Whats wrong with just transferring the money directly into their account?
Soā¦if you were not using the checkbook and you had been using a debit card, online banking and bill payment you would have known how much money you actually had all along?
Totes. In college, I lived the mantra: āI canāt be out of moneyā¦I still have checks!ā
I agree, but can you tell the little old ladies in front of me at the grocery store still writing checks that this is the case?!
People say thatās thereās absolutely no reason to āneedā a checkbook. Hereās one more:
Several years ago I had the flu, and with it I had seizures. (I was so sick I probably should have died.) When I did recover I realized slowly that Iād forgotten some things - and they werenāt inconsequential. They were things like my phone number and atm PIN. I instantly needed checks, and used them or cash for about three months while my head got better. I couldnāt rely on being able to remember my PIN, and I couldnāt carry it on my person.
Now I know that autopay doesnāt require a PIN every time itās used, but you CAN forget to check your bank balance if you arenāt the one making the transaction. So there is genuine risk associated with a spotty memory and someone else having access to remove funds from your account - especially if you are forgetful and set up multiple monthly withdrawals! I never had any problem like that because this was long enough ago that autopay wasnāt common at all.
There are definitely ābest practicesā to follow if you are using autopay to pay bills. For example: You should have a list (maybe written in your check register?) of all payees and the dates they may pull on. You shouldnāt be using autopay for any company that randomly alters their due date or amounts (like a lot of cable companies do). You should check your bank balance and activity at the very least once a week - preferably every few days.
Iām really glad that @semiotix also noticed the billions part of the ācheck useā count. There are still valid reasons to have and use a checkbook, maybe not for recurring, planned payments - but other issues do occur. (I also have two accounts where the only free access from one into the other is via check.)
Not every month, apparently 
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