Paying by check...

cowman

cowman

Final Approach
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Just wondering, how many of you still have stuff come up frequently where you need to pay by check? Are you like me slightly annoyed at it because it seems like an unnecessarily antiquated and cumbersome process... especially when one has to dig out envelopes and stamps and actually mail it.

I know, I know first world problems. It's just that I pay almost everything via electronic bank draft or automatic credit card payments that I never have the checkbook, envelopes, and stamps handy.
 
I went to help one one of my kids out last week and pay a ticket off for him.

They wanted to collect an $18 "convenience fee" for the privilege of using electronic means.

Screw that. Now they can have the "convenience"of joining me in old way of getting paid.
 
aftCG said:
I went to help one one of my kids out last week and pay a ticket off for him.

They wanted to collect an $18 "convenience fee" for the privilege of using electronic means.

Screw that. Now they can have the "convenience"of joining me in old way of getting paid.
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Yeah IL pulls that for a lot of stuff, I think last time around they wanted $20 to e-file my tax return. I'm to pay $20 to do something that saves us both money and effort. Oh wait, actually I pay for it on both ends don't I? But IL government is another whole rant worthy of it's own thread.
 
Depends on the amount, if I'll pay the convenience fee.
at $5.00, 2.45% only amounts to about 12 cents. Stamps are more than that.
Paying my taxes, it's significantly cheaper to send checks.

Checks have been a little less clumsy also, due to being able to schedule them automatically sent from the bank, and/or the ability to deposit them with a cellphone.

One thing I really dislike though, is when someone (usually a little old lady) waits until they get both carts of groceries rung up before even pulling out the check book.
 
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steingar said:
I prefer writing checks to automated payments. My thinking is if I disagree with the bill I haven't paid them yet...
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You can pay electronically without it being automatic, I do this with a lot of stuff. I have to log in, review the charges, and click to submit but it's still a lot less effort than fumbling around with a bunch of paper. Plus with the notification and means of paying being on email/computer I get a reminder and it's impossible for the bill to get lost before getting around to it.
 
My County wants to charge a 3% "convenience" fee for paying property tax by credit card. It is a little tough to set up for bank electronic payment, so I resort to checks for that. Otherwise, not much else.
 
I ran out of checks a few years ago for my personal account and haven’t needed them since. I still write a few checks for business though.
 
I have my bank send checks for me more often than I have to write them. They send one to the city every month for my hangar and a couple other places that want checks, from my point of view I just put the biller's address in and let them handle it.

I still have to write 4 or so per year by hand.
 
DPE fees for checkride seem to be my most recent ones
 
I pay my FBO invoices by check. I don’t like to drop off cash and I don’t want to pay the additional fee to use a card.
 
Most of my payments these days are electronic, but there are times when checks are required. I don't go through many these days, though.
 
I write checks for the monthly bill from the flying club (I need to see if they can be paid on-line with BofA's banking system), our pledge to the church and our monthly medical insurance bill (I need to check on that one, too). Not too many others.
 
Sac Arrow said:
My County wants to charge a 3% "convenience" fee for paying property tax by credit card. It is a little tough to set up for bank electronic payment, so I resort to checks for that. Otherwise, not much else.
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Same for me. I detest the 3% charge to use a credit card so unless the 3% is less than a couple bucks, a check it is. And I once tried sending a couple checks in the mail and not put postage on the envelopes, hoping the post office would send them through and charge the receiver.... Nope, sent it back to me marked insufficient postage.... So I called the companies and asked if I could deduct the postage from the total price since they charged to use a credit card. Ok, simple, yet stupid request to which I knew what the answer would be. They actually told me we will have to call you back after I ask the boss....... :lol::lol:

Last time I ordered checks was in '16, and I got the smallest order they offered. And still have plenty left.
 
Whenever we need to send a paper check, we do it through the online banking, and the bank mails out the actual check.

But just this month, I needed a check to pay for my CT aircraft registration sticker. The check had to accompany the form and I had no checks, had to go to the bank for one.
 
I send a check every time I have to renew my car registration. They charge like 2% to use my credit card.
 
cowman said:
Just wondering, how many of you still have stuff come up frequently where you need to pay by check? Are you like me slightly annoyed at it because it seems like an unnecessarily antiquated and cumbersome process... especially when one has to dig out envelopes and stamps and actually mail it.

I know, I know first world problems. It's just that I pay almost everything via electronic bank draft or automatic credit card payments that I never have the checkbook, envelopes, and stamps handy.
Click to expand...

I had been mailing checks to pay my hangar rent for quite some time. Then a few months ago the owner contacted me to say that his mail had been stolen from his PO Box - and to stop payment on my check.
So I did at a cost of $30 or so at the bank. Then I did some investigating and discovered that the check in question had been cashed by the hangar owner just before the alleged theft (and almost immediately after
my having mailed it). So I am out the fee - and told him to apply the replacement payment I sent in to the next month's rent. I also told him that I was finished with sending checks in the mail, and to find another
method. We found that we both have PayPal accounts, so decided to use that. So far it has worked just fine.

Just about all other payments I make online nowadays. I do avoid automatic deductions from my bank account for obvious reasons.

Dave
 
texasag93 said:
The DPEs I know take cash.

Once I got to know a couple of them, I asked why. When they failed a candidate, they were afraid the checks would get cancelled. :eek2:
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I took a ride a few months ago and the DPE strongly preferred check over cash. I don't think I asked why, just thought it was odd.
Back when I took the majority of my rides the DPE insisted on cash for the exact reason you stated.
 
I’m actually surprised a DPE would take a personal check.
 
I use checks at the FBO (they don't take credit cards for hangar rent) and to transfer money to the family members for whom I manage trusts. That way they get something in their hand that tells them they got their money. They are not e-savvy, so it just works better going old school.

And yes, writing checks is a huge pain in the ass particularly the part about mailing them.
 
Sac Arrow said:
My County wants to charge a 3% "convenience" fee for paying property tax by credit card. It is a little tough to set up for bank electronic payment, so I resort to checks for that. Otherwise, not much else.
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You do know that credit card companies charge a fee, and for keyed in transactions that fee is around 3%?
 
Our marina charges a fee to accept credit cards, and they don't do automatic billing, so I send them a check. Also, I choose to pay all taxes with a check.

Right now I'm waiting for the county to deposit my property tax check, so I may see about using a echeck next year.
 
Ryanb said:
I’m actually surprised a DPE would take a personal check.
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My last three checkrides have been credit card (flight school owner was the DPE, so paid rental and fee together), and two personal checks. Three different DPEs.
 
We use checks for most everything. It's nice the supermarket has a several boxes for local utility bills. So we pay our bills when we shop for dinner. Local bank has mortgage, drop off the check and get a receipt.

Wife told me not to use credit card, use cash or checks for local stuff. Checks don't work as well for on line stuff.
 
I was the Bank System Specialist for IBM Field engineering, before I went to IBM Research.
To this day, I do not own an ATM card, and refuse to do any sort of on-line bill paying.
"Paranoia strikes deep."
"Into your life it will creep."
 
Shepherd said:
I was the Bank System Specialist for IBM Field engineering, before I went to IBM Research.
To this day, I do not own an ATM card, and refuse to do any sort of on-line bill paying.
"Paranoia strikes deep."
"Into your life it will creep."
Click to expand...
Funny, I was an "early adopter", having had an "OWL" card, plus any successors, since 1982 or so. Zed incidents. Also in the IT world, I actually wrote some credit card validation and acceptance software for a large electronics company.
 
What I love is people who write checks in the express checkout lane in the grocery store. That should be grounds for capital punishment.
 
mryan75 said:
What I love is people who write checks in the express checkout lane in the grocery store. That should be grounds for capital punishment.
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There must be rules posted about that somewhere.

1) Act surprised that you actually have to pay.
2) Struggle to find your checkbook.
3) Ask to borrow a pen.
4) Ask to borrow one that works.
5) For heaven's sake, don't dare fill out everything except the final amount before you reach the register.
6) Keep your ID in an invisible case in a hidden compartment in your pocket or purse.
 
I pay my wine merchant by check to save him the credit card fee. It's a small business and those fees add up.
 
Shepherd said:
I was the Bank System Specialist for IBM Field engineering, before I went to IBM Research.
To this day, I do not own an ATM card, and refuse to do any sort of on-line bill paying.
"Paranoia strikes deep."
"Into your life it will creep."
Click to expand...
Airport expenses...the hangar and fuel are on a credit card. Medical insurance is automatic from the checkbook. I write a check for other monthly or quarterly bills. Day to day is cash.For online transactions (Amazon, etc) I have a second credit card that never leaves the house. I do have an ATM card for getting cash and nothing else. I’m more paranoid than Shepherd but then, my old job description included the requirement “ you will be paranoid “
 
I don't see why a mailed check would be any safer than a card.

Think about it, this piece of paper has your name, probably address, possibly phone#, and sometimes even DL number on it plus your checking account and routing information. You then stick this paper in an envelope and stick in a box by the road for a few hours. Then that envelope gets picked up by some guy, run through a big physical sorting place with a bunch of people in it, gets passed around to a few facilities maybe, then finally it ends up in the hands of another guy who will carry it to another box, possibly also by the side of the road where it will sit for a few hours until someone picks it up. Checkbook gets stolen and they can write stuff on that all day long too.

A credit card payment online gets routed through strong encryption, handled by machines on both ends, and if someone steals it you can just shut it down. Sure, the number may be in a database somewhere but the access to it is limited. If it does get stolen, again with one phone call it gets shut down and either way you're not held liable for the charges with any card company these days. So far I've been using cards and electronic payments for about 18 years or so, once I had a fraudulent charge and the card company called me before I'd even seen it- owed nothing. Seems secure enough.
 
Credit cards are no panacea. "I've" bought 2 iphones, a large TV, and a swingset through fraudulent card transactions over the years. Unwinding that crap is a PITA.
 
Anything that involves the government I still use a check... taxes, utilities, car registrations, kid's school stuff, etc... due to what many have pointed out as the additional service fee they charge for the privilege of using current technology. And especially with taxes as I now have a hard copy of as they stamp the check when it was received... yes I had issue in the past..

That said, the California DMV has come a little into the future and does not charge a service fee anymore.. at least on my last transaction... I did the boat registration this year using the online service. Did it on a Sunday, and the new registration stickers showed up in the following Saturday's mail..

Everything else is set up electronically through my bank.... easy peasy.

I got a box of 500 checks about ten years ago.... I probably have about 250 left
 
Only thing I pay by check is my grandmother’s monthly living stipend.

My county use to only accept cards or check for tax payment. This year you can finally enter an echeck and avoid the 3% fee.
 
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I have paid taxes (Federal and State) by echeck for a number of years with no extra fee. I trust electronic transactions more than I trust the mail or paper checks. I have had checks lost in the mail, or misplaced by the people I sent them to more than I have had problems with electronic transactions, although those haven't been flawless either.
 
Really nothing but electronic transactions over here in Europe. I can do them straight from my phone now too. We have one guy at church who pays his tithes by check still and makes a bit of extra work for us. Of course Europe still loves cash too. Most restaurants (outside the major cities) still don’t take credit cards.

I think it’s interesting that Europe kind of leads with the whole data privacy laws but people give out their bank data like candy. Then again, writing a check gives anyone your bank data too so I guess not a big deal.
 
I pay most bills by check, certain exceptions apply. If there is a dispute about a bill, I haven't paid yet, and sometimes billers/creditors make mistakes or get hacked. I'll put things on credit cards, but direct access to my checking account I limit very tightly.

And some companies implementation of auto pay have led to late fees.
 
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