paying by check in a retail store

[PilotWife]

This is nothing new. In the past for checks at least 10 years ago you had to go to the customer service counter to get checks approved before going to pay with it. (They used to call the bank.) Now with id they allow it at the register.


And for the record, having a cc does not equal debt. I use the cc to pay for everything (getting Disney rewards) and pay it off every month. A credit card equals no hassles.

I do agree with you that a cc does not HAVE to equal debt....but there are a lot of people out there that are wise enough to also know that they cannot "handle" a credit card and are doing themselves a great service by not having that credit card!

 

[KK'sMommy]

For those of you that use debit cards, check with your bank to see if they use this service:

https://www.visaextras.com/

We use our debit cards for everything and get points for doing it. We have gotten 2 $100 Amazon gift certificates this year.

I found out about this on the budget board. Four months after we started using it, our bank finally sent a (very small) notice that it was available.

Thank you so much for posting this! I just enrolled and it was so easy!

 

[srwarden1928]

I have two credit cards that I use FREQUENTLY. They are ALWAYS paid in full each month. The only debt I have is the mortgage on the house. I do NOT pay interest on my cards.

OTOH I am VERY much opposed to a debit card. They can be VERY dangerous to ones financial health. If someone makes unauthorized charges to my credit card, I simply can dispute the charges. I am out NOTHING during the investigation. If the money is already GONE through a debit card, I get it back when the bank decides to give it back, and could bounce a check in the meantime, which I have NEVER done.

My bank resisted, but I INSISTED on a plain ATM card. Thats what I have. NO ONE has the authority to access ANY of my accounts without my permission. Of course the joint account is accessed by all account holders, but not people or companies out of the household.

 

[santa's surpriz]

I am a relationship manager at a bank and we do request 2 forms of ID for cashing cks, but we are a bank! That's crazy at Kohl's.

I think we are fair what we consider acceptable due to the high cases of idenetify theft. As secondary id we take a credit card, debit cards, employee ids w. photos, student ids, Chauffer's Lic., and concealed weapons lic. I am really glad that we have stopped using ss cards.

 

[vcgirl925]

I've never heard of having to have two forms of id for a check. Thats odd. As long as check is a valid method of payment then you should be able to use one.

I am one of those people that never uses cash or check. I ALWAYS use my atm/check/visa card. It's just so much easier. One time i lost my atm card and went to a store and paid with check and everyone looked at me cross eyed. It must be something that people just don't do anymore.

 

[Benducci]

That is silly- a credit card is not a form of id- it is a form of payment - How does a credit card prove WHO you are???

 

[Taja]

I quit giving WalMart my business six years ago when their check scanner wouldn't scan my check and the manager wouldn't approve it manually. Do they care? Probably not. One person = $200 per month average, $2400 per year. Drop in the bucket to them. But I do let others know how poorly managed the stores are--and many refuse to shop there for other reasons, as well.

I refuse to use debit or credit cards except in emergencies--and shopping doesn't constitute an emergency in my book! *LOL*

 

[MommyBoo!]

Thank you so much for posting this! I just enrolled and it was so easy!

You're welcome!

 

[MommyBoo!]

I have two credit cards that I use FREQUENTLY. They are ALWAYS paid in full each month. The only debt I have is the mortgage on the house. I do NOT pay interest on my cards.

OTOH I am VERY much opposed to a debit card. They can be VERY dangerous to ones financial health. If someone makes unauthorized charges to my credit card, I simply can dispute the charges. I am out NOTHING during the investigation. If the money is already GONE through a debit card, I get it back when the bank decides to give it back, and could bounce a check in the meantime, which I have NEVER done.

My bank resisted, but I INSISTED on a plain ATM card. Thats what I have. NO ONE has the authority to access ANY of my accounts without my permission. Of course the joint account is accessed by all account holders, but not people or companies out of the household.

I have made two disputes on my debit card and have had the money credited back immediately while they investigated. I think things have changed for debit cards since they first came out.

 

[eliza61]

OTOH I am VERY much opposed to a debit card. They can be VERY dangerous to ones financial health. If someone makes unauthorized charges to my credit card, I simply can dispute the charges. I am out NOTHING during the investigation. If the money is already GONE through a debit card, I get it back when the bank decides to give it back, and could bounce a check in the meantime, which I have NEVER done.

.

If your debit card has the visa/mastercard logo on it, your bank will give you the protection on fradulent charges as with a cc. Check with your bank.

Op,
Alot of business also use check guarantee agencies to process their checks (crosscheck is a popular one in NJ). http://www.cross-check.com/proposal/guarantee.asp
These collection firms remove the burden of collecting unpaid checks but the require the merchant to have 2 forms of id. One form is almost always a cc. Walmart uses telecheck alot.
Sorry you had such a problem.

 

[LisaNJ25]

Isnt it illegal for them to write down the cc and DL number these days? I have been out of retail few year but I remember we had to stop writing down the numbers. I believe we only wrote down the expiration date.

I know in NJ we have to have picture on out dl's. So what extra help would be gained by showing them cc?

 

[maxiesmom]

That is silly- a credit card is not a form of id- it is a form of payment - How does a credit card prove WHO you are???

Because the name and the signature will match the one on the DL, and the name on the check. And yes Kohls does ask for 2 forms of ID. At least any cashier who is doing their job correctly asks for 2.

 

[mamaLori05]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but check writing is soon to be a thing of the past. Retailers have been getting too many bad checks. I know most gas stations won't accept them, as well as many smaller reatailers. I know my parents were dead set agains debt cards because they thought they weren't as safe as a checkbook, but in reality, if someone wants to write a check and sign your name, they could easily get away with it. I know at walmart they run it through right away, so your money is taken out of your account right away. If someone else wrote out a check with your checks, how would the walmart employee really know it was you. It's just not checked as thouroughly anymore. With a debt card, at least it is somewhat protected. My debt card is treated like a credit card...the transaction will only clear if you have enough in the acct, but it protects you against someone else using your acct. If you get a charge that you didn't make, I can still alert the credit card company and they will defer payment, often resulting in my money being returned. With a check, it's just gone. Anyway, I finally convinced my parents that it's okay to have a debt card, and they are seeing that many places won't accept checks anymore anyway. If you don't want a cc or debit card, I think eventually you will just have to go to cash.

 

[mamaLori05]

I have made two disputes on my debit card and have had the money credited back immediately while they investigated. I think things have changed for debit cards since they first came out.

ours does the same thing. Must depend on your bank and debit card.

 

[imthatgirl]

kohls here does the same thing. all you need is something anyhting with your name on it. i have used my library card, my grocery sales card, my muesam membership card, etc.

but on anither note, you should have some sort of credit card so you have a history of credit in case you ever need to get credit from anyone.

 

[imthatgirl]

Isnt it illegal for them to write down the cc and DL number these days? I have been out of retail few year but I remember we had to stop writing down the numbers. I believe we only wrote down the expiration date.

I know in NJ we have to have picture on out dl's. So what extra help would be gained by showing them cc?

they dont write down anyhting off the second form od id, its just to see its you. remember they hire highschool kids to run the cash registers. so they put rules like this in place to help them. so they dont take bad checks, it really has nothing to do with you, unless you are writing bad checks.
it is not illegal to write down your DL number. it is illegal for them to ask for your ssn. which is why it is strongly suggested no one use the ssn as their dln. because if you do, yes they will write it on your check.

 

[hoosiergirl7]

For those who huffed and puffed about my comment let me clarify something.

There are people that use credit cards and pay off the balances every month. My SIL & BIL are 2 that I know of. I'm glad that you can be responsible enough to do that. However the percentage of people that do is only 1% to 2% of the entire credit card holding population. That means that 98% to 99% of people who use credit cards have balances that roll over to the following month and accrue interest. The average credit card debt that American households have is around $35,000. That's CC debt alone. That does not include other loans or lines of credit for cars, boats, houses, etc. It still means that there are millions of people in this country who have debt. Did you know that only 4% of the population is debt free (minus mortgage) and has at least $10,000 in a bank account? What's wrong with that picture? The fact of the matter is that CC's give you the flexibility to buy things that you might normally not have bought if you were paying for them outright regardless of whether or not you pay off the balance. That's how people end up with CC debt in the first place.

My grandparents who unfortunately are no longer living grew up in a generation where you didn't borrow money. You paid for everything in cash - except for the house. They did have a mortgage. But every single car my grandparents bought they paid cash. They put all of their children through college without loans. It wasn't a generation of instant gratification because they wanted it.

So our family is going back to behaving that way. If we don't have the cash for it we don't buy it. So I still have don't have a 50-inch flat screen LCD tv. Who cares. When I want it, I'll save up the money to buy it. I won't finance it. My Toyota Sienna mini-van was paid for in cash (actually a check) but it still came out of my bank account and yes, it was slightly used too. I'll never buy a brand new car again.

No, I'm not trying to gloat about my accomplishments. However I want to prove that you can live a life without having to use CC's. By not having CC's and budgeting on a monthly basis accordingly, it allows us to put more money into savings for retirement. To us that's more important than fancy cars, big houses and the latest and greatest gadgets.

I'm sure I've probably upset more people but I tell it like it is. I live my life for me and if I don't want to be "normal" then that's my choice.

 

[ajk912]

For those who huffed and puffed about my comment let me clarify something.

There are people that use credit cards and pay off the balances every month. My SIL & BIL are 2 that I know of. I'm glad that you can be responsible enough to do that. However the percentage of people that do is only 1% to 2% of the entire credit card holding population. That means that 98% to 99% of people who use credit cards have balances that roll over to the following month and accrue interest. The average credit card debt that American households have is around $35,000. That's CC debt alone. That does not include other loans or lines of credit for cars, boats, houses, etc. It still means that there are millions of people in this country who have debt. Did you know that only 4% of the population is debt free (minus mortgage) and has at least $10,000 in a bank account? What's wrong with that picture? The fact of the matter is that CC's give you the flexibility to buy things that you might normally not have bought if you were paying for them outright regardless of whether or not you pay off the balance. That's how people end up with CC debt in the first place.

My grandparents who unfortunately are no longer living grew up in a generation where you didn't borrow money. You paid for everything in cash - except for the house. They did have a mortgage. But every single car my grandparents bought they paid cash. They put all of their children through college without loans. It wasn't a generation of instant gratification because they wanted it.

So our family is going back to behaving that way. If we don't have the cash for it we don't buy it. So I still have don't have a 50-inch flat screen LCD tv. Who cares. When I want it, I'll save up the money to buy it. I won't finance it. My Toyota Sienna mini-van was paid for in cash (actually a check) but it still came out of my bank account and yes, it was slightly used too. I'll never buy a brand new car again.

No, I'm not trying to gloat about my accomplishments. However I want to prove that you can live a life without having to use CC's. By not having CC's and budgeting on a monthly basis accordingly, it allows us to put more money into savings for retirement. To us that's more important than fancy cars, big houses and the latest and greatest gadgets.

I'm sure I've probably upset more people but I tell it like it is. I live my life for me and if I don't want to be "normal" then that's my choice.

That's all fine and dandy, and congrats on living debt free. I still don't get why you would be super inconvienced to get a debit card, though. They are free from most banks, link to your checking account, and it's the exact same thing as writing a check for those of us who don't float checks/or try to write a bad check.

 

[maxiesmom]

For those who huffed and puffed about my comment let me clarify something.

There are people that use credit cards and pay off the balances every month. My SIL & BIL are 2 that I know of. I'm glad that you can be responsible enough to do that. However the percentage of people that do is only 1% to 2% of the entire credit card holding population. That means that 98% to 99% of people who use credit cards have balances that roll over to the following month and accrue interest. The average credit card debt that American households have is around $35,000. That's CC debt alone. That does not include other loans or lines of credit for cars, boats, houses, etc. It still means that there are millions of people in this country who have debt. Did you know that only 4% of the population is debt free (minus mortgage) and has at least $10,000 in a bank account? What's wrong with that picture? The fact of the matter is that CC's give you the flexibility to buy things that you might normally not have bought if you were paying for them outright regardless of whether or not you pay off the balance. That's how people end up with CC debt in the first place.

My grandparents who unfortunately are no longer living grew up in a generation where you didn't borrow money. You paid for everything in cash - except for the house. They did have a mortgage. But every single car my grandparents bought they paid cash. They put all of their children through college without loans. It wasn't a generation of instant gratification because they wanted it.

So our family is going back to behaving that way. If we don't have the cash for it we don't buy it. So I still have don't have a 50-inch flat screen LCD tv. Who cares. When I want it, I'll save up the money to buy it. I won't finance it. My Toyota Sienna mini-van was paid for in cash (actually a check) but it still came out of my bank account and yes, it was slightly used too. I'll never buy a brand new car again.

No, I'm not trying to gloat about my accomplishments. However I want to prove that you can live a life without having to use CC's. By not having CC's and budgeting on a monthly basis accordingly, it allows us to put more money into savings for retirement. To us that's more important than fancy cars, big houses and the latest and greatest gadgets.

I'm sure I've probably upset more people but I tell it like it is. I live my life for me and if I don't want to be "normal" then that's my choice.

Why does your "telling it like it is" sound more like a Dave Ramsey lecture? I follow his rules too, but geesh!

Don't use credit cards if you don't want to, but be aware that if you try to write a check some places will need to see 2 forms of ID. They will not make an exception for someone who does not beleive in credit cards.

 

[hoosiergirl7]

That's all fine and dandy, and congrats on living debt free. I still don't get why you would be super inconvienced to get a debit card, though. They are free from most banks, link to your checking account, and it's the exact same thing as writing a check for those of us who don't float checks/or try to write a bad check.

I do have a debit card that I use to buy gas with because I don't know exactly how much I'm going to spend every time I fill up. But the point is that a debit card can be as much trouble as a CC. It looks the same and works the same. There are people that use it without really paying attention to the amount of money they actually have and get into overdraft trouble. It also allows you to buy things that you might not normally buy because you assume the extra cash is in the account. Trust me, years ago DH and I would buy things without realizing how much we really had in the bank and would end up over drafting. Not often but when it did happen I'd get really mad. We came to the point where we didn't want to live like that anymore and decided to budget every dollar every pay check and take out the required amount of cash we'd need for those 2 weeks until the next pay check was deposited. It makes us think twice about buying something we don't need. It's harder to part with cash than it is to swipe a card. Do you know how many people don't reconcile their bank accounts/check books every month? Lots!

I'm going to shut up because to some people I could talk to until I'm blue in the face and they still wouldn't get it. So I guess it's fair to say that many of us will agree to disagree. I'll do as I see fit with my money and everyone can do as they please with theirs.