Who still writes checks?

[goofinoff]

Just curious. I work retail and am amazed at how many people still write checks for purchases. Why not a debit card?

 

[golfgal]

About the only checks we write these days are to the kids' school or for their various activities. All of our bills are either paid on line or automatically taken out of our checking account.

 

[Nancyg56]

I still use my checkbook at stores adn like it that way. My DD says I am the VISA commercial that shows everything screeching to a halt but until I am forced to use a debit card i am going to continue to write checks.

 

[goofinoff]

About the only checks we write these days are to the kids' school or for their various activities. All of our bills are either paid on line or automatically taken out of our checking account.

Same here!

 

[bdcp]

While I still pay most of my bills by check, I never write one in a store. It takes too long, is a pain and the money comes out of my checking account either way, so why bother with paper checks and carrying a checkbook around? My mom (73) finally stopped writing checks about 2 years ago.

I know I'm in for a long wait in the grocery store when I get behind someone who uses reusable bags and writes a check. It's always 65+ yr old women too. Both take so much longer.

I don't think I've seen a man write a check in forever and most under 50 do everything on line or with debit/credit.

 

[DeaverTex]

I guess we're luddites. We use checks to avoid using our credit card and store cards whenever possible. We'd use a debit card but nobody has come up with a good and convenient way to keep track of them that works as well as the ledger in a checkbook. As soon as that happens, we'll probably cut way back on check use.

We do love the electronic check handling though, where you get your check back on the spot.

 

[DebbieB]

I rarely write a check. Typically it's just for miscellaneous bills that I don't have setup for automatic pay. Or doctor co-pays.

 

[Grog]

I only write one check a month, and that's to the water company. I can pay through their website but there is a five dollar fee. Their building is less than a mile from me, and I pass it a couple of times a week, so when the payment is due I just stuff a check in an envelope and put it in their drop box. Saves me $60 a year.

Everything else is done online.

 

[Kasmooth]

I still use checks. I don"t even have a debit card!!

 

[golfgal]

I guess we're luddites. We use checks to avoid using our credit card and store cards whenever possible. We'd use a debit card but nobody has come up with a good and convenient way to keep track of them that works as well as the ledger in a checkbook. As soon as that happens, we'll probably cut way back on check use.

We do love the electronic check handling though, where you get your check back on the spot.

When I first started using a debit card I just used the checkbook register and entered it as DC or debit?? When I put the information into my Quicken to track my checking account, same thing.

Now, I don't even bother with that. I just check with my online banking account and verify there. There is really nothing to "track" if you use online banking, it all shows up almost instantly.

 

[HsvTeacher]

I write two checks a month - one for the utility bill and one for the water bill. I send them through the mail, because I refuse to pay a convenience fee for doing it online.

 

[Sparx]

I write checks for my rent and water bill. All other bills are either paid online or in the office with a debit card. My rent can be paid with a debit card, but there is an 18 dollar service fee!

I use my card for everything I buy in stores/restaurants. I never have cash.

My boyfriend's parents use checks/cash for everything. They don't understand debit cards and don't believe that they work everywhere. Their debit card has a visa logo and will be accepted nearly everywhere, but they don't believe that.

 

[grahamfam3]

I still write checks, but only for the occasional odd bill that I can't pay through my credit union's bill paying system. Everything else is debit card or electronic bill-pay, except for scouting activities because my son's troop doesn't like cash and can't cash a check any faster than two months so now I give them money orders .

 

[janabananas]

I use checks for my rent payment, various kids' school needs (especially with the school year just starting), and the emergency "just in case something funky happens on the weekend and I get paid on Monday at 9am, crap" moments.

I do keep them on hand just in case my debit card gets demagnetized, which has happened.

For a PP commenting about being able to keep track of the transactions, my bank (Chase) has online banking and it will show ever single transaction made with the debit card immediately after it happens, so you can keep track of them. I like being able to use this tool, because sometimes I forget I wrote a check... oops!

 

[momto2girls]

I only use checks for miscellaneous things that I need to pay like our cleaning people or magazine subscriptions, etc. I never use them at stores. I have to admit that when I (rarely) see it these days, I am a bit surprised.

I don't do debit cards either though. I had the bank remove that capability from my ATM card. We use credit cards for everything.

 

[DeaverTex]

We thought about using a manual check register, but that didn't really present any advantages over just using a check in the first place, other than about 30 seconds of time to write the check.

I'm impressed by the speed of your banks on-line account tracking though. On the occasions we've tracked one of the electronic check transactions, we've had up to a 48 hour lag between a transaction and it showing up on our account. I could set up a spread sheet at home (Lotus 1.2.3 monkey here!) and get results faster than our bank.

What we'd go for is something like a manual register, but on my Droid. (And Mrs. Tex doesn't have a smart phone, so she couldn't use it if she were by herself.) So far, I haven't seen anything that fills the bill. Still looking though, because I actually hate writing checks. (Any suggestions would be welcome, though!)
Sorry to get the thread off-track! I'll be good, now.

 

[Coconut36]

About the only checks we write these days are to the kids' school or for their various activities. All of our bills are either paid on line or automatically taken out of our checking account.

Same here. I haven't paid bills by check in years.

When I worked retail I saw checks rarely..more often than not the person writing a check was 60+ years old (by my guess..obviously I could be off a bit there) with one exception (mentioned below).

I think some people use checks to "float" their funds sometimes..some of the younger folks at the retail job would use a check if they wanted to get something but were not getting their check for a couple days because it took that long for the check to hit their account. They had learned it took X days for the check to hit from the store and would buy things knowing the check wouldn't hit until they were paid.

As for not being able to track debit transactions like a check in your ledger..uh why is a debit card harder than a check? Just like a check write your transaction in the ledger if written records are your preferences. There are also tons of online tools and the ability to access banking online 24/7 to track you balances.

 

[MichelleVW]

I only use them to pay the farrier when he comes to trim my horses feet....that's it...I don't see any reason to write checks other than that.

 

[elgerber]

I only write checks for school lunches/items and piano lessons. Everything else is paid via credit card (paid in full monthly) or online. In the summer I write no checks at all.

 

[powellrj]

I only write checks for things like fees for the kids things and one-time payments that I can't do on-line or if they charge me extra like our property taxes.

I don't mind when people write checks in stores if they are ready. Its when they wait until their order is rung up to start to search in their purse for their checkbook, then they have to search for a pen, then ask what the date is, how much the order was and then write the check. Then they stand and do the math. If you already have your check written and just need to fill-in the amount, doing a check is no big deal. But that very rarely seems to be the case.