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Do you still write personal checks every month?

Dancing Fire

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Apr 3, 2004
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or only do online banking?. Am I the only person on earth who is not connected with their bank online?.
 

Austina

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People rarely use cheques here anymore, in fact a lot of places don’t accept them. I haven’t written one for years.
 

Ally T

Ideal_Rock
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Oct 24, 2012
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I still write one to pay for my daughters ballet classes each term. My husband does online banking for everything & deals with most stuff, so I have never felt it necessary to set myself up on our account.

When I was paying for this new ballet term last week, I whipped out my check book & one of the other mummies said, "Blimey! I haven't seen one of those for YEARS!!" :oops::lol:
 

MaisOuiMadame

Ideal_Rock
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I moved to a country where they still use them a lot. Hadn't written a single one in my life. Here the schools and most kid's activities and some doctors as well take cheques only. I found it ridiculous in the beginning, but can see the advantages now.

For instance I paid a large sum upfront for our school party. The caterer didn't cash the cheque until the school had reimbursed me from the money they had made with the tickets. I hadn't even asked for this, it was their courtesy. They had the check, knew they'd be paid so held off until after the date. Very considerate.
 

missy

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Yes we do. Not often but occasionally.

Occasionally for medical copays. Sometimes they don't accept the copay in the office (where we would pay by credit card) so then when the bill arrives we pay by check.

My hairdresser only takes cash or check so I pay by personal check.

We pay our electrician by check. He doesn't take credit cards.

That's about it.
Generally our bills and most of our transactions are electronically paid.
 

redwood66

Ideal_Rock
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Aug 22, 2012
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I write one to pay my horseshoer every other month and that's it.
 

lyra

Ideal_Rock
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Jul 13, 2007
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No cheques here except for ones required by the gov't or things like that.
 

dk168

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Jul 7, 2013
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Have not written a cheque for ages, and I don't know where I had put my cheque book!

DK :))
 

stracci2000

Ideal_Rock
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Jun 26, 2007
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I probably write a check once a year.
The rest is online banking.
 

Gussie

Ideal_Rock
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Apr 20, 2017
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Yes, I pay the housekeeper, the gardener, and the pool service with checks. They are all single person operations that don't take cc. I also use checks at antique stores and shows. The dealers almost always prefer check to save the cc fees.
 

MissGotRocks

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Jun 23, 2005
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16,272
Only the occasional doctor's office bill or independent contractors that don't take credit cards. Otherwise, I bank almost exclusively online. So much easier and I save the postage for mailing. That doesn't help the postal service though!
 

diamondringlover

Ideal_Rock
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Dec 12, 2006
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I do both, but most of my bills are paid via personal checks
 

marymm

Ideal_Rock
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Apr 21, 2010
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I write quarterly checks for insurance and the occasional random check for whatever, otherwise most bills are paid online (though I choose not to set up automatic payments for anything).
 

AV_

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Aug 5, 2018
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Local small businesses do not use CC & seem insulted by transfers...
 

YadaYadaYada

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Hardly ever write a check, maybe six a year as I pay most everything online.
 

jaysonsmom

Ideal_Rock
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Mar 13, 2004
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We still write checks for gardener, cleaning lady, music teachers, and tithes. The rest of bills are done by online transfers.
 

whitewave

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Feb 29, 2012
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Baby steps. We now deposit checks through online banking, but we still write checks monthly.
 

Madam Bijoux

Ideal_Rock
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Jul 15, 2005
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I do: there is less risk of fraud or theft with checks, and I refuse to use debit cards.
 

VRBeauty

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Apr 2, 2006
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Yes. Church, most one-time donations, and taxes; and the odd utility or two (in my father’s rural town) that charges a “convenience fee” for plastic payments. I haven’t carried a checkbook in my purse for years, for which I’m grateful!
 

Tekate

Ideal_Rock
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May 11, 2013
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uh I think one, to the dippoop gas company that won't take CC or have it taken out of my checking account. Added: taxes, in Maine we usually owed taxes, not sure about back in Texas. My kids get this incredulous look on their faces if you mention a check, they Venmo, or just transfer the money, I have to say though I agree with Madam B above, I do not like debit cards, no no no.
 

baby monster

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Jul 2, 2007
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I write checks a few times a year to places or people who don't accept cards or online payments.

My in-laws don't do online banking and write checks for everything. They are in their 80s and don't own a computer or smartphone.
 

telephone89

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Aug 29, 2014
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I've written maybe one cheque in the last 10 years. I've gotten cashiers/certified cheques from the bank on 2 occasions within that time for legal purposes.
 

VRBeauty

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11,211
I do: there is less risk of fraud or theft with checks, and I refuse to use debit cards.

I like the convenience of a debit card. I have a separate account for my debit card, which I keep supplied with a thou or so for cash withdrawals and gas purchases. I can move money into it from a more “robust” account, but no one can get to my main account through the debit card account.
 

kenny

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Apr 30, 2005
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I don't write them, but I accept them.

I use cash for everything, except CC for online purchases.
I use none of those other new ways of paying, and don't even have a smartphone.
 

OoohShiny

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Apr 25, 2014
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I don't write them, but I accept them.

I use cash for everything, except CC for online purchases.
I use none of those other new ways of paying, and don't even have a smartphone.
I might write a cheque ;-) perhaps once a year now, as pretty much all shops have stopped taking them and the banks charge businesses to process them, so organisations I might subscribe to prefer Standing Orders or Direct Debits to save them some of their limited funding.

Like Kenny, I also use cash for as much as physically possible (my bank statement is only half a sheet long :lol:) but we are pretty much stuck using CCs linked to our personal accounts because 'pre-pay' CCs cost a fortune in fees to top-up and use - it's like they have made it prohibitively awkward and expensive to discourage their use as much as possible... :rolleyes:

People look at me like I've got two heads and both have a tin-foil hat on when I say I always use cash - why not use debit cards? it's so easy! Why not leave a digital footprint of where you were across the day, what you bought, how much you spent, what you look like on CCTV cameras (that may have facial recognition and gait analysis software)...?? :|

People seem to see no issues with a society where one is unable to have any privacy. What have I got to hide?? :rolleyes:

People seem not to be paying attention to China, with areas that are totally cashless societies, with blanket facial recognition CCTV that can track you across an area, 'social credit' schemes where your neighbours can decide if you have been a 'bad citizen' and should have your travel rights removed, and their highway network-wide cameras tracking vehicle movements and what their passengers are doing, as well as their 'education centres' for muslim-faith segments of society, which are basically brainwashing and punishment camps akin to those seen in Russian Gulags.

Who needs all this data? What are they using it for? Why is 'presumed guilty' now the approach governments and even their (sheep-like) populations seem to be taking??


[/rant]
 

kenny

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Speaking of Bid Brother Big Data spying on us ...

Here in So. California the big supermarket chains offer membership cards.
Then they track what cardholders buy.
With a card you pay a lower price on some items.
Of course to get a card you have to hand over your driver's license so they have your personal info.
Glob only knows whom they are selling your data to.

No thanks.
I use cash and have no membership cards for any store.
When the cashier asks for my card I just say I don't have one and don't want one.
Then they usually pull one out from their pocket and use that one.

No biggie, I doubt even 5% of my food budget is spent in such stores.
 

diamondseeker2006

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Jan 11, 2006
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58,547
Automatic draft for all monthly bills. Deal with accounts online mostly unless we need cash or something like that.

Checks for church and other donations, the housekeeper check or cash, hair person check or cash, yearly HOA fee...so usually not more than 2-3 checks in a month.

I use a credit card for all other purchases and use a card that gives points and pay off the whole balance monthly. I have no need for a debit card.
 

Bron357

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Jan 22, 2014
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Cheques are very rare these days. Here in Australia banks charge you transaction fees to go inside and use a person! They want to never see you! Because cheque s have a 5 day clearing period, no one excepts personal cheque. Cheque s issued by Banks (you have pay extra for one) are used for big purchases like a house or new car but other than that Its cash or use your card electronically. Even Tradespeople have a portable machine to use. When I sold a car last year, the buyer did a bank transfer in front of me!
 
Q

Queenie60

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rarely
 
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