View Full Version : One Trump policy I actually like!
The feds are phasing out paper checks. Hopefully this hastens their death for the entire country.
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/personal-finance/federal-government-phasing-paper-checks-will-affected-rcna199166
The US appears to be the last country hanging onto checks like this. No reason for it. For small tradesmen who don’t want to take card payments, there are things like Zelle, Venmo, PayPal, etc.
early morning
5-4-25, 9:09am
Well, some of us Luddites still appreciate the paper things of life.... and what ya gonna do when the aliens take out all the satellites?
:~)
Well, some of us Luddites still appreciate the paper things of life.... and what ya gonna do when the aliens take out all the satellites?
:~)
Check fraud has increased massively since the pandemic. I know at least one senior had a check(s) that was washed and they lost a lot of money.
I still have to pay my water bill with a check and it is SO annoying. The propane company finally provided an online payment system. It's clunky but it's better than writing checks.
DH just got a checkbook for our boat touring company--simply so he could pay his yet-unhired first mate. If someone here can give me guidance on an easier way to do it as a small businessperson, let me know. I did sign up for Quickbooks, and that might have some type of easy-to-use payment system but I haven't gotten into it yet. Anyone with any experience with that?
early morning
5-4-25, 9:21am
Ok, I was mostly joking, thus the emoji. But - I know people who were scammed via internet banking. There are scammers everywhere. But I am concerned re: moving everything online. I am not convinced of the security of our electric grid, let alone the security of our pie-in-the-sky cloud/internet/online based monetary exchanges. I'm not a prepper and I'm not (really) anticipating doomsday, but I do think that keeping potential scenarios in mind and having some means of exchange that does not include the internet is a good plan. And I'm not saying paper checks are the answer, but removing them is one more step towards a more easily destabilized all-eggs-in-one-basket approach to money.
I still have to pay my water bill with a check and it is SO annoying. The propane company finally provided an online payment system. It's clunky but it's better than writing checks.
DH just got a checkbook for our boat touring company--simply so he could pay his yet-unhired first mate. If someone here can give me guidance on an easier way to do it as a small businessperson, let me know. I did sign up for Quickbooks, and that might have some type of easy-to-use payment system but I haven't gotten into it yet. Anyone with any experience with that?
Direct deposit? Ask your bank about it.
Ok, I was mostly joking, thus the emoji. But - I know people who were scammed via internet banking. There are scammers everywhere. But I am concerned re: moving everything online. I am not convinced of the security of our electric grid, let alone the security of our pie-in-the-sky cloud/internet/online based monetary exchanges. I'm not a prepper and I'm not (really) anticipating doomsday, but I do think that keeping potential scenarios in mind and having some means of exchange that does not include the internet is a good plan. And I'm not saying paper checks are the answer, but removing them is one more step towards a more easily destabilized all-eggs-in-one-basket approach to money.
Do you really think businesses are suddenly going to take checks if there is a power outage? It’s cash or nothing. A lot of younger people no longer have checks at all.
early morning
5-4-25, 9:24am
Catherine - not exactly a check issue but is he going to take out payroll taxes or hire an independent contractor? Because that might change how he does things - signing up with a payroll service would negate the need for checks, as they do direct deposits.
Catherine - not exactly a check issue but is he going to take out payroll taxes or hire an independent contractor? Because that might change how he does things - signing up with a payroll service would negate the need for checks, as they do direct deposits.
Good suggestion! I'll look into that. He is hiring as independent contractors, though.
iris lilies
5-4-25, 10:29am
I belong to a bunch of little bitty hobby groups. All of their business receivables are cash or check. Membership dues of $5 each. Sales of $220 -$300 a year, that kind of thing. Setting up Venmo, etc., is complicated for them.
And then, my largest Iris organization takes in around $12,000 in annual sales and just this year folks have insisted on setting up a way to accept credit cards. Let me tell you this process is not easy. Venmo wants a tax ID number, an EIN.
I think, not sure, we ended up using the EIN of our parent organization.
But when I look into signing up for an EIN, the IRS wants the Social Security number of the responsible party. I do not want my Social Security number associated with the EIN organization because I will not always be part of it. That is a dead end for me.
I’m in the middle of this for three organizations trying to figure out the best path.
I had some checks from a money market account and used one to pay an old school roofing company when they completed work. The bank informed me several days later that they no longer used checks so it "bounced." Into the shredder they went.
I belong to a bunch of little bitty hobby groups. All of their business receivables are cash or check. Membership dues of $5 each. Sales of $220 -$300 a year, that kind of thing. Setting up Venmo, etc., is complicated for them.
And then, my largest Iris organization takes in around $12,000 in annual sales and just this year folks have insisted on setting up a way to accept credit cards. Let me tell you this process is not easy. Venmo wants a tax ID number, an EIN.
I think, not sure, we ended up using the EIN of our parent organization.
But when I look into signing up for an EIN, the IRS wants the Social Security number of the responsible party. I do not want my Social Security number associated with the EIN organization because I will not always be part of it. That is a dead end for me.
I’m in the middle of this for three organizations trying to figure out the best path.
My diving clubs take Venmo or PayPal.
My work hasn’t taken checks for a couple of years. ACH, plus e check (free) or cc fee) via our online payment portal. There’s also PayCargo (logistics industry payment service).
Good suggestion! I'll look into that. He is hiring as independent contractors, though.
So they can also work for others then?
So they can also work for others then?
Yes, it has to be that way. This is his first season, so we have no idea what we can promise employees because we don't know how many bookings we'll have.
ToomuchStuff
5-4-25, 8:30pm
I got us set up to start taking credit cards the day before I collapsed, so my manager decided to delay it because it complicates things and her job got a lot more complicated stepping up to do things I do/did.
We still do a lot of checks, as both our bank, my credit union, and a lot of our customers are old fashioned, that doesn't even mention business to business checks.
I know neither our bank nor my CU have Venmo, nor does our bank have online bill pay. (software shows it but bank doesn't offer it) Weekends, probably 1/3rd of our income is checks, I expect to change to better then 60% cards when we start.
I got us set up to start taking credit cards the day before I collapsed, so my manager decided to delay it because it complicates things and her job got a lot more complicated stepping up to do things I do/did.
We still do a lot of checks, as both our bank, my credit union, and a lot of our customers are old fashioned, that doesn't even mention business to business checks.
I know neither our bank nor my CU have Venmo, nor does our bank have online bill pay. (software shows it but bank doesn't offer it) Weekends, probably 1/3rd of our income is checks, I expect to change to better then 60% cards when we start.
Your business bank doesn’t have online banking? How utterly backward.
ToomuchStuff
5-4-25, 8:36pm
Your business bank doesn’t have online banking? How utterly backward.
Online review, yes, bill pay, that sort of thing, no.
Online review, yes, bill pay, that sort of thing, no.
No online bill pay? That’s so backward in 2025.
Here's another annoying check thing. I have the boat loan with a bank.. I won't mention which one. I got an offer from them for a 0% APR credit card which I got so I could do a balance transfer. When I went to set up an autopay online, I couldn't do it. I finally learned that you have to have a checking account with this bank in order to be able to pay your credit card bill online. There is no way I'm going to get a checking account just for that purpose, so I have to write checks for that bill, but I often just call them and process a payment over the phone which is also a pain. Thankfully, that bill has been paid and I don't have to use the card anymore.
But isn't that rule ridiculous?
Yes, that rule is ridiculous. You couldn’t initiate an electronic payment from your bank’s bill pay?
Yes, that rule is ridiculous. You couldn’t initiate an electronic payment from your bank’s bill pay?
Yes, I could have, but I didn't have to call in those payments very long. I used to have my bank do all my bill paying but I no longer do.
I do virtually everything electronically these days. I was reluctant to start but once we started spending nearly a quarter of each year traveling around the country it became the only guaranteed way to keep up with monthly obligations. The only checks I've written over the past several years have been for a few independent contractors who've performed services for us, a small landscaping business, a small family owned and operated pool service who opens and closes the pool for us and a one man handyman who built a retaining wall.
Several years ago, before we switched to all electronic payments, we ordered a re-supply of checks and now we have enough on hand to handle all our check needs for the rest of our lives.
A funny thing about younger generations and checks. Before my wife retired she worked the last few years with a young new elementary school teacher who had never written a check and playfully teased my wife about carrying around an old fashioned checkbook in her purse. A month or so ago the young teacher texted her and said "You'd be so proud of me, I had to write a check today and I only screwed it up once!". This was the same teacher who couldn't tell time on an analog clock and didn't see any reason to learn how since everything is digital these days.
I write very few checks these days. Like Alan said, I most often do it for contractors, and I also occasionally write a check as a gift. I've run into issues a few times doing online bank pay for magazine subscriptions that are in my husband's name, and the online payment shows my name. Company therefore initiates a new subscription in my name rather than extending DH's subscription. I'm always able to untangle it, but it's just another thing to deal with.
I was recently given a pen that is supposed to prevent check-washing of checks, so apparently that is a thing now.
The luddite in me was wondering how people will pay for their Mastercard monthly statements if there are no checks.
I'll continue writing checks for 3 or 4 monthly utility type bills and I'm thinking paper checks are not going away anytime soon. I'm not so sure online banking has any huge security advantage over paper checks. I always pay using old fashioned real money in restaurants and often for gas and a few other things. My barber is not set up for credit cards. A paranoid guess is that among all the data breaches at places like Target and AT+T, that someone somewhere already has big blocks of personal information on most all of us and it's for sale to the right buyer.
I imagine in Trump's delusion of a future utopia we would all be using crypto.
The luddite in me was wondering how people will pay for their Mastercard monthly statements if there are no checks.
It's easy! Go to your card provider's online portal, sign in and choose to receive electronic statements and then autopay. I link a secondary checking account which I maintain for just that purpose and choose the option to pay each statement in full rather than the suggested minimum payment. Each month I review the electronic statement and then do an electronic transfer on my local bank's portal to move an appropriate amount from primary checking to the secondary account. I do the same with utilities.
A funny thing about younger generations and checks. Before my wife retired she worked the last few years with a young new elementary school teacher who had never written a check and playfully teased my wife about carrying around an old fashioned checkbook in her purse. A month or so ago the young teacher texted her and said "You'd be so proud of me, I had to write a check today and I only screwed it up once!". This was the same teacher who couldn't tell time on an analog clock and didn't see any reason to learn how since everything is digital these days.
Wow, that is so funny!! I can't believe the young teacher couldn't even read an analog clock!! We could probably have a whole thread on the generation tech gaps we've seen... My story like that goes back 30 years when we were the only ones in the neighborhood to still have a rotary phone. One day my son's friend came in and asked if he could use our phone to call his mother, and I directed him to the wall phone in the kitchen. He was there for a couple of minutes, but I didn't hear him talking, so when he came out of the kitchen, I asked him if he had reached his mother, and he replied, "No, I couldn't figure out how to use your phone."
It's easy! Go to your card provider's online portal, sign in and choose to receive electronic statements and then autopay. I link a secondary checking account which I maintain for just that purpose and choose the option to pay each statement in full rather than the suggested minimum payment. Each month I review the electronic statement and then do an electronic transfer on my local bank's portal to move an appropriate amount from primary checking to the secondary account. I do the same with utilities.
I only have a debit card, which seems to do the same thing with fewer steps? I was guessing that most people get their Mastercard statement and then pay with a check, but I really don't know what the common method of paying off a credit card is. I suppose if a person's bank account balance won't cover their credit card charges, then a debit card won't work. Maybe there are other reasons not to use a debit card.
iris lilies
5-5-25, 10:08am
I only have a debit card, which seems to do the same thing with fewer steps? I was guessing that most people get their Mastercard statement and then pay with a check, but I really don't know what the common method of paying off a credit card is. I suppose if a person's bank account balance won't cover their credit card charges, then a debit card won't work. Maybe there are other reasons not to use a debit card.
We don’t have a debit card due to the security problems with it. My understanding is if someone wipes out your account (stealing) with a debit card, the bank is not liable. Is that still true?
We keep a lot of money in our checking account because we’re always paying bills from it.
our credit card bills are set up to be paid automatically from our checking account so that’s why we always have a lot of money in that account.
ToomuchStuff
5-5-25, 12:54pm
I was recently given a pen that is supposed to prevent check-washing of checks, so apparently that is a thing now.
It has been a thing for quite a long time, Gel pens are the recommended thing. They are not foolproof, as it happened to me and I have only been using Gel pens that were recommended by law enforcement for years.
Then the same check, was resubmitted and my credit union started to send it back through. I had to change accounts. (had one of the oldest accounts at the union)
The luddite in me was wondering how people will pay for their Mastercard monthly statements if there are no checks.
Checking account no checks, routing and account number and you do phone ach transfers via the credit card company. This is how I pay mine, I started when I was out of checks.
We don’t have a debit card due to the security problems with it. My understanding is if someone wipes out your account (stealing) with a debit card, the bank is not liable. Is that still true?
We keep a lot of money in our checking account because we’re always paying bills from it.
our credit card bills are set up to be paid automatically from our checking account so that’s why we always have a lot of money in that account.
If they physically have your card (broke into your house and it hasn't been reported stolen yet,) I believe so.
Once reported stolen, no it shouldn't be.
I suspect if the debit card had what happened to my credit card, then you wouldn't be liable either. (unactivated card was used and they tried to charge me for some fraudulent electronic warranty service, when I mentioned the card was unactivated, and this had to be an internal theft, they quickly changed their attitude, afraid of Federal oversite).
The luddite in me was wondering how people will pay for their Mastercard monthly statements if there are no checks.
I'll continue writing checks for 3 or 4 monthly utility type bills and I'm thinking paper checks are not going away anytime soon. I'm not so sure online banking has any huge security advantage over paper checks. I always pay using old fashioned real money in restaurants and often for gas and a few other things. My barber is not set up for credit cards. A paranoid guess is that among all the data breaches at places like Target and AT+T, that someone somewhere already has big blocks of personal information on most all of us and it's for sale to the right buyer.
I imagine in Trump's delusion of a future utopia we would all be using crypto.
Online bill pay.
littlebittybobby
5-5-25, 1:30pm
okay---i like Mr T's latest idea about re-using Alcatraz AKA "The Rock", to incarcerate hardened criminals, steada just using it for tours. But yeah---bring in low-risk inmates at first to scrape peeling paint, and give 'er a coat of some drab color, inside and out. Also, install an execution chamber, with options of Electrocution, Lethal Gas, Firing Squad, or whatrever. Limit the appeals process to 5 years. Allow some lucky tourist to push the Button. Yup. That'd be greeeaaat.
The luddite in me was wondering how people will pay for their Mastercard monthly statements if there are no checks.
I'll continue writing checks for 3 or 4 monthly utility type bills and I'm thinking paper checks are not going away anytime soon. I'm not so sure online banking has any huge security advantage over paper checks. I always pay using old fashioned real money in restaurants and often for gas and a few other things. My barber is not set up for credit cards. A paranoid guess is that among all the data breaches at places like Target and AT+T, that someone somewhere already has big blocks of personal information on most all of us and it's for sale to the right buyer.
I imagine in Trump's delusion of a future utopia we would all be using crypto.
The postal service has gotten so bad I question why people are even trusting their checks to it. I’m referring to check theft as well as just very slow delivery.
I know at least one die hard check writer. The problem is that she gets her statements late via mail due to very slow postal service in her area. She sends out her check payments asap, but then it’s slow getting to the recipient. She’s always getting hit with late fees and her credit rating is down as well. Yet she won’t even consider online bill pay. Too dangerous, she says.
It's easy! Go to your card provider's online portal, sign in and choose to receive electronic statements and then autopay. I link a secondary checking account which I maintain for just that purpose and choose the option to pay each statement in full rather than the suggested minimum payment. Each month I review the electronic statement and then do an electronic transfer on my local bank's portal to move an appropriate amount from primary checking to the secondary account. I do the same with utilities.
Electronic statements are not required. I want a paper statement. It is easier to match to receipts and can do away from the computer.
Electronic statements are not required. I want a paper statement. It is easier to match to receipts and can do away from the computer.
Yes, but it's very difficult to do if you're away from home for months at a time.
I reckon I save close to a dollar per transaction via electronic bill pay. Just use checks for birthday gifts and charitable contributions.
I do agree with frugal about paper statements though.
I don't even have any checks.
I don't even have any checks.
Yay!
I reckon I save close to a dollar per transaction via electronic bill pay. Just use checks for birthday gifts and charitable contributions.
I do agree with frugal about paper statements though.
The only person who gets birthday gifts from me is my almost 20 yo goddaughter. She wants cash and I send it via Message on her iPhone to Apple Cash. She spends it on books. Works as a digital debit card via Apple Pay.
I just wrote a check two hours ago to pay for some labor that a neighbor did for us. Looking in my checkbook I wrote just FOUR checks last year and three checks so far this year.
At least my checks have my current address on them; I finally used up all checks I had from when I lived in Michigan for the past seven years!
ToomuchStuff
5-5-25, 8:57pm
I reckon I save close to a dollar per transaction via electronic bill pay. Just use checks for birthday gifts and charitable contributions.
I do agree with frugal about paper statements though.
I am of the type. and I asked, can I get both? (cancer battle, away from home, yet chemo fog, would prefer a paper one to mark up and reference later)
I had to write a physical check to someone last week, and it took me the good part of an hour to find the checkbook. I hadn't written one for > 8 years, according to the ledger.
I still see some older people holding up the line at the grocery store by writing a check. You'd think that they would have it mostly filled out except the amount while standing in line waiting to be served but NO, they write the whole thing out after the cashier is finished. Then I get a just little irked at myself for being impatient because I usually am not on a time constraint but still, writing checks at the grocery store is a practice that has gone by the way of rotary phones.
I still see some older people holding up the line at the grocery store by writing a check. You'd think that they would have it mostly filled out except the amount while standing in line waiting to be served but NO, they write the whole thing out after the cashier is finished. Then I get a just little irked at myself for being impatient because I usually am not on a time constraint but still, writing checks at the grocery store is a practice that has gone by the way of rotary phones.
That’s just pants on head stupid. Why can’t they do that before they get in line?
littlebittybobby
5-6-25, 11:26am
That’s just pants on head stupid. Why can’t they do that before they get in line? Yup. okay----that was the seed for a whole 'nother thread about annoying grocery store behaviors, such as egg-checking, aisle-blocking, fondling perishable merchandis and setting it back down; leaving perishables somewhere because they changed their "mind'; and a lot of other stuff. But yeah---we need to revisit this topic, asap. Thankk mee.
Yup. okay----that was the seed for a whole 'nother thread about annoying grocery store behaviors, such as egg-checking, aisle-blocking, fondling perishable merchandis and setting it back down; leaving perishables somewhere because they changed their "mind'; and a lot of other stuff. But yeah---we need to revisit this topic, asap. Thankk mee.
Yes, that is a good list of annoying grocery store behaviors. I'll add to that baggers who talk too much. Or people who won't start bagging their stuff until they have scrutinized every scan. Then they take their time paying and they stand there until their credit card is carefully put away in their wallet, and the receipt is folded up and placed in their wallet before moving on. Just move out of the checkout area and put away your card and receipt please!
The luddite in me was wondering how people will pay for their Mastercard monthly statements if there are no checks.
I'll continue writing checks for 3 or 4 monthly utility type bills and I'm thinking paper checks are not going away anytime soon. I'm not so sure online banking has any huge security advantage over paper checks. I always pay using old fashioned real money in restaurants and often for gas and a few other things. My barber is not set up for credit cards. A paranoid guess is that among all the data breaches at places like Target and AT+T, that someone somewhere already has big blocks of personal information on most all of us and it's for sale to the right buyer.
I imagine in Trump's delusion of a future utopia we would all be using crypto.
I pay my credit card bills via a phone call to them and a transfer from my checking acct. It works fine, takes only a minute and I don't have to buy stamps, write checks and go to mail box or post office. Prefer to do this as concerned about online hacking of my finanicial info...
I pay my credit card bills via a phone call to them and a transfer from my checking acct. It works fine, takes only a minute and I don't have to buy stamps, write checks and go to mail box or post office. Prefer to do this as concerned about online hacking of my finanicial info...
So you’re giving your bank info out over the phone, yet you won’t pay anything online from your bank’s online bill pay? Perfect example of the folks who think they’re going to be hacked or scammed by using online banking. Sheesh.
Whole countries overseas live without checks. Utility bills are often direct debited from your account (you might get a better rate this way). PayPal is very often used. Zelle, Venmo, Cash app, and Apple Cash are US only.
A long term FB friend lives in South Africa. Checks went away in 2018. She tells me it’s all card (debit or credit), cash, PayPal, or bank transfer. Her husband makes a living as a handyman and he’s most often paid with PayPal.
I pay my credit card bills via online bill pay, just like any other bills.
I'll confess to being an egg-checker. Why is that wrong? There are often broken eggs in the carton, so why wouldn't I want to make sure I'm buying 12 intact eggs?
Another annoying grocery behavior is the the person with a veritable deck of EBT cards, with no clue how much $$ is on any of them, so they dig through their purse, shuffle, shuffle, hand a card to cashier, then more digging and shuffling. I try to remind myself that I'm in a place of privilege to be able to just whip out my Amex (triple points for groceries!) It must be terrible to not know if you have sufficient funds to pay for your food, although I do think I'd be inclined to calculate that out in advance. We have learned that given the choice, it is always better to get in the line behind a guy than a woman, especially a woman with kids. One time, we covered the difference for a woman in front of us who did not have enough money and was selecting items to put back. I'll admit that while this was partly a random act of kindness that made us feel good, it was also born from impatience since we had already waited a very long time for her to do the purse-shuffle thing.
So I started a thread on r/AskEurope to see how people how don’t use checks pay their bills. I was surprised to learn checks are still used some in France.
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEurope/s/H0hGhIURjj
iris lilies
5-7-25, 7:49am
I found myself participating in annoying grocery store behavior a couple weeks ago when I was oblivious to blocking an aisle. Usually, I’m not that way, but I think maybe getting old and staying in my head is something I have to guard against. Also, there is the annoying thing about old retired people having to shop at peak grocery hours, like after 4 o’clock and on Saturdays.
I get my groceries delivered!
I get too much satisfaction from sales and clearance items to use delivery. But if I was still working, it would be a blessing and keep me from impulse buys.
The only aisle blocking we find is stockers and professional grocery buyers. But we shop from 7-9am on Friday, Sat or Sun. Heck, there are probably only 5-10 customers in the whole store when we are there. I have time to talk to the stockers and now know 3 of them and 3 cashiers/self checkout helpers.
iris lilies
5-7-25, 12:29pm
Our grocery stocking day seems to be Tuesday. So I should avoid that day.
And ha ha me getting up to shop from 7 to 9 AM, Ha ha nope.
My most recent annoyance at the grocery store was a woman demanding I assist her at the self checkout despite my protestations that I didn’t work there. I walked away with her screaming at my back that she “knew people”.
Probably just a rant, but people who pick items out of the bulk bins or produce section and then eat them while shopping is just disgusting.
Probably just a rant, but people who pick items out of the bulk bins or produce section and then eat them while shopping is just disgusting.
My MIL had this horrible habit of helping herself to produce on the the pretext she was trying before buying. Not only would she pick grapes and eat them, but one time we took her to a small boutique gourmet shop that had a beautiful olive bar for $7.00/lb and she just grabbed a handful of them and ate them in the store. I was mortified.
I get impatient with people at the grocery store who either block lanes while they make tough decisions or people talking on their phone and oblivious to others around them.
I think I will like the changes to emissions systems requirements for certain diesel engines, which will remove considerable cost, complexity, size, and weight from the new fire trucks and ambulances I will be ordering over the next several years, and eliminate the need for that silly blue fluid. It will also improve reliability. This has been in-progress for several years now, and Trump recently indicated he’d be fast-tracking the changes.
eliminate the need for that silly blue fluid.
Oddly enough, the Blue Def exhaust fluid I use in my Cummins Diesel is crystal clear. The name is very misleading.
iris lilies
5-9-25, 1:28pm
I never would have thought of DJ Trump as a leader of austerity measures. I gotta say, I agree with him about kids learning to be satisfied with 3 Barbies instead of 20. And etc. it does my little frugal heart good to hear our leader actually voice this thought. Are we in for frugal times?
Not that I think it will be ultimately good for the economy, but…fewer plastic toys and cheap crap from
China and thereabouts in the landfills seems like a good thing. People cutting down on the junk they buy seems like a good thing.
ToomuchStuff
5-9-25, 4:57pm
I never would have thought of DJ Trump
6329
Thanks for the laugh.
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