I wrote one check last month

I just balanced my bank statement and noticed that I'd written ONE check last month--everything else was done online. Online banking might turn out to be one of the greatest inventions since duct tape.

 

I've written two checks since August.

All my bills are paid online. Rent is deducted automatically. It's pretty sweet. The more stuff that's automatic, the less there is for me to forget to pay.

 

I write a rent check each month. That's it. Everything else is either deducted automatically (car insurance, gym membership) or paid online.

 

One check a month here, too. Rent. Other than that, everything's online. Even my bar tab at my fav-o-rite pub.

 

We'd like to thank all of you for your kind donations.
Sincerely,
The First Bank of Nigeria,

 

I worried about that for a long time before I took the plunge. One plus to the online banking is that I can check the account whenever, not only for the balance, but to see what the transactions were. So far, MISTER G. WATANUBUTE has not made any withdrawals.

 

What she said.

 

One check for rent and I think I can start using my Visa for that, which will be a nice points bump.

 

Mortgage payment is all I'm writing a check for each month.

I've found a couple of minor problems with this approach.

1. If you use your debit card to set up automatic payments, when you change cards, you gotta remember to change all those accounts, too. Most of the time it's no big deal. The companies will send you a notice saying that they tried to push the payment through and there was a problem. But sometimes, you can get a little screwed. Awoke one morning to find my damn water had been turned off. No, seriously, flipped the tap and got nada. Because I had changed phone numbers and opted for no paper bills, they couldn't reach me when I changed cards. They were sending me email reminders to let me know they were taking money out each month, but after the first couple, I never paid much attention to them. Water is such an insignificant amount each month, who really thinks about it? Let me tell you, you have to go without that shit for a full day, you'll never forget again.

2. When you make that first online payment for services, some companies will automatically stop sending out paper bills, no matter if you opted for the automatic deduction or not. If it's a new service, sometimes it can slip by you.

Other than those two minor issues, though, love it.

 

Damn, my water bill is routinely in the $100 to $130 range.

Also, a lot of the companies where I live charge $2 to $5 service fees to pay online and I would rather pay for postage than pay a couple bucks a month to pay online.
Also, on my mortgage payment, I got my loan through Wells Fargo and I went to pay last month and it wanted me to pay $10 to pay online. This despite the fact that I also bank with Wells Fargo. Lesson learned: Wells Fargo sucks.

 

Thanks guys, I just remembered one of my Visa cards is due tomorrow. No late fees for me.

 

My checks still have the address from three abodes ago (where I haven't lived for almost four years) because I write so few.