OT: If you pay any bills by check

[sherry7899]

I have automatic payments set up for most things, but I still mail in one credit card bill and our electric gas bill.

I received the statement for our credit card bill, and saw that they had not received/processed the previous month's check. I always look online to make sure they get the payment, and it had been posted, but it was posted late. I sent out the check a full ten days before it was due and mailed it from the post office.

I called our credit card, and they took off the interest/late charge and will update the next statement by tomorrow. The customer service rep said they are getting a ton of calls from people who are either not even receiving statements in the mail or their payments are arriving late even though they mailed them early.


It appears even letter mail is slower now. I am going to switch to online payments for our credit card and gas/electric to start next month.

Sherry

[bubbles76]

I resisted for many, many years, but now all my bills are set up on autopay. The only checks I mail are for Tiny Bubbles PTA stuff and my accountant.

[Joni O]

I don't Autopay, but I do pay everything online now.

[bzar]

everything is either autopay or online.

the exception to that are charitable contributions so that i have a record of it. i suppose we can also convert that, but i'm only willing to do it with our church. all others like Aloha United Way (same as United Way), American Cancer Society, Humane Society are also via check - i feel more comfortable writing a check to charitable organizations due to the shifty nature of these places.

[Usia]

I haven't written any checks in years. Online only but I don't do autopay. I don't want anyone taking any automatic withdrawals from my account. Each month I schedule payments myself.

[TracyQ]

Originally Posted by sherry7899

I have automatic payments set up for most things, but I still mail in one credit card bill and our electric gas bill.

I received the statement for our credit card bill, and saw that they had not received/processed the previous month's check. I always look online to make sure they get the payment, and it had been posted, but it was posted late. I sent out the check a full ten days before it was due and mailed it from the post office.

I called our credit card, and they took off the interest/late charge and will update the next statement by tomorrow. The customer service rep said they are getting a ton of calls from people who are either not even receiving statements in the mail or their payments are arriving late even though they mailed them early.


It appears even letter mail is slower now. I am going to switch to online payments for our credit card and gas/electric to start next month.

Sherry

I pay all my bills online but I help my elderly aunt with her finances and am just starting to get all hers setup online. Recently she received a notice that her health insurance was cancelled . Apparently she/me never paid it in November (we never got the invoice). I got her December invoice on December 7th and it was due on December 1st. I sent a check immediately on December 7th and mailed it from the post office. They still haven’t received it. On December 18th I sent another check to them priority mail and they are supposed to receive it today. Well, I just tracked it and it is arriving late....no further details available. I’m so upset. I need to get her insurance reinstated.

Our postal service is totally unreliable.

[bzar]

Just wanted to clarify that the only autopays i have are:
mortgage
electric bill
water bill
savings
401K
529 accounts
minimum bill for visa*

online (where you manually specify the amount each month):
*visa bill

*for VISA, i have both a minimum bill autopay and the "specify" online pay. the minimum payment is to prevent a penalty fee that they charge you if you miss the deadline. i got this tip from i think Kiplinger, the personal finance guru magazine. but i pay off the entire balance by going in and specifying the monthly balance less the autopay minimum.

i have 1 "manual" vendor: Macy's card. i use the Macy's card in the store, and then i immediately pay the bill while i am in the store, using my debit card. this way, i get whatever deal they are offering. i rarely buy stuff in Macy's, so this works pretty well.

[prettyinpink]

I have gone paperless with bills more and more, too, because this past year I am receiving bills later than usual, and then with checks needing to be mailed from the bank, you don’t know if they’ll arrive in time.
Even with online banking, if you don’t do autopay, often I think it is still usually a check physically mailed to the recipient, it’s just that you don’t write and mail it yourself.

[Paula N]

Originally Posted by bzar

*for VISA, i have both a minimum bill autopay and the "specify" online pay. the minimum payment is to prevent a penalty fee that they charge you if you miss the deadline. i got this tip from i think Kiplinger, the personal finance guru magazine. but i pay off the entire balance by going in and specifying the monthly balance less the autopay minimum.

This is an excellent idea! I am always very diligent about paying bills on time, but once years ago I had thought I set up my credit card payment but somehow missed actually hitting submit or confirm or something so no payment went through. In addition to a massive late penalty and interest on the balance, I had the embarrassment and inconvenience of having a declined transaction.

I don't know about the U.S. but here in Canada they say cheques are on the way out. There is even a new bank account that does not offer cheques at all.

[bzar]

Originally Posted by Paula N

I don't know about the U.S. but here in Canada they say cheques are on the way out. There is even a new bank account that does not offer cheques at all.

interesting - my kids opened their own checking accounts (actually debit) but declined getting checks - they charge a lot for checks unless you meet certain criteria. "certain criteria" is having direct payroll deposit, using your debit card 10x/month, and having paperless statements; meeting these allow you to receive a free book of checks. there's different "checking" account options with the banks/credit unions with different criteria too.

Originally Posted by prettyinpink

Even with online banking, if you don’t do autopay, often I think it is still usually a check physically mailed to the recipient, it’s just that you don’t write and mail it yourself.

true - if you have "bill pay" from your bank, it is a physical check. however, you can set up electronic payments on the vendor's side, and the customer can manually do a "one time payment" (as opposed to recurring payments) after having set up that relationship. those are electronic.

many people (like friends and relatives) now use paypal or venmo in place of checks these days. at least the government is now coming around by accepting Visa and debit cards, but not all of them accept it.