Do you still write checks to pay bills?

[ZephyrHawk]

Not many.

Mortgage, because that costs an "access fee" to be able to pay online.

Parking for work.

Water bill, every 3 months.

Oh, and one student loan.

Everything else is automatic or online.

 

[minnie56]

Nope
Pretty much all the bills come out automatically every month. Can't think of anyone I write a Cheque to? The occasional ones I pay online..but the monthly's I don't even think about.

 

[kacaju]

Yes, I am very old fashion when it comes to my banking.
A few years ago we got into serious debt due to a number of issues. The biggest was using the debit card and not keeping track of purchases, and using the cc's for everything else.
My Dad was very sick for 15 months and my Mom couldn't handle the hospitals/nursing homes so I had to jump in and take control of all of that. On top of trying to be a mom to my 3 girls and a wife. I couldn't handle it all and we got into financial trouble.

Now 4 1/2 years after my dad's death we are back on track and in a few short months I will have the last cc paid off.

Until that is done and I have built up our emergency fund I stick with checks and using cash only.
Once I have enough money saved I may start to switch over to online banking, but for now I have to stick with a method where I feel safe.

 

[BigMama]

Direct deposit Automatic bill pay!

 

[MoniqueU]

For the most important stuff yes. We have had them switch addresses on us for bills and we didn't notice and it really messed things up.

 

[Chicago526]

Monthly bills are all paid electronicly. I do occasionally have to write a check for an odd bill that doesn't take e-billing or credit cards, but I'd say that's maybe only two or three times a year. I get direct deposit, and pay my bills either through my bank's online bill pay feature or directly to who I owe on their own website.

I only get paper statements for my CC's, I don't trust those guys at all, so I want a paper copy of everything they send me.

 

[laurie31]

We do direct deposit, and almost everything is automatically withdrawn. It's so much easier not to have to remember it. No more late fees!

I only write checks to people that don't take credit cards, or that it would be impossible to pay online. People like DD's music teacher, babysitter, and school stuff like field trips and lunches. I think the school gets 90% of my checks. I wish they would set up an online account. You have to send in separate checks for everything, too. I couldn't send in one check for her lunch money, a field trip, and the yearbook. It has to be 3 checks. I'm so happy it's summer and I won't have to think about her school lunch account for 2 months now!

We still get a paper statement for the phone bill, and I think a couple of others, but we just check them for errors and then shred them.

I never have cash. I hate it. I will spend cash like water, but I'm very careful with the credit card, knowing DH and I will go over the bill with a fine toothed comb looking for errors. (We get that statement electronically, but we still check it very well, due to the potential for errors and fraud). So cash is far more dangerous to me, in the "stay out of dept" department. There's no paper trail with cash - it's much more tempting for me to spend it on frivilous things that DH would roll his eyes over.

 

[Camicar]

We have direct deposit for our paychecks and that is all.

They will have to pry my checkbook from my cold hands. I had an annoying problem with PayPayl charging my account without authorization and got no help from them in resolving it. Also, I've known more than one person to wake up and check an account and find that the company had overcharged their checking account and most of them NEVER got the money back, had to pay overdraft fees, and so on. Having witnessed what those folks went through and my own much more minor problem, there is no way I'd willingly put myself into that situation.

 

[jimmalru80]

We're about half and half.

 

[Handbag Lady]

I have direct deposit and I track everything online.

But, I pay every single bill with a check after the paper statement is mailed to me.

I HATE checking my non-work email and only look at it once every two months or so.

Having things withdrawn automatically scares the crap out of me. I am a control freak, so that doesn't work for me at all.

So, I'll continue to keep track of my checking account using a paper register and compare it do the online statement and mail out my Disney checks until they make it illegal.

 

[Aisling]

I can't even remember the last time I wrote a check. I pay everything electronically.

 

[mickeyfan9194]

I still write a fair amount of checks. Not by choice, but there are many places that don't take credit cards. I have to write checks to the kids school, the lady who cuts my hair, fundraisers and kids activities. I send checks for our life insurance and car insurance, because they always mess up our on-line payments when we have so many accounts. The Sam's Club here doesn't take Visa, and that's the only CC I have. Minnesota DMV also doesn't take credit cards. Plus we're in the process of doing some home improvement projects, and a lot of the contractors don't take credit cards. Birthday cards always get a check in them too. If I can pay electronically, I normally do.

I also need the paper bills, since a lot of companies purge the old bills after 6 months, and sometimes we've had problems going back that far. Someday I hope to go paperless, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.

 

[ols386]

Yep, I use paper checks to may my bills......but I'm old, and don't like change.

 

[puffkin]

All the monthly bills I use Bill Pay for online. The water/sewer and trash come quarterly and those I pay by check. I also pay DS's daycare weekly by check and my cleaning lady by check.

I also use checks for most things I order from fundraisers, if I owe anybody money, and for all the little school activities and field trips. I like to have a paper trail for that kind of stuff.

The best part of paying bills online though is that a book of stamps lasts me forever!

 

[ntsammy5]

I never use checks anymore. Waste of time and money

 

[Fintastic]

Dh does the bills and he still uses checks. He wants that "paper trail." I pay everything online as much as I can!

 

[ZachnElli]

Yes, I still use checks. I have some bills that I can only write checks for still: water, gas, sewer, daycare, those are the ones off the top of my head. If I can pay it online, I do. I know the gas company was working on getting an online payment going. We have propane gas and it's delivered, so they like payment when they deliver or before.

 

[C.Ann]

We have direct deposit for our paychecks and that is all.

They will have to pry my checkbook from my cold hands. I had an annoying problem with PayPayl charging my account without authorization and got no help from them in resolving it. Also, I've known more than one person to wake up and check an account and find that the company had overcharged their checking account and most of them NEVER got the money back, had to pay overdraft fees, and so on. Having witnessed what those folks went through and my own much more minor problem, there is no way I'd willingly put myself into that situation.

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Same here.. Twice I tried to use the on-line banking system (2 different banks - two different accounts) and it turned into a nightmare that took a long, long time to straighten out.. To me it's not worth the hassle or the risk.. I've seen other people fall victim to not having things paid when they "should" have been paid - or in one case having a bill paid out of their account that wasn't even theirs..

I only have few bills that I have to pay each month (some are quarterly), so a box of checks can last me a long, long, long time.. LOL

 

[bballmom56]

He wants that "paper trail." !

Me, too! I like my hard copies! I don't want to have to rely on some company to electronically maintain my records.

 

[suejai]

I don't use the pre-authourized withdrawal of my bills, I've had some bad experiences with that but I do pay all my bills online through the bank. I agree, I want to be in control. I just do it electronically.