Ordering Checks

[DADoES]

 
<blockquote>Once my mortgage is paid off, I can pay property tax ... online via credit card.</blockquote> I suppose it depends on the county involved but there may be a 'convenience' fee added when paying county or state taxes or fees by ccard.  I was paying my car license at the annex office couple weeks ago.  The clerk had put out the card terminal and advised the person ahead that an additional cost is involved (which said person answered that she didn't care).

 

[ea56]

My county does add a $1.50 fee for paying property tax by e-check, which I'm glad to pay for the convenience. Since I don't get diddly squat in interest anymore I pay both installments at the same time, after all, we're going to have to pay it anyway, so why not just get it over with. Now, if I was getting interest like I received back before the financial meltdown in 2008, I'd pay the installments separately when they were due. I believe that if you use a debit card the fee is $3.49 and if you use a credit card the fee is 2.25% of the transaction, which in my opinion is steep. I also renew my auto reg and drivers license online and pay the fee online. And with mobile banking I can deposit checks via my smartphone or ipad. I almost never go to the CU, except for the safe deposit box or for notary services. I monitor all my accts at least weekly online, but the CU daily, have never had any problems. I can even do fund transfers to other people's accts. online, so that eliminates writing checks to transfer $ to people I wish to either pay or gift. The last check I wrote was in Oct. to the carpet cleaner because he didn't accept credit cards and I couldn't do a fund transfer to his acct., but I can't recall the reason, probably because he didn't want to give me his acct. #, which I can understand. Actually, I think I have better control over my accts. than in the old days when I had to wait for a statement to see what was going on. If there was a discrepancy it could have been going on unnoticed for much longer than it would now with 24/7 access to the info online. I don't always like "new fangled" ways, but electronic banking is here to stay and works great for me.
Eddie

 

[lordkenmore]

>I suppose it depends on the county involved but there may be a 'convenience' fee added when paying county or state taxes or fees by ccard. I was paying my car license at the annex office couple weeks ago. The clerk had put out the card terminal and advised the person ahead that an additional cost is involved (which said person answered that she didn't care).

In WA, auto licensing can be done through the state (either on-line, by mail, or in a county auditor office). Or one can go to a private company that does the service. I renewed on-line, using credit card, and I don't think there was any extra charge. I should check to be sure...

But I do know that the private companies (at least the one I've used) charge a surcharge. I'm not sure how much--it's probably in the line of a couple of percent for a credit card.

The bigger annoyance is that there is no savings by doing it directly with the state. It seems to me that years back you could save $3 or something like that. But now there is a $3 or so charge that applies. Private companies doing the service keep that to pay themselves for doing the service. The state also collects it, but funnels it to ferry service. Of course, $3 isn't much--but my cash flow isn't the best, and it annoys me, particularly how hard the taxes and fees in general here hit people at my income level.

 

[lordkenmore]

Like others here, I have moved away from checks. In fact, it's been YEARS since I had paper checks. I don't anticipate getting checks unless some real, regular need crops up.

If I do need checks, I'll probably just get what my credit union has. If you get the basic check, it is--or was the last I heard (within the last year)--free. Free happens to be my favorite price.

Years back, when I had my first checking account, I spent a great deal of time fussing over what check I'd get. My big disappointment: I think they had an old fashioned stub style check, and I was really tempted, but it wouldn't work for me otherwise. I think it might have been that they had one graphic style for the check, which I didn't like.

 

[ptcruiser51]

30+ years telco experience

As a customer service representative, not a day went by after the 1990s that I didn't get one (or two) frantic calls from customers.  "OMG, there's twelve calls to Jamaica/Haiti/Mexico that I never made!  The bank already deducted my phone bill from my account and now all my checks are bouncing!  Bwaaaaa, haaah, haah!  What am I gonna do?"  

 

Have you ever tried to get a refund from the telco?  Like trying to pull a molar out by yourself with a pair of pliers.  Not going to happen.  "We'll give you a credit towards your next bill"  Meanwhile knowing full well that these calls are legit (we had ways to investigate).  

 

"Bwaaaah, haaah, haaah!  My rent check has bounced!  My car payment has bounced!  My child support has bounced!  I need the money NOW"

 

"Well, it will take about 6-8 weeks for that to take place."

 

"Bwaaah, haaah, haah!"

 

Multiply this for years and years, and you'll know why I never trust electronic/automatic payments.  

 

Write a check.  Or send a money order.

 

[ea56]

I would never

set up an auto pymt. for a utility or and other bill where the amt. could vary from mo. to mo. It would be crazy to give them that kind of control over my $. I only use electroinc pymt. when I control the amt. pd. I can well imagine the problems that the customers in Charlie's reply #23 had. I worked for the phone co. myself and know the company attitude. But, personally, I think AT&T of today has way worse customer service than it was in the 70's when I worked for Ma Bell.
Eddie

 

[delaneymeegan]

wow, Its 1995 again. Thank-you

 

 

 

 

i remember ordering checks, years ago.  

Personalized checks are like personalized lic. plates.  Brings back memories.

 

[washabear]

I just call the number on the form in the check booklet and reorder that way. I don't have a preference of check design; basic plain ones are fine. I pay all of my accounts by check. I won't do anything financial online, and all in-person transactions are cash only unless it's an emergency. We all read and hear about the data breaches that are going on all the time. I try to keep my financial affairs as sterile as possible.

 

[mattl]

Ah well, call me nuts but I went to the CU today, and low and behold they did have the check I wanted available.  Pricey, but I did it, figure these will be the lasts checks I order.  For what ever reason having a nice looking check makes writing them a bit easier.  Sometimes the little things in life make a difference.

 

BTW, I asked about counter checks and they said no, so that was not an option.  Forgot to check if they have electronic payments for my water bill.

 

[lordkenmore]

My trick to minimize the risks of electronic banking is to have my checking account and my primary savings account totally separate. Checking balance is "enough" to get by on. That way, if something goes horribly wrong, and every dollar gets drained, I still have cold, hard cash available. If I ever do get paper checks again, I might consider having them used on an account that is only used for checks, just so that there is no risk of a hacker getting in via debit card number, and draining the account just before a check arrives.

I may be a bit paranoid, but it may not be a bad idea in today's world.

 

[lordkenmore]

Another old time memory... My grandmother lived in a small town well into the 1990s. Even at the end of her life, the grocery store (and other businesses in town, too, perhaps) had blank checks from the local bank that people could use if they'd forgotten their checkbook. I remember asking someone who worked for the bank about those, and she said they were being phased out. They'd be honored, but when the supplies stores had ran out, that would be that.

 

[DADoES]

 
<blockquote>I won't do anything financial online, and all in-person transactions are cash only unless it's an emergency. We all read and hear about the data breaches that are going on all the time. I try to keep my financial affairs as sterile as possible.</blockquote> That's false-security IMO.  Banks and many businesses operate on electronic systems that can be hacked whether or not the customer uses online services.

 

[wayupnorth]

You have no choice with many payments coming to you including Social Security. No paper check is issued to you period. You HAVE to have an account to electronically have it deposited in. Several years ago, when working for the Phone company their system was hacked on all us employees. They set us all up on a credit monitoring system. That company would send you tid bits on how to keep yourself safe. They recommended electronic banking as your payment was totally encrypted with that lock in the right corner and not with a name or number traced back to you and never set up an automatic withdrawal from any account, as if the account is cancelled, the charges are still there. A neighbor had 6 months of fighting with Sirius XM before they stopped and refunded them. AAA gives me free credit monitoring, Discover and Citi give me my credit scores by clicking on for free.

 

[delaneymeegan]

I used to be very concerned about electronic banking. 

 

But I have NEVER had any issues.

 

Remember, the banking system is very aware of potential problems having a negative impact on confidence.  They would do anything to protect it. 

 

It's just like writing a check at a merchants check-out counter.  A store that uses electronic processing of the check will take the check and run it through a machine that connects to the very same network that the credit card machine uses.  ... that transfers date electronically.   

 

 

[warmsecondrinse]

Chase Bank...

Do NOT get me started on them. I've had THREE major (as in weeks to resolve) problems with them. Actually, I think there's one more, but it escapes me at the moment.

 

They will NEVER get another cent of my money again. Actually, I don't have much good to say about most banks in recent years. Whether in person or on the phone, wait times to speak with someone keep creeping upward. Even the simplest things are exercises in frustration.

 

Whenever possible I pay on-line. I get a receipt e-mailed to me, print-to-file same, and take a screenshot of the page stating I've made my payment.

 

Jim