One annoyance with respect to phone app deposits is some banks have limits on the dollar amounts of checks you can deposit with a photo upload. I manage a small trust account that sometimes gets dividend checks and the smart phon app limit for the bank I use is ridiculously low, like $400. It’s USBank. There are logistical reasons to not switch banks for this account. So I snail it in.
I have Ally and Goldman Sacs. I used to have quite a bit in Orange bank -when it was a leader for the best interest rates. It was bought out by Capital One and the rates are quite a bit lower now.
I have been doing internet banking from practically its inception and have never had trouble with the online banks that don’t have branches.
You don’t have to go into a bank to order checks. Most let you do it online and if not, then a phone call.
I’ve never gone in to get checks. Ever.
Check deposit? Phone.
I order checks online but have the box sent to the local branch. The check co will not send it to us unless someone is present to sign for the delivery. And it has to be the address on file, so no rerouting to work where someone else can sign for it. The bank clerk requires 2 pieces of ID for me to pick it up.
All my kids have brick and mortar banks for their checking accounts. They rarely go in the bank. Two of them use the deposit app where they take a picture of the check. Two of my kids need checks to pay rent. Their landlord doesn’t have online payment. They also all use Ally for long term savings accounts. One of my kids also uses Ally for a CD. The like the idea of out of sight out of mind and the higher interest rate. One of my kids has a horse and she writes lots of checks and has been doing so since she was old enough to have her own checking account. Board, farrier, vet, trainer all are old fashioned and take paper checks. My S on the other hand only writes a check for rent. It is painful to watch him fill out a check. The first time I watched him write a check to me he signed his name in the comment line.
If you belong to Costco they sell checks at a significant savings over the bank.
We haven’t had an actual checkbook for at least 2 years. I can pay you by credit card, cash, or you can wait for me to have my bank send you a check via online banking. I was late to the online banking game but totally embrace it now. There have been only 2 instances when I needed a check and they were related to the recent purchase and registration of a new car. For that, I walked into a branch to get a cashier’s check. Worked fine for our needs so far.
I haven’t signed up for Venmo that all the young people use. The less outside apps connected to my financial accounts, the better IMO.
It depends. I used quite a few checks this summer during our remodels. The handyfolk around here prefer paper checks (or make you pay their cc %), and it would have required too many trips to the bank for cashiers’ checks. No Venmo for me, and I think kiddos don’t use it either.
The only bill I have to pay with a check is my water bill. It’s really obnoxious :-w
I don’t use venmo or apple pay. But I live in an area where splitting the check is the norm (as I’ve learned on CC is not the case everywhere.)
I guess in that scenario, those handy folks would just have to wait a few days to get a check in the mail from me. They know where to find me if I don’t pay up. 
I prefer not to use Venmo as I don’t like sharing my financial info. I will use CC to split checks or just pay cash or check. We get “free” checks from most of our accounts. Our kids like Schwab, since the give free checks and free reimbursement for ATMs. You can do the check deposit by smart phone.
Dos - I dislike dealing with mechanics’ liens. Some are pretty quick to attach them. Release is a different issue.
I guess folks in my neck of the woods are more casual and trusting about stuff. One of the benefits to living in a less populated area.
Or maybe you have not worked as a GC yourself or have not done a massive home improvement project like we are managing now.
The GCs I’ve worked with accept mailed checks. My dad used to be one too and I remember that he’d get checks in the mail. Of course, this was before Square.
Then again, since all the GCs I use are family friends, perhaps my experiences are outliers
I am the GC for this massive house overhaul. There is a construction boom in the area, so you have to play by their rules. Besides, getting a cashiers’ check still requires more work than writing one in the spot.
We’ve had plenty of work done in the house including building the house we live in and subsequently completing the lower level. Nobody needed a check that couldn’t have waited a few days. X amount was paid in advance, the rest was paid at different junctures of completion. But, again, different markets work differently in different parts of the country. Works fine for me here. That’s all I’m commenting on.
But how do you save time by getting cashier’s checks and mailing them instead of handing a check to the guy (or even mailing it)? Doesn’t make sense to me.
So in sum… Millennials are fine with internet only banking… until they hit the old fart world of folks distrustful of Square etc.
What if there is a problem…how do you stop payment on a cashiers check? I don’t think you can.
We have a checking account…it gets used infrequently because most bills get paid online. But we still deal with some folks who don’t DO online payment…our landscaper, for instance…wants a check each month.
It’s not a big deal to have a checking account. It’s free at our credit union.
“But how do you save time by getting cashier’s checks and mailing them instead of handing a check to the guy (or even mailing it)?”
@BunsenBurner The answer is I don’t. I think you misunderstood my post. The only time I got a cashier’s check was to buy a new car as stated in my post. They wouldn’t take a regular check for such a huge purchase. For all other checking needs, I do it online. The bank mails the check out for me. I don’t own a check book any longer. Saves on postage, too.
So, yes, I have a checking account, just the modern version of one.