I have to admit when I am shopping I really get frustrated when the person in front of me in line pulls out a checkbook. I know I am in for a wait. With additional " authorization" necessary for a check, plus the fact that most store employees have problems dealing with checks I wondered how may people still pay with checks and how many have moved electronic.
I must admit I use plastic for everything. Either a credit card or a check card, anywhere I can out comes the plastic.
At teh end of the month I don t even write checks. Log into my banks web site and tell them who to pay and how much.
In the past I would write 30 - 40 checks a month, now 3 or 4 is a lot.
Obviously lots of people are doing the same thing because there was an article in the paper this week that the Federal Reserve bank was going to stop processing checks at 13 of its 45 sites due to the lower number of checks processed. That s a big drop in processing sites!
The Washington Post has a great article today:
[link=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43307-2003Feb8.html]The Check s Last Writes - Some Can t Tear Themselves Away, but Electronic Payments Are Gaining Fast [/link]
So, how do you pay for things??
tim5055I have almost forgot how to write a check. My wife still pays our bills by check, but I haven t carried a check book for three years. Plastic just seems to be easier (as long as it is paid off every month!)
tim5055I m a big debit card fan. EZPass is the best thing to happen in years. Rarely have more than $30 in my wallet. Only check I write is preschool tuition. All other transactions are automated by bankofamerica.com.
However, the wife and I were just talking about the media hyped Terror Alerts! and what could possibly cause us harm.
Tim, you and I live in the DC area so we have seen life in the post 9/11 era, plus sniper central here in Silver Spring, and we know there are a lot of whackos with agendas out there.
So, what would happen if the ability to do e-commerce was interrupted for even two or three days. Some destructive hack or e-virus and I can t get online to move money around or use my debit card to buy gas and I m on empty?
Please note - I am not an alarmist, or pessimist, or someone who runs and crawls under a rock when the the idiots on CNN try to scare me for ratings.
That being said, I have decided to stash a few dollars somewhere I can get to if the ATM stops working for a day or three.
Still loving my Speedpass,
tim5055Debit card or check. I refuse to pay interest on a credit card. We currently have 2 small balances on 0% cards and will pay them off before the terms expire.
got woody?Although we use a debit card for everyday transactions,it is a good idea to keep some cash on hand,and a check,too ! Electronic problems do happen occasionally,and,more than once,we have had power outages that have lasted longer than a week.Beside that,not everybody accepts plastic.
tim5055Well, I m one of the customers you get frustrated with! I usually pay by check. I remember a very wise professor telling me once never charge, what you can eat, drive, or drink! Two weeks ago we were at Friendly s and I about died when a man pulled out his credit card to pay for a 5 dollar sundae! To each his own, but I ll continue with my checkbook, thank you...[8D]
tim5055Depends on where I am at or what I am doing.
If I am on the road travelling on a trip, then the old credit card comes out.
It it is local, then most likely cash like for gas or groceries.
If it is to pay a bill, then it is by check.
Don t have a debit card but do use the ATM if needed.
Guess I am just one of those people that are still not ready to pay my bills over the internet.
Here is an added question: When was the last time you cashed your check just to see what it would look like in real money instead of the figures on a piece of paper?
I can remember when my first earnings came in cash in an envelope.
GeneF
QuoteORIGINAL: GeneF
Here is an added question: When was the last time you cashed your check just to see what it would look like in real money instead of the figures on a piece of paper?
I can remember when my first earnings came in cash in an envelope.
Gene,
I can remember cash in an envelope also[:D]
I have not cashed a check in years, as a matter of fact I have not received a check in years - Direct Deposit!
I can remember working for one employer that at times had financial problems. When checks were given out many of us went directly to the bank to cash them.
tim5055I hate to even mention it given the contents of tne previous posts, but when we are at home I pay for everything with cash! I figure if I can t put out the cash at the moment then I can t aford it. We pay the bills at the bank directly from our account. When we travel we will use plastic, just for the convience of making reservations and the security factor and travllers cheques.
tim5055sorry if my writing a check holds you up in the line, dude. but, i`m from the old school. i want to be a little " closer" to my money than plastic makes me feel. we never charge anything, what i have, i own. but, to each his own i guess. i wouldn`t ever get annoyed with someone for writing a check for their purchases, but i have been known to get a little ticked watching someone purchase steaks with food stamps while wearing beautiful gold jewelry, new nikes and designer clothes. yeah, that kinda gets me ticked. but, paying with cash or a check, nope.
tim5055I wouldn t get annoyed at the check writers! I d get annoyed at the store that was too cheap to install check readers at the point of sale terminals! You can write a check and be on your way just as fast as with plastic!
These readers cost about $300.00 and dail in just like the credit card or check card readers do! Just watch next time you are in Staples! Every Staples I ve been in has them!
tim5055I am working on going back to writing checks. I forget to write in the debits sometime. I was afraid oneday this might catch up with me.
tim5055cooncreekers, I think garym053 is close to the problem. I think my aggrevation is more at the store for lack of training (or lack of equipment) to support the employees.
It is just interesting to see how people feel about this.
tim5055I pay for anything I can online, credit cards, electric, phone...write checks for other bills, or pay cash. I use ATM at walmart most of the time.
tim5055we use checks or cash. Credit card is for an emergency or reservations. We also keep a small amount set aside in the house just in case we don t get access to our bank or ATM.
tim5055I, too, am a check writer. I ve usually got so many things flipping through my mind at any given moment, that I usually don t take the time to notice what the customer in front of me pays with.
Not that I don t use credit cards. I have one right now that I am trying to pay off and wish I had never gotten the thing[:@]. Most of the time, I try to only use my credit cards for " emergency" purposes. My horse got sick recently and his vet bill went on the credit card. I also have a credit card for all of my gasoline purchases. This, I have to admit, is wonderful. I like being able to pay ONE bill at the end of the month for gas and not having to worry if I have cash when my truck needs a drink. This card get paid in full every month, so no interest.
Most of my bills get paid with checks and I usually write out a check for groceries. One thing I usually do that helps to speed things up is to have my check written out BEFORE I get in line to pay my bill (or WHILE I m waiting in line if its a long line). You can write the store s name, date, and sign the check before you get to the cashier. By the time its time to pay, you just have to write the numerical amount and then write it out. .....Just takes a couple of seconds.
tim5055All my bills via my banks internet interface (web), purchases debit card. I do not carry cash, if their debit system is down, I leave the cart and walk away.
tim5055The only thing that annoys me is when someone is there and the checker is checking out a full cart full of items. And the check writer waits till the total to even pull the check book out. When I use a check I fill in everthing but the total so that it will be quick. Just my opinion
tim5055I also write checks for groceries when I have a lot. If it s just a couple of things, then usually cash. I don t wait till the last minute to fill in the check book also, and as long as you ve written checks at Price Chopper before, don t need approval (they just run it thru a reader. Takes as long as waiting for approval on a credit card). Another grocery store chain has some check out lines that don t have cashiers, you do everything yourself, including pay (and you can use cash or credit card). What bothers me is when you re in the 10 items or less line, and the person in front has more then 10. I even find myself counting their items. When these folks are in front of me...they usually have problems with their coupons, don t write out the check till all the problems are resolved, then they find another coupon in their purse...and want to know if they can use it also, even though it s for a different name brand, and is a yr old.
tim5055Well, we are in the process of switching our payment of bills electronicly over the internet. I am a little wary but happy about not having to write checks as much. As for at the store we usually use our debit card, but all the banks here are starting to charge for that service now ($.25 - .$50 per transaction) so it me back to check writing again.
tim5055We use anything that is safe and sane, including cash, checks, and credit cards. If you noticed I didn t say debit cards, it s because of the risk.
If someone steals a credit card, the most you can be hit with is $50, even if they charge thousands. Many credit card companies lower this to $0.
If someone steals your debit card, then your entire account is theirs. Don t think you can rely on your PIN. I routinely read off people s PIN s at supermarkets and such so that they know how vulnerable they are. That and two seconds to pick the pocket, and you loose.
I don t use on-line bill paying because I am a programmer and so I know how poorly some of those applications have been built. Only writing a check will give you independent proof that they have your money.
Austin
AustinBostonUsually debit card, cash, we use checks when it is a bill. We rarely use credit cards except for online purchases, making reservations and emergencies.
AustinBostonWe use a debit cards for darn near everything these days. My DW uses checks to pay most bills. Our local bank just started offering online banking. We pay some bills direct online to the credit card company, cell phone, online service, etc.
As for security, I don t use the PIN in stores. I say " credit" and sign or scribble.
Heck, you can use the debit card at Starbucks!
tim5055I have bought into the cashless society talked about in Revelations.
I use a check card, Cable, internet, electric, long distance and cell phone are paid electronically wither direct debit or check card transaction.
We write checks to the school for lunch, the local phone company, the trash and water/sewer. We seldom go to resturaunts that take only cash.
yes I do have enough cash put back in case of an emergency for staples and gas for a few days. Do not like to keep much cash on hand, too many breakins in my area.
tim5055Like I said in a previous post, it s the stores fault, not the check writers! (Although I DO agree with the person who complained about pulling the checkbook out after everything s been totaled!!)
Check readers are $300.00 per terminal. I just ordered 7 of them for our (had to edit this! Not ours as in OURS, but ours as in where I work as Controller!) 3 Ace Home Centers! Our registers are set up so 2 Point of Sale Terminals can share one check/credit card reader! Those stores are holding you up for $300.00! And what s more, they get check protection if they use it, so if the check bounces, it gets paid to them and Checkwrite or some other service collects it!
Voice your opinions when you shop those stores!
AustinBostonTim has the ATM card and I have the Debit card and checkbook. Car & life insurance, cell phones & AOL are on direct debit out of checking. My company only pays you by direct deposit. Tim cashes his paycheck. I usually pay bills by check. Shop with the plastic debit cards.
tim5055I use checks to pay for some of my bills, but do much of it online. More important, is that wait in line thing, one of my pet peaves too! I have several Credit cards, and a check card. There is no need to write a check when all I have to do is present the check card. It s fast, simple, and effective. Since I ve got that puppy, I ve almost stopped using the credit cards! I think the credit cards just made things conveneint, now I don t even need them!
When I do use the check card, I simply put the reciept in my shirt pocket, and every night when I sit down at the desk and turn on this computer, I pull out the days receipts and log them into the check book s register. I balance the check book weekly by logging onto the Credit Union website....
AustinBostonI use a Debit card and checks. If I m writing a check I ll start filling it out right away, so I just have to fill in the dollar amount when the cashier is done. And I ll always have my licence ready for them.
I also use my Debit card as a credit card. Most machines don t know the difference, and don t require you to enter a pin #. We had some problems using it as a debit because gas stations would deduct about $30. immediatly, before the gas was even pumped. If I only put in $10, then it would credit me the remaining $20. This is all good, unless it was the day before payday - when you need every penny! Also - it s easy for me to take my time entering slips into the checkbook, so now I use checks more because I never forget to write it down.
AustinBostonWhile our kids were growing up we were doing the thing that most young families do, struggling to survive. Then, we paid for everything with cash, only wrote checks to pay the utility or doctor bills or the mortgage payment. If we didn t have the money, we didn t get it. It sure made us think about our priorities. As we got older and the kids grew up and left home, and more things began to be paid off, we were able to be a little less strict with our money. But, we still pay bills and buy groceries with checks and cash. We have two credit cards, started out with just one for emergencies. Always paid the total balance off right away. These days, we each have our own credit card but still save them for an emergency or something very special, and still pay it off immediately. We have no interest or finance charges on either one that way.
T
[;)]
tim5055Whenever there is a way to pay online we use that method. Everything else we buy goes on a credit card that gives us airline miles and we never carry a balance so there s no fee involved.