Buying personal checks is traditionally a dumb process. When you opened the checking account at the bank, you were given a set of initial checks until the “real” checks arrived in the mail. Either you paid for these checks or they were deducted from your account. When you reached the end of your checkbook, you would find a form to order new checks for another charge. Most people do not realize that there are lower price options available for obtaining checks. Now that the Internet is everywhere, savvy consumers are finding ways to buy or order checks online for much less than what banks traditionally charge.

What are the causes?

There are several causes that have motivated the lower use of checks today : the increase in online banking operations, the convenience in using credit or debit cards , problems related to the security of checks or registration Commissions that banks sometimes require to collect them when it is a different branch from the one listed as drawee.

Take a look at your finances from last year and see how many checks you write annually. Now that online banking is common and most merchants offer debit card purchases in situations where checks were previously required, you are likely to write fewer checks each year than before. The goal is to get the lowest price, and since many sellers use shipping and handling charges as a profit center, order enough checks so that you don’t have to place in excess of one order per year.

Look ahead to see if there are reasons why you shouldn’t order a large number of checks at one time. An imminent name or address change or the possibility of changing banks may make you rethink your order. If any of these options apply to you, balance the time of the order to avoid having a large number of unused checks when you have to change to the new checks.

Search properly

Search the web for cheap opportunities. Although there are a few well-known sites, some web-based players may turn up offering inexpensive checks so plan to spend a few minutes searching for these newcomers. Plus, there are always other opportunities to find low-priced check sellers, including mail-in coupons, newspaper ads, and even deals on your electric bill or on a mortgage receipt.

Choose the design and style that are cheapest. Standard size wallet checks with a blue or green safety background are usually available at the cheapest price. If you are concerned about price, avoid buying stubs, printer’s checks, oversized checks, checks that give you a duplicate such as a receipt, or checks that have a registered design or character.

Feel free of searching for inexpensive checks at the time of reordering. While it’s easy to simply submit the reorder form included in your order, a simple search of the same sites you searched for in step 3 (along with looking at any new sites that came out in the meantime) is well worth a few minutes of your time.

Lashandra Holder