Deleted
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Oct 7, 2024 1:18:28 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2022 11:08:49 GMT
I haven't used a cheque for decades. I do have a cheque book somewhere but I would really need to search for it if I ever needed it. I can't imagine that I would ever need it though.
I pay all our bills on line. I do pay the window cleaner and my home hair stylist in cash but other than that I just transfer the money to the bank account of whoever I'm paying. If you don't have access to or don't use on line banking you can walk into any bank with the recipients name, sort code( the bank branch number) and their account number and the bank will do it for free.
Banks charge businesses more in fees in the UK for banking and clearing cheques than they do for direct payments.
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Post by mikklynn on Jun 22, 2022 11:21:25 GMT
My homeowner's association charges $2.95 per month for using electronic payment. They call is a convenience fee. Um, it should be the other way around. Someone has to open the envelope and process the check! They charge even more for a credit card, so I pay by check.
The DMV charges a fee to pay with CC, so I paid by check yesterday.
The small business where I ordered window treatments charges 2.5% extra for CC payments, so there was another check.
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SweetieBsMom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,741
Jun 25, 2014 19:55:12 GMT
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Post by SweetieBsMom on Jun 22, 2022 11:34:14 GMT
I just ordered new checks, w/out DH on them and cried when they arrived.
I only write a couple of checks a year. Anything where it will cost me more to pay using a CC will get a check and that's pretty much everything town related (property taxes, dog licenses, etc). If I'm paying a one time vendor, I won't bother setting up an e-check will just write out a check. I have been paying my contractor by check. I'm trying to think of other circumstances. I don't do it a lot but I do still write checks.
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sueg
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,418
Location: Munich
Apr 12, 2016 12:51:01 GMT
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Post by sueg on Jun 22, 2022 11:43:00 GMT
What I don't understand about the "just use bill pay" idea - which I do understand (though not use) is that bill pay prints out a check and mails it, right? So the recipient gets a check in the mail, just not from me. So, I just send a check in the mail from me. I do pay several things online, though. I don’t know how it works in the US, but in Australia - where I used to live - Bill Pay was a form of online payment. You had a bank code for the biller, which you entered in your online banking, and the amount was directly transferred from your account to theirs.
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maryannscraps
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,791
Aug 28, 2017 12:51:28 GMT
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Post by maryannscraps on Jun 22, 2022 11:54:27 GMT
What I don't understand about the "just use bill pay" idea - which I do understand (though not use) is that bill pay prints out a check and mails it, right? So the recipient gets a check in the mail, just not from me. So, I just send a check in the mail from me. I do pay several things online, though. When I use bill pay, my bank uses EFT to pay the bill. It used to be that there were a few places that got checks by mail, but now all the businesses I pay have EFT in bill pay, even my landscaper. Also, none of my tax/water/electric bills/registry through town government charge a fee for EFT. I believe they've found it saves them money in collections to do it that way.
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Post by KiwiJo on Jun 22, 2022 11:57:09 GMT
To pay rent, doctors bills, a gardener, or anyone really, I just enter their bank account number into my bank’s app, add the amount and a reference number (eg invoice number or whatever) and the funds get taken from my account and put into theirs I've been trying to figure out how to answer this without sounding confusing. In my case, I only give out my bank account information when necessary. I don't ask others for theirs. I would never ask my gardener for his bank account number. I wouldn't ask most of my friends and even relatives for theirs. What is popular here is Venmo, do you have that? It is like Paypal. You can transfer money to others with the Venmo app, but both parties have be on Venmo. There are no security issues (here, anyway) with giving anyone your bank account number. It’s no different to giving out your credit card number, and when we used to use cheques the bank account number was printed on them anyway. it’s just normal here to ask for the bank account number if you have to give/send/transfer money to anyone and I would have no hesitation in asking for it from anyone, or giving mine to anyone who owes me money. No-one else can do anything with it except pay an amount into it. They can’t withdraw from it, or view it in any way to see how much is there….. I wouldn’t need to ask the gardener etc for their bank account number, it would just be on their invoice because that’s how they would expect to be paid. I’ve never heard of Venmo, I guess because it’s just easy to pay directly into someone’s bank account with no “middle man”.
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Post by fruitysuet on Jun 22, 2022 11:58:34 GMT
I can't remember the last time I wrote a cheque, it must be many years ago. I don't even think I currently have a cheque book.
In fact, when I went to the Post Office and applied for a new photo card style driving licence, I had to get a Postal Order written as they didn't accept debit cards (ugh, and it has been returned as not required, so I can go and get it re-cashed back to myself, but the fees are a write off - bad advice by the Post Office clerk on that one, but she was really helpful otherwise so I'm not mad at her).
For everything else I either pay online by direct debit (for regular transactions such as paying bills), paypal for small purchases, credit card for larger purchases, do a direct transfer out of my bank account or, in person, use my debit card. I very rarely have cash on me now, just coins in case they are needed for the local car park. Even the car park in the city centre has gone cashless.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Oct 7, 2024 1:18:28 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2022 12:12:42 GMT
Slight hi-Jack…does anyone else write “cheque” still or is it just me? Cheque is British English so as a Canadian you probably use it too. A check in British English is something you examine/ inspect......... "I need to check my bank account to see if that cheque has been paid".
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Post by Zee on Jun 22, 2022 12:14:58 GMT
What I don't understand about the "just use bill pay" idea - which I do understand (though not use) is that bill pay prints out a check and mails it, right? So the recipient gets a check in the mail, just not from me. So, I just send a check in the mail from me. I do pay several things online, though. I don't have to deal with writing actual checks or envelopes or paying postage and can pay everything at once in one spot.
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Post by christine58 on Jun 22, 2022 12:21:50 GMT
FTR, I haven't used a cheque since last century, for over 25 years, nor do I know anyone who does. Many of us have bills that only take checks
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Post by karenlou on Jun 22, 2022 12:26:53 GMT
Yes I do...there are a few folks that don't do Venmo, and some other random vendors..the Mason that just repaired my front steps for example....I like the option of a check.
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purplebee
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,792
Jun 27, 2014 20:37:34 GMT
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Post by purplebee on Jun 22, 2022 12:28:09 GMT
Yes, at least 7-8 per month for mailed in bills. Why not just pay them online through your bank? Because my Dh is not a fan of online banking, and it only takes a few minutes each month. We have always paid bills this way so it’s really not an inconvenience at all.
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Post by Lexica on Jun 22, 2022 12:44:30 GMT
The only check I write every month it to my pool cleaning guy. I write the check and put it into a ziplock bag and clip it to the pool equipment.
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Post by Linda on Jun 22, 2022 13:09:49 GMT
@dottyscrapper - thank you. Unfortunately since dad served in the army, they require applying by post. The Navy and the RAF are a bit more up to date and allow online.
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Post by paulao on Jun 22, 2022 13:14:57 GMT
I write checks to my hair cutter, the farrier, yoga instructor, water bill, charity donations, small local businesses who would get dinged card fees. Not nearly as many as I used to, but still enough to warrant having them. I order from WalMart.
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amom23
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,409
Jun 27, 2014 12:39:18 GMT
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Post by amom23 on Jun 22, 2022 13:41:48 GMT
I live in a rural community so the option to pay online with a CC or bank account isn't always an option. Our local school just a couple years ago finally established an online option to pay fees. There is a service fee though. If you want to go to an athletic event and/or buy something at the concession stand it is cash or check only. My hair stylist only accepts cash or check. It probably sounds crazy and very dated to use checks, but it's still a way of life here. I live in a very rural community too but I just pay my bills from home through my bank via my slow internet. Any bill that you can pay at a bank you can pay from your house via the bank. My mom started doing it probably 25+ years ago when it was just telephone banking, then switched over to internet banking. She didn't like coming to town just because a bill was due. If I don't have cash I etransfer my hair dresser (or anyone I owe money to). You just need someone's email address to send them money via your online banking, they deposit in their account via their online banking. Neither of these things exist in your area/country? I see you are in Canada. Things aren't done the same down here in the USA.
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Post by stampinisfun on Jun 22, 2022 13:48:40 GMT
Yes I still I write a couple checks a month to local business that only accept cash or checks as form of payment.
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twinsmomfla99
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,087
Jun 26, 2014 13:42:47 GMT
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Post by twinsmomfla99 on Jun 22, 2022 14:24:40 GMT
I write several a year because many of our home services are not set up for electronic payments. Most of my bills are paid electronically, but water, septic services, landscapers, etc. are check only.
I also write several checks a year to my mom. She buys things for me; I buy things for her, and we settle up each time we are together. Sometimes she has to write me a check, and other times I have to write one to her.
I occassionally write my daughter's rent check if she needs it (she's in school), and her landlord does not do electronic payments.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Oct 7, 2024 1:18:28 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2022 14:35:33 GMT
I pretty much only write a check for the water and home improvement stuff. Although the last time we used the tree service, I was able to pay online through their QuickBooks service with no fee. We'll see how the concrete company prefers to be paid next month. I used a check to pay for the estimate but not sure if they'd prefer EFT for the actual work.
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milocat
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,570
Location: 55 degrees north in Alberta, Canada
Mar 18, 2015 4:10:31 GMT
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Post by milocat on Jun 22, 2022 15:21:15 GMT
Why not just pay them online through your bank? Because my Dh is not a fan of online banking, and it only takes a few minutes each month. We have always paid bills this way so it’s really not an inconvenience at all. Ok, whatever works for everyone, I was just curious. I will say that my sister in law works at a bank and what she says to people who are hesitant to do online banking is that they (the bank) do your banking online. Sometimes people don't even think of that. I see you are in Canada. Things aren't done the same down here in the USA. You guys really are behind in banking technology, after the credit card tap thread and all the ways credit/debit cards have evolved and how long it too the US to catch up each time. We had online banking when I still had dial up internet and couldn't trust it to be fast enough to go through so I kept going to the bank until my internet was a bit faster. You guys should be ready for it soon, it's been here 20 years now!
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Post by gizzy on Jun 22, 2022 15:30:55 GMT
Very infrequently. Twice a year for our property taxes and every few months for water. Both places charge a fee to take care of online so checks it is.
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Post by katlady on Jun 22, 2022 16:39:43 GMT
You guys really are behind in banking technology, after the credit card tap thread and all the ways credit/debit cards have evolved and how long it too the US to catch up each time. I think one issue in the US is the number of banks we have. There are close to 5,000 banks in the US, plus almost the same number of credit unions. Getting all those banks to get on to a new system is not easy. The top 4 (Chase, BofA, Wells Fargo, and Citigroup) have the resources to implement new technology, but smaller banks would struggle to keep up. Those top 4 have less than 50% of the US bank share. And merchants are slow to implement new payment terminals because of the cost. I am sure eventually we'll catch up to the rest of the world in terms of electronic transaction, but it will take time. I wouldn’t need to ask the gardener etc for their bank account number, it would just be on their invoice because that’s how they would expect to be paid. Invoice?? We've had about 4 different gardeners in the past 25 years. None of them gave us invoices. We just pay them at the end of the month. Lot of house cleaners operate the same way here.
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Post by bianca42 on Jun 22, 2022 17:12:01 GMT
I write a few checks a month. The Chinese restaurant we go to takes cash or check and I rarely have enough cash. When I go to the greenhouse (small business) I pay with a check so they don't have to pay the fees. I used a check to pay for the tree service that removed a tree.
I also have a checkbook for my HSA account because my allergist doesn't take credit card for payment and I'm there once a month.
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Post by myshelly on Jun 22, 2022 17:18:32 GMT
Because my Dh is not a fan of online banking, and it only takes a few minutes each month. We have always paid bills this way so it’s really not an inconvenience at all. Ok, whatever works for everyone, I was just curious. I will say that my sister in law works at a bank and what she says to people who are hesitant to do online banking is that they (the bank) do your banking online. Sometimes people don't even think of that. I see you are in Canada. Things aren't done the same down here in the USA. You guys really are behind in banking technology, after the credit card tap thread and all the ways credit/debit cards have evolved and how long it too the US to catch up each time. We had online banking when I still had dial up internet and couldn't trust it to be fast enough to go through so I kept going to the bank until my internet was a bit faster. You guys should be ready for it soon, it's been here 20 years now! I mean, I think a huge part of the issue is that people here just don’t want updated banking technology. People threw absolute fits over the chip and pin rollout, so it kind of just got abandoned. I can still bypass the PIN everywhere, so it’s useless. I don’t have any desire to figure out or use EFTs. If I asked someone for their bank account number, they would look at me like I had six heads. We don’t really do that here.
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Post by justkat on Jun 22, 2022 18:15:02 GMT
I couldn't tell you the last time I used a cheque if my life depended on it.lol
For as long as I can remember I've had a chequing account but I've almost always paid with my attached debit card. In the past many years I've either paid with my debit card in person or used it to pay online.
I think I used a cheque to rent my first post-college apartment roughly 337 years ago. 😊 Honestly, as I think about it, I only ever had actual cheques with my first chequing account.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jun 22, 2022 18:31:53 GMT
You guys really are behind in banking technology, after the credit card tap thread and all the ways credit/debit cards have evolved and how long it too the US to catch up each time. I think one issue in the US is the number of banks we have. There are close to 5,000 banks in the US, plus almost the same number of credit unions. Getting all those banks to get on to a new system is not easy. The top 4 (Chase, BofA, Wells Fargo, and Citigroup) have the resources to implement new technology, but smaller banks would struggle to keep up. Those top 4 have less than 50% of the US bank share. And merchants are slow to implement new payment terminals because of the cost. I am sure eventually we'll catch up to the rest of the world in terms of electronic transaction, but it will take time. I wouldn’t need to ask the gardener etc for their bank account number, it would just be on their invoice because that’s how they would expect to be paid. Invoice?? We've had about 4 different gardeners in the past 25 years. None of them gave us invoices. We just pay them at the end of the month. Lot of house cleaners operate the same way here. Exactly. When my DH goes to a client’s home to do some work, he hands them a bill and expects to be paid right then at the time of service. We don’t send out invoices. Most people pay with a check, some people pay with a credit card and a very few hand him a wad of cash.
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Post by tyra on Jun 22, 2022 18:56:13 GMT
I think we use 12 or so a year. Water company quarterly is the only regular one. Our sons private school tuition is automatically deducted, but then any extras... school spirit wear, hot lunches, fundraisers, etc I pay by check. Then there are the random ones, carpet cleaning, pest control, etc.
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tracylynn
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,899
Jun 26, 2014 22:49:09 GMT
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Post by tracylynn on Jun 22, 2022 19:01:10 GMT
Ok, whatever works for everyone, I was just curious. I will say that my sister in law works at a bank and what she says to people who are hesitant to do online banking is that they (the bank) do your banking online. Sometimes people don't even think of that. You guys really are behind in banking technology, after the credit card tap thread and all the ways credit/debit cards have evolved and how long it too the US to catch up each time. We had online banking when I still had dial up internet and couldn't trust it to be fast enough to go through so I kept going to the bank until my internet was a bit faster. You guys should be ready for it soon, it's been here 20 years now! I mean, I think a huge part of the issue is that people here just don’t want updated banking technology. People threw absolute fits over the chip and pin rollout, so it kind of just got abandoned. I can still bypass the PIN everywhere, so it’s useless. I don’t have any desire to figure out or use EFTs. If I asked someone for their bank account number, they would look at me like I had six heads. We don’t really do that here. That's actually not true. The EMV Chip is more secure than a card with just the mag stripe. They are much harder to duplicate by people looking to steal credit cards. If you add a Pin to the solution, it is of course even more secure, however, the US was never planning to implement full Chip/Pin the way other Countries have it. The mandate was for the EMV Chip. The cards issued by banks were "chip and signature" cards - not chip/pin cards.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Jun 22, 2022 19:13:21 GMT
I was the one who mentioned that this board isn't a typical cross section of the US. I think the most recent study is that over half of US citizens never write checks - those over 65 being the demographic that is most likely still writing checks. I don't know anyone under 30 who even has checks.
Oh and the whole - I won't tell someone my bank account info so I'll write a check is pretty hilarious as your full account number including routing number is on your check!
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Post by padresfan619 on Jun 22, 2022 19:18:49 GMT
I haven’t written a check since before Covid.
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