How does one get a checkbook in the US? Are there usually costs associated with them? In the year and a half I’ve been in the US so far I’ve needed/wanted a check at most 5 times, most of them in the last few months, so is there a cheaper way to get a small supply I can use as needed?
You buy them from your bank where you have your bank account. On the bank website there’s sometimes an “order checks” form, and you can definitely get them if you go to the bank in person—though you do have to wait about 2 weeks before the checkbooks show up in the mail. The cost is usually 20$ for a few hundred checks.
If you really only anticipate needing one or two, you can have your bank print off what’s called a “money order,” which is like a one-time check, but those have a fee associated (usually 5$) and you have to go to the bank every time you want one.
Nope, it’s a regular checking account which came with 3 free checks. I wasn’t sure if there are generally fees involved; I think that in Australia there’s some kind of ongoing cost to have a checkbook, but that’s fine since virtually none of us use checks there anyway.
How does one get a checkbook in the US? Are there usually costs associated with them? In the year and a half I’ve been in the US so far I’ve needed/wanted a check at most 5 times, most of them in the last few months, so is there a cheaper way to get a small supply I can use as needed?
You buy them from your bank where you have your bank account. On the bank website there’s sometimes an “order checks” form, and you can definitely get them if you go to the bank in person—though you do have to wait about 2 weeks before the checkbooks show up in the mail. The cost is usually 20$ for a few hundred checks.
If you really only anticipate needing one or two, you can have your bank print off what’s called a “money order,” which is like a one-time check, but those have a fee associated (usually 5$) and you have to go to the bank every time you want one.
When I opened a checking account with my bank, they automatically gave me a quite generous supply of checks. There were no fees involved.
I find your described experience surprising. Are you perhaps using some other type of account which is not primarily a checking account?
Nope, it’s a regular checking account which came with 3 free checks. I wasn’t sure if there are generally fees involved; I think that in Australia there’s some kind of ongoing cost to have a checkbook, but that’s fine since virtually none of us use checks there anyway.