When was the last time you wrote out a physical, personal check?

[BoomerD]

We write 3-6 per year for misc. crap that we can't pay on-line or with a credit/debit card.

 

[Charmonium]

Every week for rent of a 3 bedroom house. Monthly for a 20' x 20' garage.

That seems like an atypical arraignment. But if it works, it works.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

4x a year for - 1040-ES IRS quarterly payments.

And then its one off things like buying a car.

 

[Charmonium]

And then its one off things like buying a car.

Haha. I paid for my 2008 Civic Si with a check. I was very surprised at their being completely nonplussed.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

A few times a year. Plates and so on where they charge a fee for CCs. I use a few Amish stores and they don't take plastic.

 

[SKORPI0]

That seems like an atypical arraignment. But if it works, it works.

Paying by cash (due to security reasons) and zelle (limited number of online transactions allowed by the bank) didn't work.

 

[Brainonska511]

4x a year for - 1040-ES IRS quarterly payments.

The year I did those, I signed up for EFTPS to pay electronically. Bonus is that payments could be scheduled.

 

[Charmonium]

Paying by cash (due to security reasons) and zelle (limited number of online transactions allowed by the bank) didn't work.

Ah, for some reason, using something like Zelle never occurs to me. OK that's not completely true. I HAVE used it when ACH w/drawal isn't an option - for example, an emergency repair of some kind and I don't have enough cash. Recurring expenses, like the lawn guy, I pay in cash since it gives them the option to tell or not tell the tax man. I mean, what if they identify as a Sovereign Citizen - or just don't like taxes.

 

[IBMJunkman]

March 3, 2025. To open a CD in another bank.

 

[bba-tcg]

Once a month we go to the local bank that originally financed our mortgage and write them a check. They sold our mortgage to Fannie Mae but we are still able to pay our monthly payment to the local bank.

The reason we don't just do a monthly automatic transfer is because the local bank requires you to have a checking or savings account with them which we do not have.

This is the only reason we still use paper checks. Everything else is on autopay.

I will say as a SBO we stopped taking checks around 5 years ago. It got to the point were it was not worth the hassle. Cash or credit only baby...lets go!

I've got a sign on the wall that says I don't take checks - but with my discretion, I still sometimes do. Since I can deposit it by taking a picture, Wells Fargo processes it pretty quickly so I'll know fairly soon if it's bad. But, the whole discretion thing means pretty much repeat customers that I trust to not try to stiff me.

 

[nisryus]

Last time I wrote a check was.. last year to a school charity. Forgot what was the reason but they couldn't accept donation through Paypal or any other payment service like Zelle, no cash as well.

And this morning when we went to HEB for groceries, the old lady ahead of us was writing a check to pay her groceries. The wife was pretty surprised by that.

 

[lxskllr]

Yea, that's always fun. Starts with a fistful of coupons the cashier has to sort through, denying 10% cause they're expired or the wrong item, and then the checkbook comes out...

 

[nOOky]

Once a month we go to the local bank that originally financed our mortgage and write them a check. They sold our mortgage to Fannie Mae but we are still able to pay our monthly payment to the local bank.

The reason we don't just do a monthly automatic transfer is because the local bank requires you to have a checking or savings account with them which we do not have.

This is the only reason we still use paper checks. Everything else is on autopay.

I will say as a SBO we stopped taking checks around 5 years ago. It got to the point were it was not worth the hassle. Cash or credit only baby...lets go!

My wife's business got screwed by taking a check for an emergency, so they no longer take checks for the past few years. It was funny because it was a lot of money, over a thousand dollars, and the guy said he didn't think what she did was worth that, so he stopped payment. My wife's business is literally right next to the bank, this is a small town. The teller told her that his check was always deposited at 1:00 pm every Thursday, so she went there on a Thursday and it finally went through. He came into the business and threatened her. She told him he was lucky she didn't turn him in for it, and she also had him on camera coming and being abusive to the employees. He left her crappy business reviews, which she was able to have removed. She did reply to one Google review, in which she mentioned that he came to our house during dinner, she dropped everything to work on his dog that was hit by a car, and he was crying and appreciative at that time, but changed his tune the next day.

 

[Brainonska511]

My wife's business got screwed by taking a check for an emergency, so they no longer take checks for the past few years. It was funny because it was a lot of money, over a thousand dollars, and the guy said he didn't think what she did was worth that, so he stopped payment. My wife's business is literally right next to the bank, this is a small town. The teller told her that his check was always deposited at 1:00 pm every Thursday, so she went there on a Thursday and it finally went through. He came into the business and threatened her. She told him he was lucky she didn't turn him in for it, and she also had him on camera coming and being abusive to the employees. He left her crappy business reviews, which she was able to have removed. She did reply to one Google review, in which she mentioned that he came to our house during dinner, she dropped everything to work on his dog that was hit by a car, and he was crying and appreciative at that time, but changed his tune the next day.

Sorry to hear that. Some people are really shitty human beings.

 

[herm0016]

couple dozen per year.

 

[allisolm]

About the same for me, everything is mostly credit card, ACH, cash or for those rare times I need a check USPS MO or cashiers check. I actually don't know where my 2000-ish check book is.

It seems to me that going to get a money order or a cashiers check is a heck of a lot of trouble as opposed to writing a check.

 

[WilliamM2]

3 times a year.
Summer and winter property taxes to the county, they don't take CC's or transfers, and I'm not going to the bank to get cash.
DMV for plate renewals every year. They charge a $4 convenience fee for cards online? Should be more convenient for THEM, since they don't have to open mail, physically enter information, and then make a deposit. Dumbasses.

 

[Greenman]

I think it was three years ago when I bought my house.

 

[bba-tcg]

3 times a year.
Summer and winter property taxes to the county, they don't take CC's or transfers, and I'm not going to the bank to get cash.
DMV for plate renewals every year. They charge a $4 convenience fee for cards online? Should be more convenient for THEM, since they don't have to open mail, physically enter information, and then make a deposit. Dumbasses.

The thing is that credit cards cost the merchant 2.5%-3% to take. I've had some transactions, where I'm the merchant, cost me $50 in fees. If you're doing transactions at the scale the DMV is, CC fees add up in a hurry, but since all government agencies are all theives, I have no sympathy. But I'd rather pay the convenience fee than go to the inconvenience of doing nearly anything in person.

My tax appraisal district has a payment processor where I pay $1.50 for paying all my taxes. Very convenient. I write "legalized robbery" in the memo line for all electronic payments.

 

[WilliamM2]

The thing is that credit cards cost the merchant 2.5%-3% to take. I've had some transactions, where I'm the merchant, cost me $50 in fees. If you're doing transactions at the scale the DMV is, CC fees add up in a hurry, but since all government agencies are all theives, I have no sympathy. But I'd rather pay the convenience fee than go to the inconvenience of doing nearly anything in person.

My tax appraisal district has a payment processor where I pay $1.50 for paying all my taxes. Very convenient. I write "legalized robbery" in the memo line for all electronic payments.

Plates are like $130. I know about fees, but what do they pay the person physically handling the transactions, instead of automating it?

And I don't go to the DMV in person. I mail the check. I'm not insane...yet.

 

[bba-tcg]

Plates are like $130. I know about fees, but what do they pay the person physically handling the transactions, instead of automating it?

And I don't go to the DMV in person. I mail the check. I'm not insane...yet.

Even with it semi-automated, someone still has to oversee it at some point in the process. But it is legalized robbery.

I've been insane for years and I still avoid going to the DMV or any like places.

 

[WelshBloke]

Oh, fucking decades ago. At least two, probably more.
The only cheques I've seen lately are ones my mum writes. I have no idea where she's getting the physical cheque books from as the don't send them out here anymore.
Luckily you can pay cheques in using your phone banking app here so they aren't too much of a hassle. If I had a cheque book anymore I'd be tempted to try to pay for a round of drinks in the pub with one to see what happens!

 

[biostud]

For all the technology US creates, it always amazes me how little it is used in US to improve efficiency in the public sector.

 

[bba-tcg]

For all the technology US creates, it always amazes me how little it is used in US to improve efficiency in the public sector.

Efficiency in the public sector?

 

[Charmonium]

I've gotten a surprising amount of unsolicited advice from "smart" people that told me I should have financed the vehicle and invested the money.

That's not completely insane. Insane adjacent, but in some instances, it can be true.

The bigger problem is that people rarely consider any attendant issues and costs. So while some quick, napkin math might bear this out, you're still likely to be wrong.