Cost of your blank personal checks.

[Brian Elfert]

My checks are free also. Standard check with name. Who needs birds and flowers on a check. I pay all bills with checks. I do not trust internet for anything. Have never been burned or lost check. Been doing it for over 50 years. I pay cash at registers and only use credit when item is very large. Old school still works and we need to get back to it.

I pay pretty much all of my bills electronically from my checking account and have never had any issues. It just works and no spending a couple of hours a month writing checks.

One time years ago I forgot to sign a check I sent to pay a bill and it end up costing me a lot of money. They treated it just the same as a late payment with all the fees and such. I suppose they have people who don't have the money sending a check with no signature hoping they count it as on time even if they can't cash the check.

[Charlie Velasquez]

..... I do not trust internet for anything. Have never been burned or lost check. Been doing it for over 50 years. I pay cash at registers and only use credit when item is very large. Old school still works and we need to get back to it.....

John, I have been burned on a credit card and a debit card. But eventually the bank/ credit card company made good on the purchasees. In fact, the credit card fraud never even came to pass. I inspected the monthly statement, noticed purchases I did not make, and contacted the credit card company (Chase). I answered a few questions and zap, the charges were gone and a new card issued. The debit card was more involved, we had written several checks that bounced because of the immediate nature of debit card fraud. And while the bank made good on all the fraudulent purchases and even the returned check fees from our legimate transactions, the individual shops still charged us their return check fees so we paid about $100 for that episode.

But we were burned significantly on a check scheme about 1996. My wife lost her wallet. We naturally called the card company and cancelled her credit card. But we had forgotten that she kept a check in it for emergency purposes. The person that found her wallet wrote a check on a different closed account and deposited it in our account to make sure our account had money in it, then made a purchase with our check. A couple of days later, the first bogus check bounced, so the money was deducted from our account. But the check from our account was already paid, so the bank honored that and just left our account with an overdraft. I suppose this is similar to the craigslist scheme so many talk about.

A couple of years later we misplaced a checkbook with about 10 checks still in it. Remembering the previous episode we called the bank to report the lost checks. They said we could put a "stop" on those checks.... for a $15 per check fee.


After looking at these episodes I became a firm believer in credit cards.
I can inspect all the purchases before paying. If there is something fishy, I take care of it before It cost me with no hassle.
I can suspend a bona fide purchase if I have an issue with the product
The credit card company automatically extends the warranty on many purchases
I get a 90 day, no question asked insurance policy on the product. We bought a $400 smart phone for my daughter, and she dropped it the next day and cracked the screen. Chase replaced it, no questions.
Plus, I get money back on all my purchases.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Our checks are free.
Other accounts we've had in the past did charge us for checks.
My wife always went with a third party for them & it was only about $4.00/$4.50 a box (100).

You might want to check with the bank as far as what type of account you have and if you qualify for some other type that has better perks.
Sometimes it is - sometimes it isn't worth it - due to the minimum balance they require for some accounts.

With our rental property, we need to keep more cash on hand, in case an emergency repair is needed, than most people - so - a minimum balance usually isn't an issue.

[Myk Rian]

Don't banks have free, blank checks at the counter? Just grab a handful. As long as you know your account and routing numbers, you could write a check on toilet paper if you so desired.

[Brian Henderson]

Don't banks have free, blank checks at the counter? Just grab a handful. As long as you know your account and routing numbers, you could write a check on toilet paper if you so desired.

A lot of businesses will not accept counter checks, or the temporary checks they give you when you open an account. Theoretically you can write a check on anything you want, that doesn't obligate businesses to accept them.

[Curt Harms]

Don't banks have free, blank checks at the counter? Just grab a handful. As long as you know your account and routing numbers, you could write a check on toilet paper if you so desired.

I've never seen a check at the counter. Deposit slips? Sure, but not checks. With the advent of print-them-yourself checks and MICR ink/toner, it's surprising there's not more fraud than there is.

[Jim Becker]

I've never seen a check at the counter. Deposit slips? Sure, but not checks. With the advent of print-them-yourself checks and MICR ink/toner, it's surprising there's not more fraud than there is.

True...and you don't need to physically present a check to deposit it, either...just take a photo with your bank's app...

[Edwin Santos]

I pay all bills with checks. I do not trust internet for anything. Have never been burned or lost check. Been doing it for over 50 years. I pay cash at registers and only use credit when item is very large. Old school still works and we need to get back to it.

If the "internet" turns out to be nothing more than a passing fad, you will have the last laugh!

[Bruce Wrenn]

If the "internet" turns out to be nothing more than a passing fad, you will have the last laugh!

I can tell you a paper trail has saved us more than once. That's why we write checks to pay bills.

[Mike Henderson]

The price is right for sure.
Have to say a little nervous about giving banking info to a third party.

When you give a check to someone, you're giving them your bank's routing number and your account number. Both are at the bottom of the check. Don't be concerned about giving out those numbers to a check company.

Mike

[Mike Henderson]

John, I have been burned on a credit card and a debit card. But eventually the bank/ credit card company made good on the purchases. In fact, the credit card fraud never even came to pass. I inspected the monthly statement, noticed purchases I did not make, and contacted the credit card company (Chase). I answered a few questions and zap, the charges were gone and a new card issued. The debit card was more involved, we had written several checks that bounced because of the immediate nature of debit card fraud. And while the bank made good on all the fraudulent purchases and even the returned check fees from our legimate transactions, the individual shops still charged us their return check fees so we paid about $100 for that episode.

But we were burned significantly on a check scheme about 1996. My wife lost her wallet. We naturally called the card company and cancelled her credit card. But we had forgotten that she kept a check in it for emergency purposes. The person that found her wallet wrote a check on a different closed account and deposited it in our account to make sure our account had money in it, then made a purchase with our check. A couple of days later, the first bogus check bounced, so the money was deducted from our account. But the check from our account was already paid, so the bank honored that and just left our account with an overdraft. I suppose this is similar to the craigslist scheme so many talk about.

A couple of years later we misplaced a checkbook with about 10 checks still in it. Remembering the previous episode we called the bank to report the lost checks. They said we could put a "stop" on those checks.... for a $15 per check fee.


After looking at these episodes I became a firm believer in credit cards.
I can inspect all the purchases before paying. If there is something fishy, I take care of it before It cost me with no hassle.
I can suspend a bona fide purchase if I have an issue with the product
The credit card company automatically extends the warranty on many purchases
I get a 90 day, no question asked insurance policy on the product. We bought a $400 smart phone for my daughter, and she dropped it the next day and cracked the screen. Chase replaced it, no questions.
Plus, I get money back on all my purchases.

One additional thing you can do with your credit card is have them send you a text (or do it through the card company app) EVERY time there's a charge on your card. When I have lunch, I get a notice on my smartphone about what the charge is before the waitperson brings me the chit to sign. (i often give my card before the wait person presents the bill)

Mike

[Sam Murdoch]

I can tell you a paper trail has saved us more than once. That's why we write checks to pay bills.

Yes to this ^ . At the risk of sounding old and out of it - I much prefer to mail in a payment than to do my banking and bill paying online.
I do pay my credit cards by calling in on or near the due date, just to eliminate the risk of late fees because of a unforeseen delay in mail delivery
but for utilities, loans etc. - all with checks in the mail.

As to the OP's question I too discovered that my bank purchased checks were getting stop expensive (and the number of checks/deposit slips were pitiful in each box) so I have been ordering from the online CheckAdvantage. Good price and product, easy ordering and excellent service.

[Joe Mioux]

Interesting conversation. I own two retail stores. Fifteen years ago, we would write a bank deposit everyday for each store. Today, I write a bank deposit once of week for both stores combined. Checks and Cash have been replaced by CC and Debit cards.

added: My last set of business checks of 500 cost over $200. IIRC

[Edwin Santos]

What might be revealing to some is that the vast majority of payees do not handle your paper checks in the "old school" method of preparing a deposit slip and taking it to a bank. What they do is scan the check and make the deposit electronically, usually in batches. The scanner and software are reading the information off the check including the MICR numbers at the bottom.

In other words for those that prefer to write a paper check, the payee is most likely converting your check into the exact type of electronic payment you were not comfortable making, and transmitting it to their financial institution, over the internet.

[Jim Becker]

Edwin is spot on...few businesses these days physically present checks to the bank, including many small businesses. And as I mentioned, even for personal accounts, many banks now support electronic deposit of checks merely by snapping a photo of the check with their smartphone app. My bank does that with the requirement that the check must be written "to me" (no multiple payees), etc. Even though I normally just deposit the occasional check I get via the ATM, I don't have to leave the comfort of my chair here in my home office if I don't want to.

The only checks I write are for boarding our horse and the farrier. Everything else is paid electronically and generally scheduled to just happen on or the day before the due date.