How to Pay by Check at a Store

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Paying by check at a store allows you to purchase products and services using funds from your checking account. Most stores accept checks as payment as long as you properly fill out all required fields on the check.

Steps

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  1. Most businesses feature acceptable payment methods on their front doors and registers. Alternately, ask an employee whether the store accepts checks.
  2. This field is located at the top right corner. For example, write “January 1, 2016” or “1/01/2016.”
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  3. This line may also be labeled “Pay To the Order Of.”
  4. For example, if the total is $15.60, write “15.60” into the box, without the dollar sign. The decimal point must be placed between the dollar numerals and cents numerals.
  5. ” This line is used to confirm the payment amount in the event your handwriting in the numerical box is difficult to read. For example, write “Fifteen dollars and 60/100” for a purchase totaling $15.60. [1]
    • Write the dollar amount, followed by “and.”
    • Write the cents as a fraction, with the cents amount in the numerator position and “100” in the denominator position.
  6. This field is optional, but helpful in the event you want to organize and remind yourself about certain purchases. For example, if buying supplies for school, write “school supplies” on the Memo line.
  7. Your bank uses your signature to confirm the check was written by you.
  8. The cashier will review the check to confirm all required fields have been filled out correctly. In some cases, you may be asked to provide your driver’s license number, Social Security Number, or other data as requested to complete the purchase with payment by check. Rules and policies for payment by check vary depending on the store.
  9. This helps you track payments made using your checking account. For example, write the date of the transaction, the store’s name, and the payment amount. [2]
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      Warnings

      • Don’t pay by check if your checking account lacks funds to cover the full amount of your purchase. This is against the law in most jurisdictions, and may result in negative consequences, such as bounced checks, the closure of your checking account, and the revoking of your ability to write future checks. [3]
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      References

      1. ↑ http://www.themint.org/teens/writing-a-check.html
      2. ↑ https://www.credit.com/blog/paying-by-check/
      3. ↑ http://www.bankrate.com/finance/checking/happens-write-check.aspx

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