Sending a check thru the mail

Kalli · ‎03-11-2010

I've done this often but this year I find myself hesitant to do so.There are so many news features and articles of folks who have stuff stolen in transit. And according to the USPS some crooks will "wash" checks to alter the name and amount on the check. To prevent this the postal service recommends using a gel pen.

My son lives far away. Due to covering some holiday shifts at work he can't make it home for Christmas. We wanted to send him a monetary gift.

If you still send checks through the mail, what do you do to keep them safe?

Snowpuppy · ‎03-09-2010

Why not send Priority Mail in their envelope w/tracking?

UPS, FedEx offers similar services too but higher prices.

smoochy · ‎03-10-2010

why worry about this? When there are a number of safer ways to gift money. I use Zelle and Cashapp. There are others. I've never had any problem and the money appears in the recipients account almost instantly.

SPARTY FAN

speedy girl · ‎06-03-2018

I pay a couple bills each month by sending a check and I must say I have never had any problem with them arriving. I do mail it from inside the post office though as I think that is safer.

Nightowlz · ‎03-11-2010

Wrap it in newspaper clipping before you put it in the envelope. Don't mail it in a card.

Venezia · ‎03-09-2010

We have only ever used gel ink pens to write checks for years now. It can't be washed the way regular ink can.

We send checks through the mail and have never had a problem but we only ever post them at a post office or official postal box. Never put them in our mailbox to be picked up by the carrier. That's where a thief would look to steal them. That flag put up to signal the postal carrier also signals to a thief something's in the box!

We're lucky - we live in a pretty safe area. And a good thing as a FedEx driver just left a package for me today at the roadside (under my mailbox; rural main road), 700 feet from my house in a snowbank! (I couldn't believe my eyes, when I saw it. And you can bet I reported it.)

And what's more he took a picture of it in the snowbank to show delivery! The snowbank could've been anywhere. Idiot.

"" A little learning is a dangerous thing."-Alexander Pope

Desertdi · ‎03-13-2010

If you are sending a SUBSTANTIAL amount of money (say $20,000), you can have your bank make an electronic transfer of funds to your son's account. It will cost somewhere between $15 and $50 dollars.

♥Surface of the Sun♥

gidgetgh · ‎03-09-2010

I mail checks all the time as I still pay most of my bills that way. I haven't had any issues.....so far.

I use a gel pen, if I remember to. My handwriting is horrible with gel pens for some reason. More often than not, I just use a regular pen.

I don't use cash apps like Venmo and especially Zelle.

I do mail my mail from the post office.

Why is it, when I have a 50/50 guess at something, I'm always 100% wrong?

haddon9 · ‎03-09-2010

For the last several years I have tried to avoid mailing paper checks. Not only do I worry about the check being stolen & washed (I have purchsed gel pens on Amazon for check writing) but many times my mail just wasn't being delivered.

It doesn't matter if it's a "safe" area. I live in a very safe area but still bring something like this to the post office

Here is one example....my daughter got married in May of 2022. We mailed out invites almost two months in advance.

At one point my brother asked when will we mail the invitations. He was living in St. Louis and we are in PA. I told him that it had been a month already but he had never received it. So DD mailed a new one. Both arrived together two weeks later. This was not during the holiday season when you can imagine mail being backed up! I've had other examples of mail either not arriving or being very late.

If I had to send funds I would try to see if you could send it via Venmo or an app like that. It's very easy to use but your son has to have the app too. Once you set it up you can see how easy it is to use and there are no worries if the check will arrive. It works instantly.

Or you could go to the post office and have the check mailed either Priority mail or registered mail. You would have tracking for the check where you just wouldn't by mailing it with stamp.

Tinkrbl44 · ‎08-23-2010

@smoochy wrote:
why worry about this? When there are a number of safer ways to gift money. I use Zelle and Cashapp. There are others. I've never had any problem and the money appears in the recipients account almost instantly.

@smoochy

Why not Paypal?