The ease of banking today!

Ralphy1

Ralphy1

Well-known Member
It can all be done electronically from home and not having to write checks or go to a bank to make deposits or cash checks is wonderful. How many of you remember when you had to go to banks which were only open from nine to three and on Fridays until nine?
 

Yes, I have been doing it for a long time, too. Yesterday, however, when I had to make some adjustments it reminded me of how easy it is now. This time I did it on the phone and talked to a person in Arizona and in Baltimore, it was easier than just going to a local branch. I can remember standing in line after work or on a day off just to cash a check...
 

Not me... I refuse to pay bills online... Refuse to bank online... use an ATM or even purchase items online... My credit card info is firmly in my wallet... not on my computer. Guess I'm just an old dinosaur.. but I write checks and balance my checkbook with pen and paper.
 
Hmm, QS, you are definitely a progressive when it comes to your politics but not in your banking. Your comment brought a vision of my mother sitting at the dining room table with her checkbook paying the monthly bills...:D
 
Ralphy1 said:
Hmm, QS, you are definitely a progressive when it comes to your politics but not in your banking. Your comment brought a vision of my mother sitting at the dining room table with her checkbook paying the monthly bills...:D
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Bill paying used to be a big deal for me. When the day came around, I'd make a pot of coffee and sit-down at the desk for hours writing checks and recording them in the register. I don't do that anymore. I have a lot of bills on automatic withdrawal. Others I pay online with just a few clicks. I only write checks for the vendors who want to charge a convenience fee for online payments or automatic withdrawals. I'm not going to pay them to make their lives more convenient.
 
I'm pretty much old school, I pay all the bills with checks, no ATM card, and one credit card for emergencys. If I buy something online I'll use one of those prepaid cards that you can buy at the store. I do have access to banking on line, I use that mostly to monitor my accounts and get withdraw notices. My brother is the total opposite, I don't think he has written a check in a long time.
 
QuickSilver said:
Not me... I refuse to pay bills online... Refuse to bank online... use an ATM or even purchase items online... My credit card info is firmly in my wallet... not on my computer. Guess I'm just an old dinosaur.. but I write checks and balance my checkbook with pen and paper.
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Exactly the way I am also.

The only thing I do online is check balances to be sure that my SS, VA and company retirement checks actually do get direct deposited when they're supposed to......I just looked to see if SS was deposited a couple minutes ago and 'Ka-Ching' there it was.

There is absolutely nothing in this computer personal.......I could care less if someone hacked in and looked around or if it goes belly up.
 
It's easier, but I don't pay for stuff online. I never minded bank-lines... you're kinda checking the pulse of the neighborhood, standing and chatting. Plus I'd rather physically write checks, so each payout has a mental imprint.
 
Ralphy1 said:
Hmm, QS, you are definitely a progressive when it comes to your politics but not in your banking. Your comment brought a vision of my mother sitting at the dining room table with her checkbook paying the monthly bills...:D
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I still prefer the control and security of writing checks and balancing my own Checkbook. I guess it's a control issue. To each is own I guess.. I think it's more secure.. There is no freakin' way in Hell that I'm giving any vender access to my checking account to come in and take what they want every month. They can send me a bill... I'll check it over and pay it if it's correct.
 
There are great places online to enhance your life: you can stream music and movies, play games, etc. easily paid for by automatic payment. Never had a problem with any of this from wrong payments or hacking. The convenience of banking to entertainment is making my old age very comfortable and enjoyable...
 
I have all my bills set up on auto pay, they are mostly paid with a credit card that earns points, I'll get an email when each one has been paid. I still get statements for all in the mail....love it.
 
It wasn't too long ago, here anyway, that they finally made it possible to pay credit card bills by autopay from a checking account. That was a big deal for me, because I forgot to pay a couple of times.

The only thing I still do with checks is house and auto insurance, simply because it happens so seldom I'm too lazy to set it up, I guess.:rolleyes: (Forgot property and income taxes.)
 
Online banking and bill paying is a nice convenience...IF you remember to close your browser Immediately upon conducting a transaction. Failure to do so can leave you exposed to hacking and Identity Theft. Remember, the thieves are Always one step ahead of the Internet protections. ATM's, and credit card readers...especially at venues such as convenience stores, are an easy place for the thieves to install "skimmers" which can capture your credit card info, and leave you with a financial mess. Monitoring your bank and credit card accounts regularly is a Must in today's world. Every year, thousands of people get ripped off by the thieves, and have to spend hours, or weeks, resolving a problem with their online/credit card financial issues.
 
I am traditional, if it ain't in the computer, they can't hack it. I do use direct deposit and auto-pay. I think when I am gone it will keep going without me.
 
QuickSilver and Manatee, I'm with you! I am all about the paper (which is a renewable resource). When the power goes out I will still have my records. My son, in I.T. tells us never to do transactions on line - not safe and easily hacked. I make sure we have our cash allowance until the next paycheck and we each have one credit card. ( A few years ago it seemed a good idea to have credit in my name too so I can have a credit score, should my husband die before me) We do have direct deposit and since our mortgage is with the same credit union, that is automatically deducted but everything else I pay with cash or mail a check. Several utility companies don't even have offices in our area so we are forced to mail checks. The gas company even charges extra fees if you pay with a credit card or online.

My sister used to have automatic bill pay from her checking account until she made a mistake one month and paid Comcast $2500 instead of $25.00. They kept trying to take it out of her checking account which incurred overdraft fees EVERY DAY! It was a nightmare and Comcast was not in any hurry to help her, the bank did what they could but it was the Bill Pay software that needed to fix it. Took a month and she has canceled all of that and gone back to checks.

I DO like to check balances online and keep an up-to-date spreadsheet of our finances which I keep on a separate hard drive. I also keep my check book (I LOVE Quicken) on an old computer that is not linked to the internet. My 1993 IBM Aptiva still works just fine for that. No math mistakes - best program ever!!
 
I have several auto pay payments set up but I also write checks and go to the bank when I need to. I could do the autopay on everything but I don't want to at this time.
 
I still pay by checks and am so afraid of putting so much personal information on the computer. Sometimes they can make a site look just like the legitimate one. I inherited a small bank Cd and really haven't touched it except to renew it from time to time. At first I didn't have a problem, our local banks that I actually could drive to offered good rates, of course now the rates are horrible. A few years ago I started shopping around online and then would call the bank and open the account. Now, more and more banks will not open an account this way. It must be online and it is the only way to get the better rate. I'm not a risk taker and feel like I am being forced to do this online.
 
I think the last couple of times I went inside a bank was when my daughter was working at one and I had to meet her there it was just a few blocks from where I lived. The other time was when I first moved to the area I live in now to get a printout, my printer wasn't working and to get some quarters. :D Most all my banking for past 1-1/2 decades has been online.
 
I find it interesting that it seems like it's mostly liberals that dislike on line banking. I would think that it's only Stodgy conservatives that live in the past and still write checks.
 
I don't have any choice, my bank doesn't have any branches, not even one!


I started off with it with telephone banking in 1993 and have progressed from there. I've just looked at my chequebook (25 cheques) and I started it in October 2011, and I've still got a dozen left! I signed one in 2001, two in 2012 and none in 2013. The last five have all been donations to a charity that has no internet banking facility.

I guess you could say I'm converted.

Actually our banks have said a couple of times that they are phasing out cheques altogether, but the government have stopped them until an adequate alternative is in place - a lot of older folk here do not have internet access (shouldn't have said - some of those "older folk are younger that me!).
 
Lon said:
I find it interesting that it seems like it's mostly liberals that dislike on line banking. I would think that it's only Stodgy conservatives that live in the past and still write checks.
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As you well know, I am a liberal. I love online banking. It's easy. Everything is direct debit, even credit cards as they are paid in full monthly. I normally write one of two cheques a year - one for family xmas gifts, and sometimes one for a B & B that still doesn't accept credit cards. I shop online all the time as well including airline tickets, etc.
 
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