that for a year.

I saw a story earlier this week that the UK is completely phasing out checks.

By: Grant

Grant — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 19:02:19 +0000

Amen to that.

I haven’t written a physical check in at least 3 years. When I switched to Chase when I moved this time last year I even passed on even getting checks. I’ve moved completely to online bill pay, never know how I did without it. No keying in CC numbers, no address verification, exp. dates etc.

The only thing that has involved a check for me in recent months was a security deposit for my apartment. Cost $8 from Chase. Worth it. Now if I need to pay a bill that doesn’t allow for bill pay, Chase will cut the check and send it for me. So. Simple.

The ATM near my office can accept check deposits and I am about to switch to USAA complete which allows for deposits from home which means I can truly do branchless banking.

Checks are ridiculous. There’s an IPhone app now for 99 cents that lets you accept credit cards. If I was in any sort of independent contractor type business where I was on my own for collecting payment I would be using this. No chance of having a check bounce or waiting for payment to arrive after invoicing.

By: Ken

Ken — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 18:33:20 +0000

Not writing checks is biting me here lately. I forget what date to make my online payments and it ends up being late. How do you win?