I write checks all the time. I am a supporter of local businesses and many of them would rather take a check than a credit or debit card because of the fees they have to pay for each credit/debit card purchase. Our local pharmacy recently let customers know that they paid $15,000 in credit card fees in just one month!
I live in a big city and have not had trouble with retailers not taking checks.
I pay almost all of my bills online though, so my checks are used to pay retailers and for services (piano teacher, painters, etc.)
My water and trash bill is still paid with a check. I used to write checks a lot more often a year ago. Since then I've started paying my utilities online. Major store purchases used to be by check, but I hate filling out all the lines on the checks only to have the store process it electronically and hand it back to me.
We pay for our kids' school lunches via check--only because the website our district uses charges too much. Otherwise, I can't remember the last time I wrote a check. Oddly enough our checkbook was stolen last year. after dealing with the aftermath of that I'll be glad to never use a check again.
Got an email that confirms amazon is still doing the $1 authorization:
"When you sign up with us, or add a new credit card to your account, we contact your credit card's issuing bank to confirm that your credit card is a valid number and hasn't been reported as lost or stolen. This is communicated via a $1.00 authorization. However, we don't actually proceed with the charge; this is simply one of the security measures we use to protect our customers. The authorization charge will usually drop off your account in a few days depending on your bank. Normally, this would not be an issue but if you only had enough on your card to complete your purchase then it does cause a problem."
I've been considering writing online for money for quite some time now, but wasn't sure how to get started. I think eHow looks like a good fit for me, and I'm excited to give it a try. I have a couple of questions though, that I'm hoping someone who has written for them can answer.
I'm a little concerned about the application process, though. First of all, I have no formal experience with writing. I love to write for fun, but I don't have anything on my resume in that field. I've been in the healthcare field for the last five years. Will this negatively impact my chances of getting accepted? My second concern is the writing sample. They say they want a "clear, concise" style ("Think encyclopedia" is the term they use). Most of my writing is short story, creative, or stream-of-consciousness style. Should I come up with a completely new how-to style writing sample, or would one of my short creative writing samples be sufficient?
I pay my utilities through my bank's online bill pay. If my bank doesn't have electronic transfer directly to the utility (and many of the utilities do) they send my utility a paper check. I very rarely actually go to the payee website to make a payment (only if I'm cutting the deadline too close.) Paying online through my bank is free to anyone.
My checks are now limited to my children's piano teachers and such...everything else is virtual banking, auto-withdrawal, or Paypal. Oh, and church--somehow I don't feel right about trying to Paypal the church ;-)
I'm getting married in two weeks and I have paid almost exclusively by check so far. I could use cash, but checks are safer (and can be sent through the mail.) Some of the payments have been made through ING sending a check to the vendor, but often it's me writing a check on the spot - yes, using a real paper check.
Of course, in my day to day life, until recently, I've hardly EVER used checks. I pay all of my bills online and I even pay people using ING online checks. I haven't used their direct pay where they use the account number of the person I'm paying to just transfer money because I'm not comfortable asking for someone's account number. I don't know if I ever will.
I work for a plumbing company and we see about 50% checks on average, 50% credit cards. Cash sales are so statistically rare, they account for less than 1%. We of course, prefer cash. Used unethically, credit card protections suck for service providers.
I write checks for the water bill and for the electric bill, and that's only because they send the bill about 7 days before they require payment. I don't particularly trust that the bank will get the payment to them in that time period, and I sure don't want those necessities shut off.
Most of my bills can easily be paid online now but for those that can't or if I want to pay an individual for something and don't want to use cash, there's still no great alternative to a paper check. I still keep a checkbook around and use it around 5 times a month.
I haven't written a personal check in ages and I don't see myself doing so anytime soon. Everything for me is done electronically and if I need to have a check written I can just have my bank print one out and send it to the recipient.
Exactly! For both my utility company and rent company as well. $25 convenience fee when I'm paying early? Um no. So I write a few checks a month. And of course fill out every line.
Yes, but only for rent and utilities. We mail our rent, so cash is out and our landlord doesn't take cards. The utility companies charge more than the cost of a check, envelope, and stamp to pay online, so we pay with check.
I use checks occasionally for paying friends or family for large amounts, more than what I have in cash on me at the time. I never use checks at stores, either cash or plastic instead.
I write checks for my apartment rent and my health insurance. The apartment company charges a fee around $5 to use a credit card to pay, so that would basically be an extra $60 a year to my rent.
My health insurance demands that the bill stub be mailed in with payment, so a check for that.
Occasionally other things will come up too, such as recently buying candles from a friend of a friend who does those candle "parties."
But at stores, no, hasn't happened in a very long time.
I definitely don't use checks anymore, unless it's to pay rent. Then I need some sort of tangible documentation. It always takes too long while waiting in line at the grocery store if someone is fumbling with a check.
I will use a check now and then but never on a regular basis like say purchases at the grocery store. I really do think checks will become completely obsolete in the future considering online banking, a young generation and how fast and convenient it is to use a debit/credit card or cash. I have a batch of checks in my room just in case I really need them to look up my routing numbers or account numbers and to pay a bill over the phone with using those numbers/
I don't have a physical checkbook these days. I use my bank's online bill pay to send money and pay bills. Every once in awhile I'll wish I had checks so I could pay someone immediately, but this comes up so rarely that I haven't bothered to order more...
I still write checks, but only when there's no way to transfer fund electronically. I'll write them for rent, or when I need to give my sister money since a lot of people still haven't figured out Pay Pal.
I like writing checks. It feels very official. But at the same time, it's not the most efficient or timely method of payment.
Checks are definitely outdated. I changed my name and address when I got married nearly a year ago, so I ordered free checks (from VistaPrint--I paid shipping only) instead of paying to have my bank reprint my checks.
However, in 10 months, I still have not used one of my new checks. Online bill pay, bank account transfers, and paypal have made paper checks useless for me!
I do still use checks, but far fewer than I used to. Electronic bill paying is so fast, easy, and saves me money on stamps and checks!
I still write the occasional check, but it's usually for stuff like school pictures or other school fundraisers.
I write checks all the time. I am a supporter of local businesses and many of them would rather take a check than a credit or debit card because of the fees they have to pay for each credit/debit card purchase. Our local pharmacy recently let customers know that they paid $15,000 in credit card fees in just one month!
I live in a big city and have not had trouble with retailers not taking checks.
I pay almost all of my bills online though, so my checks are used to pay retailers and for services (piano teacher, painters, etc.)
My water and trash bill is still paid with a check. I used to write checks a lot more often a year ago. Since then I've started paying my utilities online. Major store purchases used to be by check, but I hate filling out all the lines on the checks only to have the store process it electronically and hand it back to me.
We pay for our kids' school lunches via check--only because the website our district uses charges too much. Otherwise, I can't remember the last time I wrote a check. Oddly enough our checkbook was stolen last year. after dealing with the aftermath of that I'll be glad to never use a check again.
Got an email that confirms amazon is still doing the $1 authorization:
"When you sign up with us, or add a new credit card to your account, we contact your credit card's issuing bank to confirm that your credit card is a valid number and hasn't been reported as lost or stolen. This is communicated via a $1.00 authorization. However, we don't actually proceed with the charge; this is simply one of the security measures we use to protect our customers. The authorization charge will usually drop off your account in a few days depending on your bank. Normally, this would not be an issue but if you only had enough on your card to complete your purchase then it does cause a problem."
I've been considering writing online for money for quite some time now, but wasn't sure how to get started. I think eHow looks like a good fit for me, and I'm excited to give it a try. I have a couple of questions though, that I'm hoping someone who has written for them can answer.
I'm a little concerned about the application process, though. First of all, I have no formal experience with writing. I love to write for fun, but I don't have anything on my resume in that field. I've been in the healthcare field for the last five years. Will this negatively impact my chances of getting accepted? My second concern is the writing sample. They say they want a "clear, concise" style ("Think encyclopedia" is the term they use). Most of my writing is short story, creative, or stream-of-consciousness style. Should I come up with a completely new how-to style writing sample, or would one of my short creative writing samples be sufficient?
Once a month for my rent. Otherwise, rarely if ever write checks... perhaps once a year to pay local tax, etc? Everything else is done electronically.
Yes, I still use checks, but only for bills that I can't pay online like my water bill and fees at my kids' school. Everything else I pay online.
I pay my utilities through my bank's online bill pay. If my bank doesn't have electronic transfer directly to the utility (and many of the utilities do) they send my utility a paper check. I very rarely actually go to the payee website to make a payment (only if I'm cutting the deadline too close.) Paying online through my bank is free to anyone.
My checks are now limited to my children's piano teachers and such...everything else is virtual banking, auto-withdrawal, or Paypal. Oh, and church--somehow I don't feel right about trying to Paypal the church ;-)
I'm getting married in two weeks and I have paid almost exclusively by check so far. I could use cash, but checks are safer (and can be sent through the mail.) Some of the payments have been made through ING sending a check to the vendor, but often it's me writing a check on the spot - yes, using a real paper check.
Of course, in my day to day life, until recently, I've hardly EVER used checks. I pay all of my bills online and I even pay people using ING online checks. I haven't used their direct pay where they use the account number of the person I'm paying to just transfer money because I'm not comfortable asking for someone's account number. I don't know if I ever will.
I work for a plumbing company and we see about 50% checks on average, 50% credit cards. Cash sales are so statistically rare, they account for less than 1%. We of course, prefer cash. Used unethically, credit card protections suck for service providers.
I write checks for the water bill and for the electric bill, and that's only because they send the bill about 7 days before they require payment. I don't particularly trust that the bank will get the payment to them in that time period, and I sure don't want those necessities shut off.
Most of my bills can easily be paid online now but for those that can't or if I want to pay an individual for something and don't want to use cash, there's still no great alternative to a paper check. I still keep a checkbook around and use it around 5 times a month.
I haven't written a personal check in ages and I don't see myself doing so anytime soon. Everything for me is done electronically and if I need to have a check written I can just have my bank print one out and send it to the recipient.
Exactly! For both my utility company and rent company as well. $25 convenience fee when I'm paying early? Um no. So I write a few checks a month. And of course fill out every line.
Yes, but only for rent and utilities. We mail our rent, so cash is out and our landlord doesn't take cards. The utility companies charge more than the cost of a check, envelope, and stamp to pay online, so we pay with check.
I use checks occasionally for paying friends or family for large amounts, more than what I have in cash on me at the time. I never use checks at stores, either cash or plastic instead.
I write checks for my apartment rent and my health insurance. The apartment company charges a fee around $5 to use a credit card to pay, so that would basically be an extra $60 a year to my rent.
My health insurance demands that the bill stub be mailed in with payment, so a check for that.
Occasionally other things will come up too, such as recently buying candles from a friend of a friend who does those candle "parties."
But at stores, no, hasn't happened in a very long time.
I definitely don't use checks anymore, unless it's to pay rent. Then I need some sort of tangible documentation. It always takes too long while waiting in line at the grocery store if someone is fumbling with a check.
I will use a check now and then but never on a regular basis like say purchases at the grocery store. I really do think checks will become completely obsolete in the future considering online banking, a young generation and how fast and convenient it is to use a debit/credit card or cash. I have a batch of checks in my room just in case I really need them to look up my routing numbers or account numbers and to pay a bill over the phone with using those numbers/
I use checks close to never.
I don't have a physical checkbook these days. I use my bank's online bill pay to send money and pay bills. Every once in awhile I'll wish I had checks so I could pay someone immediately, but this comes up so rarely that I haven't bothered to order more...
I still write checks, but only when there's no way to transfer fund electronically. I'll write them for rent, or when I need to give my sister money since a lot of people still haven't figured out Pay Pal.
I like writing checks. It feels very official. But at the same time, it's not the most efficient or timely method of payment.
Checks are definitely outdated. I changed my name and address when I got married nearly a year ago, so I ordered free checks (from VistaPrint--I paid shipping only) instead of paying to have my bank reprint my checks.
However, in 10 months, I still have not used one of my new checks. Online bill pay, bank account transfers, and paypal have made paper checks useless for me!