I'm so glad they put this helpful reminder in to reorder checks

[-]

buffalo_ranch_@reddit

I recently opened a new checking account for home improvement. Lots of under the table contractors don’t do credit cards. Cash or check only. I ordered checks for the first time in probably 15 years. I had to write one last Saturday for the first time. It was going great until I signed the memo block and wrote “countertops” in the signature block. Dammit!

[-]

zandarthebarbarian@reddit

I think I'm down to writing about 30 a year. Too bad the USPS is no longer reliable or I would still be mailing my bills

[-]

sharp-calculation@reddit

You sound 90 years old.

Mailing payments was always a poor way to do things. Electronic payment methods are superior in essentially all measurable ways. 30 checks per year is a huge amount. I've written zero in the last 2 years.

BTW, I'm older than you are.

[-]

zandarthebarbarian@reddit

I don't k now, they charge about 5 bucks sometimes just to use a card to pay a bill. That's just one bill

[-]

sharp-calculation@reddit

Out of all of the bills I pay every month, two companies charge to pay electronically. However, both let you do a direct bank account (ACH) pull instead. I use the ACH for one of them. For the other my credit card pays more cash back than the fee, so I net positive money from that one.

There is always a way to pay electronically without a fee.

Checks are insecure, get lost, are slow (in more ways than one), and are just outdated. I would love to see checks disappear entirely and be replaced by a more robust universal electronic payment system. Like Zelle, but truly universal. I still have a check book and over a hundred checks. I don't plan on ever using them again, but they are there if I need to.

[-]

zandarthebarbarian@reddit

When cash and checks disappear, you WILL be paying the banks for keeping your electronic money and you will have no choice. Physical money is freedom. You must want to be a slave

[-]

sharp-calculation@reddit

Thats a real paranoid point of view. I think it’s about as likely as aliens inventing the iPhone. But some people believe that too.

[-]

zandarthebarbarian@reddit

Its not. If physical currency goes, you and I will be paying the banks a fortune. They will push us as far as they can get away with it.

[-]

RedStateKitty@reddit

Plus it costs more than ever to use the mail. 75+¢ for first class stamps

[-]

Astronaut6735@reddit (OP)

Kind of related to rarely using checks, I also rarely mail anything. I'm still using the forever stamps I bought ten years ago for 47¢ each. I'll probably have to buy more stamps around the same time that I have to order new checks... ten years from now. 😁

[-]

MTheadedRaccoon@reddit

So much this! I bought a roll of 100 at $0.47 and I think I'm going to have to bequeath them in my will!

[-]

AZPeakBagger@reddit

My first sales job was working for a check printer that sold to banks who in return would sell the checks to their customers. It was a license to print money, very lucrative back in the 90’s. We had guys in my office making 6 figures 30+ years ago just selling blank checks.

[-]

tank_monkey@reddit

One of the biggest cons in history is banks convincing people they were selling them a service.

[-]

zandarthebarbarian@reddit

Now they charge to use their cards

[-]

ReweSerious@reddit

I haven't wrote a check in over 15 years. Cheaper to get a bank check than order checks i never use.

[-]

JoshuaAJones@reddit

2003 was my last check.
Also, stopped carrying cash back then.
Never use my debit card. Everything on my credit card.

[-]

BMXTammi@reddit

I pay tips in cash whenever possible. Those dont have to be reported as income

[-]

JoshuaAJones@reddit

Tips aren't taxed anyways.
Neither is overtime.

[-]

jer1303@reddit

🤣

[-]

RedStateKitty@reddit

They are supposed to be declared. The IRS assumes people paid the typical wage for tipped employees get a certain percentage tipped and employers are to report that. But yes, the tipped server can hide some of the tip income from the tax man.

[-]

TrickQuiet9630@reddit

three per year?!? do you not go grocery shopping?!? paying by check, i meet the nicest people in the checkout lane. always so helpful, offering suggestions as to where i should go, what to do with myself in my spare-time, ideas as to what to eat for my next meal...

[-]

MTheadedRaccoon@reddit

gif

[-]

Sithscorch15@reddit

You were almost too clever in your wording for me to catch the real messages you're getting. 😆

[-]

HonestCompote3495@reddit

Lol 😂

[-]

queenmemaw@reddit

Debit card. Online bill pay. This is 2026.

[-]

Difficult-Future-450@reddit

The only checks I write are to my father. I tried sending him a Zelle payment and he just couldn't wrap his head around it. So I ordered checks for the first time in 10+ years just so I can pay him back when he gets stuff for us.

[-]

RedStateKitty@reddit

I moved 4 years ago just used up the last book of checks with the old address. I donate to our church with a check, also to a mission family I support, to.our sons mission trips to Honduras, to the storage unit, our dog groomer and to our HVAC guy. Otherwise I use a Sam's master card. Just used Sam's cash to get a new pressure washer for $00.00

[-]

HelloSunshine2@reddit

We were recently collecting bids for a plumber. One of them told us he only accepted cash or checks. He did not get our business. I'm guessing he's leaving a lot of money on the table by not accepting even venmo.

[-]

RedStateKitty@reddit

I pay our dog groomer in checks and add tips in cash My own salon won't accept cash or checks only cards )not sure if zelle or venmo are accepted and I don't use either. My tree service only gets paid cash )had trees taken out in '24 and '25 and my roofer gave a substantial discount for paying cash. I still received a receipt needed for the roofing material warranty.

[-]

zandarthebarbarian@reddit

He has plenty to do I'm sure. I would gladly pay him because getting a plumber now is getting impossible

[-]

Fiercesome5@reddit

My HOA thinks using their site should constitute a $5 "convenience" fee that I pay. Ha. So they get a check.

[-]

zandarthebarbarian@reddit

Amen

[-]

Astronaut6735@reddit (OP)

I wouldn't give an HOA a cent more than I was legally obligated to. My last house was in an HOA, and those people were nosy busybodies.

[-]

Fiercesome5@reddit

Absolutely.

[-]

AcrobaticTrouble3563@reddit

It's not safe to put checks in the mail where I live - thieves have keys to all the USPS Dropbox, etc. and wash checks. The USPS doesnt seem to be interested in stopping it, considering its been like this for years now, so..

[-]

Bladrak01@reddit

About the only thing we use paper checks for is my wife's offering to her church.

[-]

New_Discussion_6692@reddit

I haven't written or ordered checks in well over a decade. Thankfully, I can pay my taxes with an electronic check.

[-]

jondes99@reddit

How has nobody comment on the corded mouse? OP: this is also a good reminder to clean your trackball.

[-]

JoshuaAJones@reddit

I use a corded mouse. My son, a gamer, uses a corded mouse. We are on our computers a lot. The only person I know that uses a cordless mouse is my Mom.

[-]

Astronaut6735@reddit (OP)

I actually use a corded mouse 🤣. It's a vertical mouse made by Evoluent, and I love that damn thing.

[-]

Poutiest_Penguin@reddit

I was cleaning out a closet recently and I found a tiny corded IBM mouse. I can’t bear to throw it away. It’s adorable.

[-]

kalelopaka@reddit

Yeah, my credit union doesn’t order you boxes of checks, they order you two books at a time and I haven’t ordered new ones in over ten years.

[-]

Conscious_Pianist478@reddit

I just wrote a check this week for Red Sox tickets and since I still haven’t learned how to balance a checkbook I’m just waiting for it to bounce.

[-]

Tinsie167@reddit

I remember taking a lot of time looking through the check selection to find the perfect check image to match my personality. Now that idea seems silly.

[-]

foda_55139@reddit

I loved the checks I had. They were from the "For Dummies" series and every line had a description of what it was for.

I went to re-order them years later and they were no longer offered.

I currently have classic video games in the background - Space Invaders, Tetris, Snake, & Breakout.

[-]

OkCalligrapher2453@reddit

And paid extra for the privilege of expressing ourselves through our checks. 😆

[-]

SPQR0027@reddit

I know I paid a little extra to get cool looking checks.

[-]

penguin_stomper@reddit

I always went with the cheapo ones. Money became less scarce, and I even remember realizing I could order cooler checks the next time. I didn't expect this box of checks to last 16 years and counting. It'll probably last 16 more.

[-]

Diela1968@reddit

Remember when we used to spend time and money looking for the perfect ringtone? It’s that same feeling lol

[-]

Patient-Brief-9713@reddit

I might never run out at my current rate of use.

[-]

Reboot-Glitchspark@reddit

If you do ever need more, order them from walmart or something. The ones reordered through the bank cost about 4x as much (or more) and take way longer to arrive. Because one or two companies have a monopoly agreement with all the banks and everyone just reorders there because they think they have to. But you don't.

[-]

Patient-Brief-9713@reddit

Yes! Purchasing checks from one’s bank is a ripoff. Walmart all the way.

[-]

TravelerMSY@reddit

I think I’m on the same box of checks from my Bank of America account. That I opened in 1994.

[-]

asyouwish@reddit

I HATE these ads from the USPS. I haven’t used a check in like two decades. Because. They. Are. Awful.

[-]

kobuta99@reddit

I generally stopped using checks and year 2000. I think I used one a month for my rent at the time.

Strangely when I moved back to the old house (parents moved out), I still had all these checks with the now current address again. I use checks for the local taxes and bills that tack on fees for electronic payments, and now 15 years later, I'm finally on my last book of checks.

[-]

tanhauser_gates_@reddit

Checks?

I haven't written a check in 20 years.

[-]

JuJu_Wirehead@reddit

What's a check?

[-]

Poutiest_Penguin@reddit

I have checks that are so old they have my maiden name (I got married in 2007). I still use them, maybe one or two a year, even though the name, address and phone number are wrong. The routing and account numbers are correct. 🤷‍♀️

[-]

TheJokersChild@reddit

I'm in an apartment that puts envelopes in our doors so we can mail the rent checks every month. Even with that, I still don't write enough checks to warrant ordering a full checkbook. I just get a sheet of 3 every few months so the address on them stays current - it's changed a few times in the past couple years.

[-]

schwanzwaffe@reddit

Where I live discounts are provided if you pay with cash or check for nearly everything. I was shocked how prevalent this is moving from another state where life if digital.

[-]

grateful_john@reddit

Oddly enough I just wrote about 25 checks. But it was from my business account for giving to students at a conference we sponsor (we give 60 students up to $1,000 for travel reimbursement, check is an option as well as PayPal or bank transfer).

[-]

468051554lissy@reddit

When we moved and changed banks a couple years ago they kindly gave us 10 checks free. They are still sitting in the desk drawer

[-]

Paint-by-numberrs@reddit

I still have a checkbook, but I rarely use it.

[-]

gingerthetrailpup@reddit

I do not think I had to ever reorder checks … I am a renter so I have not lived the long in a place. I still write checks anytime I will be charged a fee for paying by credit card. Almost every time it is cheaper … plus I just like to annoy people.

[-]

wyohman@reddit

What is this "check" you speak of...

[-]

Sensitive-Rip-8005@reddit

The last time I ordered checks was about 10 years ago. I had to go into my branch because it had been so long since I’d reordered that I couldn’t do it online. This was for an account that was about 15 years old at the time. I write one check a month. Basically, it allows me to practice my signature.

[-]

Artisan_Gardener@reddit

You use checks at all? I ran out of checks almost 10 years ago and have never had a need for them. I file my taxes online, pay online, or actually wait for my refund. Pay all bills electronically.

You could possibly get sheets of counter checks from your bank or credit union, credit union probably, so you never have to pay for checks that you really do't use very often. But, banks do or used to offer counter checks, too.

Also, if you *must* buy a box of checks, get some from those cheap checks companies for like $4.99 a box or something like that.

[-]

Astronaut6735@reddit (OP)

I write a check each year to pay my state taxes (Maryland don't offer ACH transfer to pay your tax bill). Then once in while I'll hire a service that charges extra if you use a credit card, so I pay by check. It's averaging out to a few checks each year.

[-]

Affectionate-Map2583@reddit

Do you mean your state income tax or state property tax? MD definitely does ACH for income tax at MD ifile. For property tax, I don't think they do. In my county (Carroll), you can pay your property tax bill at the public library, which I always do because I think it's pretty funny that I can just drop off my $4500 check with the volunteer or part time info desk clerk and call it a day. I also feel like I'm slightly sticking it to the man by not paying a CC fee or even buying a stamp.

My other check uses for the year are mostly to my hay guy.

[-]

Astronaut6735@reddit (OP)

I actually just filed an amended 2024 return through FreeTaxUSA, and the instructions at the end only listed check, money order, or credit card as ways to pay Maryland state taxes. Sounds like their information is incorrect. I'm about to finish my 2025 taxes, so I'll keep an eye out for that screen again and see what it says.

[-]

Affectionate-Map2583@reddit

Use FreeTaxUSA for your federal taxes only, then go to MD ifile to do your MD taxes for free directly with the comptroller's office. I've been using their site for many years. This year the ACH is scheduled for 4/14 to extract a few hundred from my account.

https://interactive.marylandtaxes.gov/Individuals/iFile_ChooseForm/

[-]

TwistedMemories@reddit

The only I would write out a check was to pay my property taxes. And then I stopped writing them altogether when they opened up electronic payments. I have no idea where or if I even have any.

I guess I could order one or one or two checkbooks from my bank since I wouldn’t need a full box.

[-]

cowboyJones@reddit

I haven’t written a check in over 5 years.

[-]

writerlady6@reddit

I just went twelve years between boxes. If I ever order another one, pretty sure I'll beat that.

[-]

Astronaut6735@reddit (OP)

If my estimate is correct, I'll run out in 2037.

[-]

Fotomonkey13@reddit

I've been on the same book for over 20 yrs. Now if I need checks I just get a sheet of 4 counter checks from the bank.

[-]

deagh@reddit

There are places that offer cash discounts or charge fees to use cards, so they get checks. I write a few a year because of that. But last time I had to order Costco had BY FAR the best deal on checks, so that's where I got them.

[-]

pocketdare@reddit

Definitely don't order direct from the bank (or Deluxe). That's like taking your car to the dealership for basic repairs.

[-]

Jefwho@reddit

I write so few checks that mine still have my old address from 8 years ago.

[-]

Skatchbro@reddit

I don’t write many checks now but I did reorder last month. When they came in I was looking at the check numbers and realized that instead of 4 sets of 50, they were 4 sets of 40. Cheap bastards.

[-]

shotsallover@reddit

I’m still writing two a month.

Rent. Because my landlord doesn’t want to pay the fees for digital payment. Which I kind of respect.

And PG+E. Because if you’re going to rake me over the coals with power rates, you can afford to have someone open it by hand and process it.

[-]

Astronaut6735@reddit (OP)

BGE out here is raking us over the same coals 😡.

[-]

Nervous-Rooster7760@reddit

Just curious as I did taxes over weekend as well. Any reason you don’t just pay via ACH transfer. That allows you to file electronically and never go to post office.

I rarely write a check these days. Normally smaller business who charge to use card or give cash discount.

[-]

Astronaut6735@reddit (OP)

My state (Maryland) doesn't offer ACH to pay your tax bill. You can use check, money order, or credit card (with a service fee). I'm not going through the trouble to get a money order, and paying an extra fee on top of paying taxes seems like a slap in the face 😆.

[-]

Nervous-Rooster7760@reddit

Ah. Yeah I would be writing that check as well. My state does thankfully.

[-]

Servile-PastaLover@reddit

I had to order new checks in 2020 for the first time in about 15 years.

Not because I ran out, but because my bank forced me. Routing number changed through no fault of my own.

[-]

Minute-Frame-8060@reddit

My bank changed 4 years ago in 2022, I'm lucky I guess that they are still honoring the 5 checks a year I write with the old bank's name and routing number. I never paid attention until I just checked now! Hopefully it's because when they first sent the "welcome to NewBank" info there was something saying we all could still use checks with OldBank info on them.

[-]

Reddiculusness@reddit

Last time I remember writing a check was sometime in the late 90s . I've had my current checking account since '99 and never ordered checks for it .

[-]

penguin_stomper@reddit

I used to use a box (200 checks?) about every year. I noted on the current pad of checks when I started using it. I have written 8 checks in the past 5 years. The address on them is one I haven't lived at since 2010.

[-]

Garguyal@reddit

I haven't had to reorder checks for decades now. The only people I need to write checks for anymore are my local government.

[-]

BradGunnerSGT@reddit

I hadn’t written a check in over 15+ years until I moved from one of the largest cities in the country to a small town. The water co-op only processes payments quarterly and they only accept checks. I found that my credit union will print a sheet of like 4 checks for free so I don’t have to keep getting teller checks and I don’t have to keep track of a check book.

[-]

Square-Wing-6273@reddit

I still write checks. My hairdresser doesn't take credit cards and because I refuse to let Venmo have my bank information, I only use them as a last resort (fees when using credit card). My landscaper, and other various contractors that help around the house. They charge for cc use, and again, I don't like giving anyone my bank information - more opportunities for exposure.

So, maybe 12 a year

[-]