I just wrote two for school photos. Last year, I used the company’s online system and ended up ordering class photos that went directly to the teacher not my kids because the unique code was not unique. Not going to fool me again!
Also, for passports but not the control agent (they charged a fee for checks and credit cards—enjoy all that change I assembled in line!)
The last time I used cheques regularly was daycare (2015-2018).
I don’t remember the last time I used one besides that. Canada has interact e-transfer so we can send money to other people’s bank accounts. That’s how pay I our regular contractor, roofer, hvac, irrigation, etc. It’s so nice.
I write only a few checks a month - mainly for our water bill (you can pay online but there's a fee) and paying for before/after care for DS. Quarterly checks for garbage although it looks like online is now available for that too, so I should start doing that.
I was just thinking about this today as I was writing a check, wondering if I’m the only one.
The only check I write is for my water bill. For some reason they don’t do auto pay and there is a fee to pay online even if it’s an EFT and not a CC so I just write a check.
Also once a year to the guy who does our taxes because that’s the payment type he accepts. That’s it - well he doesn’t do credit cards and I have never asked about Venmo or the like because I don’t have it, so check it is.
Post by turkletsmom on Feb 27, 2024 16:56:44 GMT -5
I can go months without writing one but oddly enough I had to write like 5 last week-- class pictures, state taxes and the fee for the woman that prepares our taxes. I'll also write checks when giving a larger gift- I have a niece and nephew both graduating this year that live out of state. I normally venmo them for birthdays and christmas, but want this to be more "special" and I don't mail cash.
Post by redheadbaker on Feb 27, 2024 18:02:54 GMT -5
The woman I see for electrolysis only takes cash or checks. I usually pay with cash, but if I can't make it to the ATM before my appointment, I'll write a check.
Pretty much only to pay the HOA anymore, or our go-to for weddings we can't attend but want to send a monetary gift. And it's always "where the hell is the checkbook? And stamps?" Because if we need the checkbook, we need stamps!
Pretty much only to pay the HOA anymore, or our go-to for weddings we can't attend but want to send a monetary gift. And it's always "where the hell is the checkbook? And stamps?" Because if we need the checkbook, we need stamps!
I always have stamps left over from Xmas cards but, of course, when we need them I can’t find them.
It's been years. I'm not even sure I actually own any anymore. However, as someone who worked retail in the early 00s, check writing was very much a thing at that time. Not just with the oldz.
Post by ellipses84 on Feb 27, 2024 19:32:42 GMT -5
I stopped using them regularly when daycare ended. I usually mail a check for my quarterly taxes to the IRS and I have one business I consult with the pays me in paper checks. Anything else is rare!
Yes, for my business. I write checks often enough. The other day it was to make a donation to the local PTA.
I get paid with many insurance company checks. Some companies do a direct deposit but some make it so complicated to set up or track the direct deposits. Some have a middleman that charges for direct deposits! Just so I don’t have all of my business income tied to only one form of payment in case something goes down, I have about half of the companies set up to pay me by direct deposit and the other half by check.
I don’t write too many personal checks. I’ve been rationing the starter pack from my bank for years.
Post by ellipses84 on Feb 27, 2024 19:34:50 GMT -5
I know you aren’t supposed to but I usually mail cash with bday cards, because I’m not going to subject my poor nieces or nephews to dealing with cashing a check these days. I’ve never had any get lost and I think it’s easier for someone to feel if a gift card is in an envelope to steal.
I only use them to pay our condo fees or to transfer money to my parents. Both are situations where cash isn't practical and the person receiving the money is older and less comfortable with tools like Zelle or Venmo.
Maybe 1-2 a year, and for the past 15 or so years, it's annoyed me every single time. The only one I wrote last year was for our HVAC service company, and they WILL take credit- but you have to handwrite the CC info out and slip the document through the mail-slot in an unmarked door in a sketchy shopping center. So I choose annoying!
Last week I went to Target and paid my paper bill (that was mailed to my house) with a check. The team member then gave me my receipt, stapled to the original bill, and I then took it home and filed it away in my file cabinet. I am 87 years old 🤦🏻♀️
(Due to Presidents’ Day, traveling, and DH’s payday, this was the best way to pay the bill on time. 98% of the time I pay online, I swear!!)
I pay our summer daycare by check and all school activity fees because I get so irritated by the associated service fees to pay online. I recently purchased a box of high security checks from Costco that will likely last me until I die, or move.
Last year I paid a couple of contractors with a check (tree service, plumber, etc.). Occasionally I'll have to pay for a day of bike event with a check if they can't/don't take CC. We may be out in the middle of nowhere without any cell service, so the CC readers won't work. 1-2 things still get paid with a check by online banking.
We were just talking about this this morning as I was writing a check for the cleaning crew. I think she has Venmo, but has also always taken checks. We write them for some school things, but otherwise that’s it these days.
I’m our HOA treasurer and we have a volunteer annual dues. I get a lot of checks for that. Digitally We had to switch to my Venmo acct from PayPal to avoid the fee PayPal was taking out, so in this case I actually prefer the check for tracking purposes.
School stuff - often. The extra fees they’re charging are out of control.
Rest of our life - almost never. I’ll send a check via my online bill pay.
To check myself to see if I was unjust in my annoyance, I started a note in my phone of our fees from these “free apps” making bank off of parents via the school district when I had no other payment option: 19.7% 15% 7.5% 4.0% 8.6% 3.4%
That last one is the only one even close to in line with the merchant fee.
I know you aren’t supposed to but I usually mail cash with bday cards, because I’m not going to subject my poor nieces or nephews to dealing with cashing a check these days. I’ve never had any get lost and I think it’s easier for someone to feel if a gift card is in an envelope to steal.
I write so many as the treasurer of my kids sports org. And then I have to go to the bank bc every time there’s a team wide fee, it’s 50+ checks to deposit.
Personally, I write them for sports fees, our property taxes, and sewer bill, and the random school thing.
Post by imojoebunny on Feb 27, 2024 23:53:34 GMT -5
I don’t write checks often, but I had a couple of Bar Mitzvah’s last weekend and I needed to send some money to a friend that I went to Costa Rica with earlier in the month, and also wanted to send him a note, saying thanks for inviting me, so checks were the things. It is Isn’t hard to deposit checks theses days. Take a picture, done. I feel like they are more accessible to fraud, so I don’t use them for anything with people I don’t know, but I feel safe with my friend and the sweet Bar Mitzvah boys. For my nieces and nephews, I Venmo and text. That is fine with them. I agree with JayhawkGirl that the school fees are nuts. Our one kids school fees this year were over $3k for public school for my senior and the charges for payment were nuts. They don’t take checks.
Post by mrsukyankee on Feb 28, 2024 5:55:37 GMT -5
I'm not sure they even exist in the UK. Money is so easily transferable that it would make no sense (it's almost instant to send money to another person - maybe 2 hours max).
I was definitely still using checks in the late '90s and early aughts - mostly to pay undergrad tuition and buy books. I was still using them around 2010 for utility bills.
Now though? I have only a vague idea of where my checkbook even is. I know where the stamps are at least 😅