How often do you use a checkbook? or do you pay all bills online?

[Anonymous]

My parents are in their 80's and still like writing checks and don't want to change, but it's becoming problematic. They don't get emails about bills being due and they don't get bills in the mail. They think it's not as safe paying online and don't really know how to do it and don't want to learn. So sometimes they pay their bills late and get charged late fees.

I rarely use my checkbook and pay online for most things.

[Anonymous]

I give my psychiatrist a check. He's a dinosaur, lol. It's about the only check I write. Besides my quarterly estimated taxes. Other than that, everything is online.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you have automatic payments set up for everything and just check your bank once a week? My wife wants me to do everything online, I actually like writing a check. It make me feel more accountable.

I pay most stuff online (utilities/ internet/ Amazon and online shopping) but I use weekly checks to pay for our wonderful cleaner and church pledges. I hand both directly to the recipients.

I don’t send checks in the mail due to wide spread check fraud in DMV.

There are still some places that don’t take credit card payments and only take cash or checks. For example, the MC court admin office for validating notary seals and some very small restaurants/ landscape companies. So they are useful to have on standby.

[Anonymous]

The only thing I use checks for are things like plumber, electrician, roofers, contractors.

[Anonymous]

I write maybe 5 checks a year for kid's activities.
I only have rent, internet, one cellphone bill, rent insurance once a year, and car insurance twice a year. No utilities to pay.
Rent/rent insurance and car insurance are the only ones I have not set on automatic. Credit card bills are automatic. The minimums would get paid if I became incapacitated.

[Anonymous]

I mainly do online payments for everything and I receive a text alert from my bank anytime there's a transaction in my checking account.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I write a check for our house cleaner because she prefers it. And occasionally my dentist sends a bill which I return with a check. Other than that, I do everything online.

BUT I write it all down in my checkbook and I balance that frigging' checkbook every month. Old habits die hard!

I balance mine every month, too! Lol

[Anonymous]

I write checks for: birthday and Christmas gifts for 3 nieces/nephews and whatever school things will not accept Venmo or Zelle to the HSA. Usually between 5-10 of those a year. In fact I wrote one of this yesterday and noticed we were down to our last few checks in the last checkbook from the set I ordered 4 years ago.

[Anonymous]

We do 99.9% online: all credit cards, utilities, housekeeper (Venmo), etc. The checks are just there for handymen/electricians who don't take venno/electronic payments.

[Anonymous]

I only write checks to health care companies because I don't want MedStar or John Hopkins to have my cc # and I think it's easier to track if there's an issue than it is with electronic checks.

Otherwise I use autopay or bill pay through the bank.

DH wants to write a check to anyone he owes money to for tickets, etc., which pisses them off, so I end up Venmo-ing them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I use checks for things I don't want to use a credit card for or allow automatic withdrawals. Ever since JHU Health was hacked I write them checks instead of giving them a credit card number.

I just wrote the same, but I didn't know they got hacked, so even more reason to continue on.

[Anonymous]

I haven't written checks in years and then only when I absolutely had to. The last regular payment that required a check has finally been brought online but not before one check was lost in the mail. I don't trust the US Postal service at all.

I am 70.

[Anonymous]

I write a check for water every quarter because I don't like paying the fee. Other than that it's just when I need to pay money to Girl Scouts who either take checks or cash.

[Anonymous]

If you’re in charge of paying the bill I think you can do it in any manner you prefer.

[Anonymous]

Household cleaners and then the random one-off school expense. Everything else is online.

Example - in a book of 25 checks; 23 are to the house cleaners; one is to a coach for end of year party; and one to a mom for homecoming dinner.