Am I the only one who pays with a check?

[sherry7899]

Leslie, our twenty year old son did not even opt to get checks with his account. They learned how to write them in the personal finance class that was required in high school, but I doubt he remembers how now!

[Jennifer P.]

Originally Posted by Annie S.

Jennifer, do it through your own bank. There is no fee that way (assuming you have free online bill pay, which I think pretty much all banks have). I pay everything through my bank.

Thanks, Annie, I will check on that. I know I don't want my bill to come electronically, because I really don't want to spend more time online to figure out my bills, I want total control of when I pay, I'm not comfortable with automatic payments.

Charging bills to my credit cards makes sense, I would have control & rack up points, too. However, I usually pay my credit cards by phone. Right now, I am paying my house & car indurance with a credit card, so I can see how that goes.

As for which companies charge fees, I did some research & the fees come into play unless you sign up for sutomatic payments. The gas co. charges $2.95 & the water co. charges $1.75 for online payments that are considered "one time." It looks like the electric co. does not.

[red1013]

I pay my property taxes with a check and my kids school stuff (one in middle school, one in high school), so I only write a few per year. I love being able to pay stuff electronically!

[cataddict]

Jennifer, I don't like automatic debits either and won't do it. I didn't elect to receive bills electronically either, since I want the paper as a reminder. You don't have to agree to receive bills electronically to pay them that way through your bank bill pay. I normally don't go to the utility sites to pay the bills, I use online billing within my bank account and set up each payee and I can control when they are paid as well as keep track of the comings and goings of my $$$. The city doesn't charge to pay pp tax or real estate tax on their site, and I have set up an account there since it tracks the taxes I've paid for the year in one place. Same with VA Dept of Taxation. And the IRS for that matter.

Which reminds me of a cautionary note regarding checks. The IRS is notorious for cashing any check they receive regardless of payee. When I was in accounting I had several clients who accidentally sent their state payment to the IRS and vice versa. They were different amounts from each other and not made out to them but still each of the government entities cashed the checks. The client ended up underpaid to one agency and overpaid on the other. True story.

Back to topic, we each have a system for sure, and whatever works is fine by me and is definitely not an indication of being less intelligent. I tend to be skeptical of going fully electronic, particularly in cash transfers. So far I've only used pay pal for that and don't do that very often.

[athompson10]

Originally Posted by cataddict

Jennifer, I don't like automatic debits either and won't do it. I didn't elect to receive bills electronically either, since I want the paper as a reminder. You don't have to agree to receive bills electronically to pay them that way through your bank bill pay. I normally don't go to the utility sites to pay the bills, I use online billing within my bank account and set up each payee and I can control when they are paid as well as keep track of the comings and goings of my $$$.

This is me too.

On checks, I probably write 2-3 a month, all for small business owners like my gardener and alarm company who prefer checks. Most of the tradespeople we've ever used at the house, from architects to GCs to painters, seem to prefer checks as well.

There's a bill before the NYC City Council that will fine businesses who refuse to accept cash. Good idea IMO.

[hdw]

Originally Posted by cataddict

Jennifer, I don't like automatic debits either and won't do it. I didn't elect to receive bills electronically either, since I want the paper as a reminder. You don't have to agree to receive bills electronically to pay them that way through your bank bill pay.

Our internet provider now charge $2 if you don't go paperless...

Google BillPay. The bank will write the check FOR you and mail it. My bank guarantees the check will arrive on the date you tell them to. You'll see the image of the check when you check your account. If the receipient is a large company (like credit card), it's electronic transfer... probably they prefer it that way and (they are) willing to pay extra for it.

When I receive my bill, I'll go to BillPay, set up the amount and when to pay. My bank mail the check before the date so the receipient will receive it by the date you specified.

[Usia]

Originally Posted by hdw

Our internet provider now charge $2 if you don't go paperless...

Our internet provider doesn't do that yet, but the minute they do, I'll drop them in a heartbeat. They charge me a fortune and provide a lousy service, and I'll be damned if they'll make even more money off me. I'm only waiting for the first good reason to drop them and I haven't done it yet only because my DH is set in his ways and doesn't like changes. Won't matter. All I need is just one tiny little push!

[cataddict]

Originally Posted by Usia

Our internet provider doesn't do that yet, but the minute they do, I'll drop them in a heartbeat. They charge me a fortune and provide a lousy service, and I'll be damned if they'll make even more money off me. I'm only waiting for the first good reason to drop them and I haven't done it yet only because my DH is set in his ways and doesn't like changes. Won't matter. All I need is just one tiny little push!

I could have written your post exactly! Nothing to add. ITA.

[Sissy B]

Originally Posted by sherry7899

I never use checks for purchases of actual goods (I use credit cards in stores or paypal or credit cards if I pay online) but I use checks for several of our bills and have the money transferred electronically for others.

I don't have PayPal, but otherwise I do the same thing. I write checks to pay several bills and pay a few others as an online payment. If I order something online, I have one specific credit card that I use for online purchases and I use my debit card or credit card when shopping in stores. If I'm traveling I take some cash for purchases and use my credit card for others.

[angie_nrs]

Originally Posted by cataddict

Jennifer, I don't like automatic debits either and won't do it.

Back to topic, we each have a system for sure, and whatever works is fine by me and is definitely not an indication of being less intelligent. I tend to be skeptical of going fully electronic, particularly in cash transfers. So far I've only used pay pal for that and don't do that very often.

This is me. My rarely used electronic payments via paypal are linked to my CC so that I still have the protections offered by the CC of only being liable for up to $50 for any unauthorized charges. My paypal is also linked to a fee free bank account that only has a minimum amount of money in it and is rarely used. I will not link any automatic payments to my main account in case of hacking or fraud.

Like you, I am skeptical of online banking and don't do it. What I've been doing for years works just fine for me so I will keep doing it. We also live in a rural area where cash is king and checks are preferred over CC's b/c of the charges associated with CC's. I work for a company that doesn't accept CC's due to the charges so I see a lot of checks and cash. It is rare that someone has voiced displeasure over it. If they do, they can go elsewhere and that's fine too, although there's not many in our business who accept CC's either.

Originally Posted by maitai

Are you my long lost sister?

LOL! i'm a little surprised that more people aren't concerned over the privacy aspect of paying for everything electronically. I guess I'm a little more paranoid than others, but even though I don't really have anything to hide, I don't want big brother (banks/gov/hackers) knowing every single purchase I make. If someone had all my electronic information, which I'm sure they do (NSA)....they will still not know what I eat, what I wear, what I do for fun, how much gas I buy, how often I get a haircut, etc. I'm a private person who very much values keeping that privacy. Cash is my way of helping to insure that I keep it.