Still buy your checks from your bank? Alternatives save $$$.

[Paper Roses]

Many of us still buy and use checks. I need to do so because I don't want to fiddle with on-line bill paying. I keep my register balances and buy duplicate checks. I'd never remember what I spent without the paper copy. Sometimes I'll come home from the grocery store and my receipt is nowhere to be found.

I have used many of the companies who sell checks and advertise their services with ads in the newspapers, usually in with the weekly coupon sections. I always shop for the least expensive duplicates, call in to make sure I can get the posted price(the ads usually say special price for new customers. Seems I'm always a new customer. That aside, I can usually get 4 boxes of dupes, sometimes with free shipping for under $20.00.
Today I will reorder from either 'Checks Unlimited'(4th box free & free shipping) or Checks in the Mail-well, maybe not then. They indicate on the flier that they charge shipping for each box.

I have also bought from Artistic Checks. Again, no problem.

Maybe checks are too old fashioned for many but are necessary for me. I sometimes find myself somewhere that does not accept Master Card or a Debit card, Checks always work.
Google shows tons of companies that sell checks cheaper than your bank.

[NV Whino]

1. You can also order just deposit slips

I pay bills online and consequently use more deposit slips than checks. So I ordered a box of just deposit slips. A real time saver from filling out the blank ones the bank supplies, and cheaper than buying extras from the bank.

[Denninmi]

2. Actually, many banks do offer free checks.

It can't hurt to at least ask. My bank, PNC, back when it was National City, offered free "basic" checks with your account -- just the plain blue or green "security paper" in duplicate. Anything more fancy you had to pay for. Frankly, I didn't care if it was plain blue paper. When PNC bought out National City last year, they gave free replacement checks with the new account numbers, so I don't know what their policy is now.

Also, you can buy software and paper to print your own checks on a laser printer. Checksoft is the most popular. It probably wouldn't be worth it for just a personal account, but might be for a business account that uses more checks. I bought this a number of years ago for a little side business I had -- but, I lucked out, and found the checks and software bundled together for a couple of bucks on the clearance table at OfficeMax -- would have been like $40 had it been full price.

[NMDemDist2]

3. I just had to order checks for a non profit I volunteer for so we needed business style

checks.

I searched all over the web and the best prices were from (sadly) Walmart Checks

got 300 duplicate 3 to a page checks with binder and 200 carbonless duplicate deposit slips shipped with tax for $50

1/3 the price the bank wanted and half what every other web site advertised

for personal checks, they offer 150 (5 pads) of checks for $5.96

[Curmudgeoness]

4. I still use a lot of checks too. I order from those ads with coupons.

I have been very careful, I keep the reorder forms from every order I have had so I know which companies I have used before and I do not order from them again. It seems that there are always new companies popping up and I have had no problems. The reason I am so careful about not making an order from the same company twice is that a friend did that, and got a bill for an astronomical amount after she had ordered the checks by mail and paid for them at the special price. She refused to pay the additional amount, saying that they should not have sent the checks if she had not paid enough. They turned her account into a collection agency and dinged her credit with the credit bureaus. Don't let this happen because they second order will cost more than your bank would charge.