(I mean besides the old lady in Wal-Mart that takes 10 minutes to fill out the check?)
I went to get my driver’s license changed today and I knew from the trip before they only accept cash, check, or debit, but there is a $2 service charge to use your debit card. I brought my checkbook to avoid paying the unnecessary fee and actually filled the check out wrong! I scribbled VOID on the front and wrote another.
That made me think about the last time I wrote a check and I don’t even remember when it was. I pay almost all of my bills on-line, and I use a credit or debit card for most purchases above $10 (if less than $10, I usually pay with cash).
For me the convenience of on-line bill-pay and paying with plastic make checks almost obsolete. I still keep them around for times like today… But I think the book I have will last me for years!
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Yea, I was just thinking the same thing when I was opening a new checking account last week. I wrote them a check from my old checking account and noticed it was number 1015. I’ve opened that account a year ago and used checks for bills over the summer but then switched to online billpay meaning that I’ve probably used 3 or 4 checks since last fall… And they were asking if I would like to order the gadzillion checks for my new checking account last week for $24. Ummm… tough choice
My last bank kept trying to sell me checks also – about $20 for 100 specialized checks (with pictures on them). I never paid for them. I got 25 free checks and I don’t think I ever used them all.
I wrote about a half dozen checks a year. My current bank provides free checks, which I like.
Nearly 99 percent of the time I use a check is to pay the rent as I don’t own a home yet.
Hmm, maybe that’s the next wave of the future, online rent payments?
If you rent from an individual, maybe not (although some banks will automatically send a check via an on-line command). But if you are renting from a company, including some apartment or condo complexes, this is a possibility. Some even allow you to pay with credit card. Hello reward points!