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General discussion

How many checks do you write in a typical month?

Dec 16, 2011 7:52AM PST
How many checks do you write in a typical month?

-- None
-- 1-3
-- 4-6
-- 7-9
-- 10-12
-- More than 12 (Why so many?)
-- What are these checks, you speak of?

Discussion is locked

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What are 'Checks'?
Dec 16, 2011 9:41AM PST

The correct way to spell this word is CHEQUES. Why do you insist on spelling everything incorrectly?

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CHEQUES
Dec 16, 2011 9:50AM PST

Being from England, I have always been told that CHEQUES is British, while checks is American.

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different country
Dec 16, 2011 10:01AM PST

I came from UK and yes we spelledd it cheque, here in Us it is spelled checks. To each his own!

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Speaking of spelling errors...
Dec 18, 2011 4:59PM PST

To DLDBlana,

It doesn't matter what country you are from, the correct way to spell the past tense of
"to spell", only has one "d" at the end, "spelled" not "spelledd", got it? Cool
CHS

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What are "checks"
Dec 19, 2011 3:42PM PST
I am an Aussie so 'check' is what we do when we corroborate something and 'cheque' is like- in banking. As is 'colour' instead of 'color'. It makes it interesting when doing American xword puzzles.
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Not everyone accepts online payment (can you believe it?)
Dec 16, 2011 10:04AM PST

Almost check free, but two of my monthly payees still require checks. If nothing else, it keeps me from forgetting how to do it.

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you can still make it zero if you want
Dec 16, 2011 11:33AM PST

When I pay my bills on line, I use my bank's free on line banking / bill paying service. If a payee doesn't accept ACH transfers, I still pay on line and the bank mails them an actual check (still for free). Don't you have this option?

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Most banks do
Dec 17, 2011 4:41AM PST

Most, if not all, bank and credit union bill pay services physically mail checks to anyone you designate if they do not have electronic money transfer with your payee. My bank and at least most other banks will even send one time checks to individuals as well as smaller businesses that do not have electronic transfer with your bank. Msecour, if you have your bank send your two payees a check rather than you doing it, you will save the 88 cents a month postage plus being easier to just select the payee from a list and type in how much money to send them.

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Monthly check writing
Dec 16, 2011 10:13AM PST

I still write checks. I am not comfortable doing it on line yet. Have just switched two accounts and will see how it works. I tried this once before and was always late as I never got notice of monthly bill.
ONE BILL WENT TOO MY SPAM FOLDER AND I NEVER DID SEE IT AS I EMPTY SPAM WITHOUT LOOKING TO SEE WHAT IS IN THERE.

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Typical Checks in a month - Zero
Dec 16, 2011 10:49AM PST

I quit writing checks except for a few year for special circumstances. Earlier in this decade and for many decades before this, I would gather up all my bills around the first of the month, and then usually write them all, even though I mailed them in several batches depending on when they were due. Now, I have about 2/3 or my bills on auto pay at my Credit Union, and when other bills come in, I just go to the CU web site and enter them into the bill pay at the CU. I have about 20 to 25 accounts in my bill pay set up, and then just go to the payee, and enter in the amount, and then by using the calender that they supply on the site, I can select when to pay the bill by how long it will take to get to the payee. I took a little while to get used to doing it that way, but it sure makes it convenient plus all of your payments will be paid when due. If you have a new payee, you just enter their name and vital information in the bill pay program along with a phone number for them so that the CU can find out if they can do a Fund Transfer or have to send a check. Once I enter the information in, the CU does the rest of the work. Any bill that has a fixed amount is on auto pay, but bills that have variable amounts I do manually. It is easy if you have the payee account set up. At least at my CU, this is a free service. I would never go back to writing checks. I do keep a check register going though, so I can keep an off line version of my checking account. If you have Quicken, you can download the financial institution's records to your computer. I do this, so I can run a check of things for any range of time desired. It is much easier than trying to thumb your way though a bunch of check registers. If you are not doing On Line banking yet, get busy and do it, and you will thank yourself that you did it.

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20-25 accounts
Dec 16, 2011 11:07AM PST

I pay all my bills online, and visit my ATM once every 2 months for a bit of spending cash. But, WOW 20-25 accounts!!
You would burn thru a checkbook in 2 months Happy.

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1-3 or 12+???
Dec 16, 2011 11:41AM PST

I guess I read the question a little differently. As far as I'm concerned, sending an ACH transfer or making an on-line bill payment IS writing a check, so all of you who said 1-3 should have said 12+!!!

I resisted on-line banking until fairly recently. I wanted a real paper trail and still received my original checks back. After the Check 21 Act passed, I realized I was fighting a losing battle, and embraced on-line banking. It does go a lot quicker, but I must say, I remember when the internet was considered too unsecure for such transactions. I do wonder though, the internet didn't get any more secure, so why is it suddenly ok? I guess it's no worse than giving your credit card to the waitstaff at a restaurant.

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I disagree
Dec 17, 2011 2:40AM PST

When I physically put a pen to paper then I am writing, clicking buttons is not writing. If I use bill pay from my bank and they write a check on my behalf for services that don't allow wire transfers then it is they doing the writing, not me. When I tell vendors to debit my bank account directly then neither of us is writing anything. I basically pay for everything either electronically or with cash except for my landlord.

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Average less than one
Dec 16, 2011 12:31PM PST

Actually, I average more than none, but less than one check per month. (Yes, you Brits, I know you had the language before we did and we have screwed it up worse than you have, but now the U.S. version of the English language spells your cheques, checks! In U.S. we write checks and we don't care you you spell it (smiley here)) If I incur a one time payment for some service, I write a check. I usually write a check for multi-year magazine subscriptions, but anything more frequent, I set up bill pay service to pay online.

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check writing
Dec 16, 2011 1:23PM PST

I think it's hard to beat when you have a copy of your check wriiten and returned to you by your bank.Helps a lot in a payment dispute. Unfortunately a lot of smart aleck companies no longer return checks but withdraw directly from your bank account. This is being done without your expressed approval but the only way those jerks accept payment is by that method.

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I am a Minister travels all over the WORLD---Write NO checks
Dec 17, 2011 2:32AM PST

I am suppose to be retired and get social security sent direct to bank. Since I am constantly traveling between the USA, Canada and the Philippines. I write NO checks. I pay storage and insurance, etc with auto pay or bill pay. I use more than one bank for security purpose and love 100 percent on line banking. I did have only one incident when I foolishly answered a Phishing E-mail which was quickly resolved with no cost to me, Thank goodnes and thank GOD. In almost 4 years I have never written a check. I did find some banks are better than other for total on line banking.

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(NT) exactly 1
Dec 17, 2011 2:35AM PST
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checks vs. online
Dec 17, 2011 11:41AM PST

I looked into online banking many years ago. The deal was, if the bank failed to make a payment on your behalf, YOU are responsible. Forget that. Never looked back.

By the way, it's checks, not cheques, they are in color, not colour; I ride on an elevator, not a lift, and it's Z, not Zed. I don't go to the zedoo to see the zedebra play the zedither.

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None
Dec 29, 2011 5:51AM PST

I have my check books at home, but I generally don't write checks. I think I've written only a handful since I got the account. I use cash and/or my card