Did you know that paper checks have gone digital and mobile? You can send or recieve a business check via email with eChecks! Just to review, I'm talking about bank checks, personal or business checks that you get from a bank or buy from a company like Deluxe. Yes people still use them. You know how you hear “the checks in the mail” after all the time you spent trying to collect from a client? Whenever you hear that I automatically add 3 or more days on to when you get paid. This check is there in 3 seconds.

eChecks are an alternative to credit cards and are faster/cheaper than sending paper checks or PayPal.

eChecks from Deluxe, a long time player in the check space, might just replace PayPal for me for both business and for personal checks. I'm one of those rare people who still uses a checkbook, mostly to pay certain bills that aren't set up on autopay because the amount changes. The biggest thing is when you order checks it takes forever to get them. So no need to order or reorder checks. Or have duplicates for your records and taxes.

How eChecks work:

anyone can send and receive Deluxe eChecks without ordering paper checks. All you need is an email address. No account information is exchanged. Instead, the person you want to pay (or vendor) gets a secure link to your check. The link is a PDF file with a one-time view window. Ther click, download, print and cash the check (just like any other check). The checks are printed on regular paper, not special check printer paper. No postage, envelope, etc. needed.

I'm looking into this as a way to pay bloggers more efficiently with less fees. I often have to send a big batch of payments at once. Right now I use PayPal but there are fees. When it comes to larger sums many clients prefer to pay with a check and getting a check can be a real pain. I've literally met in a parking lot in another city to get a check I needed quicker so I could pay bloggers. This seems like a better solution.

Price of Deluxe eChecks

The introductory cost is $30 for 50 checks making them 60 cents per check. You just pay for the checks. No subscriptions, contracts, monthly fees, or hidden costs.

There's no cost to receive an eCheck except the paper to print it on. Just like a traditional check, the person deposits it into their account. They don't need an eChecks account or to share any information to do that.

Reading the reviews it sounds like most of the small businesses who use eChecks are using them to replace traditional bank checks.

This is the part I love, it's all tracked so you can keep track of payments and have a digital record of everything:

integrates with accounting software such as QuickBooks
include full remittance data
app
Easy to send mobile payments

Financial Security

You don't share private bank information when you pay someone, so there's less potential for fraud.

“Our proprietary approach based on patented technology allows companies and banks to help reduce fraud by easily verifying the authenticity of each eCheck. Customers and financial institutions using our Check Validation service can confirm at any time that an authorized Deluxe eCheck was created by a user of the system and that the check has remained unaltered since creation. This service can assist in catching and stopping fraudulent checks before they enter the banking ecosystem.”

Checkbooks and Check Ledgers Go Mobile

You can use your smartphone or tablet with their free app, so you can pay on the go because they have an app where you can:

create, send & receive payments
authorize and send checks created by another user
monitor your account activity
view payments you've received

The Deluxe Mobile Checkbook has a 4.4 rating on Android.

Drawbacks of Deluxe eChecks

Right now it looks like you can't set the check number or change the date it's sent. Instead it defaults to the day you send the check and Deluxe's standard check numbering.

How long does it take to get funds once a check is deposited?

It's just like a regular check. It can bounce (but the good news is a replacement check is fast/easy to get sent out when the funds are there). I'd still use Paypal or Venmo for certain payments because I need the money to be there instantly. However, there are a lot of times I could use an eCheck.

No Account Needed by Recipient, no Fees (unlike Paypal)

How do Deluxe eChecks differ from PayPal or other electronic payment systems?

only the sender has to have an account (not everyone has a PayPal account)
no fees taken out of the payment if they pay with a credit card like what happens with PayPal
no banking information needed for the recipient
has built-in separation of control
immediate delivery via email

Now imagine if the government switched to echecks…and social security and other payments were almost instant.

This seems like a good solution for small businesses.

Are you using PayPal or another service to pay or get paid? Would you switch to eChecks? Why or why not?