When I am looking for places that cash a check near me, I consider a number of things. There are numerous places that cash personal checks both regionally and nationwide.
10 Places That Cash Personal Checks: Reliable Check Cashing Near You
Cashing a personal check may seem like a prehistoric act. However, you’d be shocked at the number of times I’ve received a check for routine side hustles. Cashing a personal check can be more complicated than it needs to be.
Here how the check cashing process works with routing numbers. You can read more about these key banking routing numbers here:
A basic feature that I consider first is the fees charged to cash checks in the given store. There are some places that cash checks at an exorbitant rate. I watch out for such.
The fees charged by the different places that cash checks vary by the region and the amount of the check. The state law regulates the fees that a store can charge. Fees also vary depending on the riskiness of the specific check among other factors.
I like having cash value as fast as possible.
In fact, I even had to cash a check instantly when I launched my book, Dividend Investing Your Way to Financial Freedom.
With my various income sources, cashing a check is a necessity. I need to be able to invest that as soon as possible to start making more money from it.
Download a sample of how I plan to achieve financial freedom from investing:
Let’s get into my overview of the personal check cashing process and where you can cash a check nearby.
Why do you need to cash a personal check?
Although, a huge number of places that cash checks near me don’t disclose their fees, I always find out or call to inquire about the fees before I make my choice. If you can get a cheaper option, then go for it to save the extra coins. This is one among the many money hacks that can ultimately bring you financial success.
If you’re like me, then the personal check cashing process should be fast and convenient. This is another fundamental feature that I am keen on when looking for places that cash a check near me.
I also consider how long I would take to access the place to cash a check near me. I also find out how the place that will cash checks will authenticate them.
Typically, in most places that cash personal checks, the check has to go through a verification procedure to ensure that it’s good.
This is because personal checks are high risk and so a lot of stores have to do an authentication procedure to lower the risk they take on when they cash a check.
What are personal checks?
Personal checks are risky for the person accepting them and depositing to their account. These checks are usually reliant on the person giving you the money since you don’t know if their account has the funds to pay you in the first place.
When I receive a personal check, I like to cash it immediately since I don’t know if the funds will be available down the road. Personal checks contain date, check number, amount issues, payee, signature of the payee, and account number.
In certain instances, they will check your ID, and then verify with the bank that issued the check. This is a critical feature to consider because the check verification procedure could be quite inconveniencing when in a hurry. In most cases, it involves calling the bank that issued the check.
If you want to cash your check on Sunday, for example, the store has to call your bank. If the call goes unanswered in the case where your bank does not work on Sundays, then chances are you will be told to try again on Monday when the bank is open and can verify if your personal check is good.
Now, this will result in a delay of what you wanted to do with the cash. Some places go to the extent of verifying who wrote the check, especially for larger checks.
The technological advancement has opened up numerous opportunities to make money online today. There are numerous online jobs without investment to pursue from the comfort of your home or as a side job. These side hustles sometimes pay in personal checks, so finding places to get cash quickly can be a bit of a hassle.
That is one of the good things about Fiverr or Freelancer, I don’t have to worry about receiving a personal check for my side hustle. Other side hustles, such as manual labor, usually involve a personal check from the client.
A variety of these jobs can help you make a passive income that sometimes makes payments in checks. You can cash your personal checks online through the apps or you can visit places that cash checks near you.
10 Places to Cash a Personal Check Near Me
While there are a dozen places that cash a personal check, I am going to explain 13 places that cash personal checks to ensure you can get cash quickly and efficiently.
Once I deposit these checks, I like to monitor them clearing my account on Personal Capital.
1. A local issuing bank
If I want to cash my personal cash check, in some instances I visit the issuing bank. You are able to find the issuing bank information on the check itself.
The issuing banks cash at no extra charge or at minimal charges that depend on whether you have a saving or a checking account with them. This is probably the most straightforward places to cash personal checks.
2. Regions Bank branch locations
Another option is the Regions Bank that has numerous locations around the US and offers the cashing a personal check services.
Their fees range between 1% and 5% of the value of the check you want to cash with them and it also depends on the type of check you have. They mostly cash government checks, payroll checks, money orders and handwritten two party consumer and business checks.
3. The local credit union
Sometimes I also use a Credit Union to cash my checks. The credit unions are cheaper than local banks, and you are not required to maintain a huge minimum balance. Pick a local Credit Union that offers free checking services and is convenient to you. Local credit unions cash almost all the checks that a local bank cash.
4. Gas station travel stations
A huge number of gas stations no longer cash checks because of the liability but many travel centers next to gas stations do. Some brands like the Pilot Flying J and the Travel centers America have checking services.
The only exception of a gas station that still cash checks is the Transact by 7-Eleven which is an app that cash checks. It usually involves taking a picture of the check, upload on their app and then wait for around 48 hours.
The balance is deposited onto your reloadable 7-Eleven prepaid card that gives you an ability to use for in-store purchases and free gas purchases.
5. Local grocery stores
There numerous grocery stores all over the country that offers best places to cash checks near me. They mostly cash checks issued by the government and the payroll checks from companies in the region. Fees charged vary with the store. They include:
Kroger
Kroger is a store that cash electronically signed checks that include payroll checks and government issued checks of up to $5,000. They also cash insurance checks, business checks but does not cash handwritten checks.
Walmart check cashing
When I can access a Walmart store, I use it to cash my check. Walmart charge around $3 to cash checks with a value under $1,000 and $6 if the check value exceeds $1,000. They have a limit of $5,000 and $7,500 during the tax season.
Walmart cash a wide variety of checks including payroll checks, government checks, cashier’s checks, tax check, insurance settlement checks, MoneyGram money orders that were purchased at their store, and 401k and other retirement distribution checks. Cashing a personal check at Walmart is generally pretty easy.
Publix
This is a store that is available throughout East Coast including Georgia, Virginia, North & South Carolina, Tennessee, and Florida among others. They cash payroll and personal checks.
WinCo
This is another great store that is located on the West Coast and their checking services are available in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Arizona and Nevada. They also serve Oklahoma and Texas. WinCo cash payroll checks. Their services and fees depend on the location.
6. Check cashing businesses
There are numerous places that cash paychecks all over the country but cash a personal check for an extra fee. Different checking businesses are located in different regions and I can always find a place I can cash my check near me. They include:
7. Check to cash store
This is a store available to Floridians only. They cash payroll checks, government-issued checks, personal checks, insurance checks, small business checks and money orders. This can be a localized check cashing process that you can consider if you live in Florida.
8. Friendly Check Cashing Store
Another store is the Friendly Check Cashing stores which are available largely in North Carolina area. They cash payroll checks, insurance checks, government-issued checks, 401(k) checks, cashier’s checks, money orders, tax refund checks, personal checks, and checks made out of business.
Their fee is as much as 10% which is not as friendly. Consider this as a place to cash a check on a last resort basis.
9. PLS Check Cashing
PLS is another store available throughout the US. Their stores are available in Arizona, Indiana, California New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Kentucky.
They cash payroll checks, personal checks, government checks, out-of-state checks, money orders, and more. Their fees depend on different types of checks and some are charged 1% plus $1 for recurring in-state payroll checks and $1,500 for government checks.
10. Online Cashing Apps
There are other places to cash checks that are available online which is through apps. These places that cash personal checks include:
PayPal is a great app that is ideal to cash a check. You are only required to take a picture of the front and the back of your check and upload it on the app. The money will be deposited to your PayPal account within 3 business days. It can cash up to $1,000 per day.
IngoMoney
IngoMoney is another great option with multiple redemption options such as the direct deposit, prepaid debit card, PayPal account, Amazon gift card and online bill pay. With these options in exception of the online bill pay, the process takes minutes.
The check cashing process costs $5 to cash handwritten personal checks of less than $100 and balances greater than $100 cost around 5% to cash. It costs $5 to cash pre-printed payroll and government checks for balances less than $250 and 2% for checks greater than $250.
If you want to try online check cashing, here are 9 instant online check cashing options to consider.
Conclusion on Places that Cash Personal Checks
The key to finding a place to cash a personal check is finding a place that offers no fees at all. Unless you are in a cash crunch, you should only cash a personal check at a location offering no-fees.
Fee-based personal check cashing locations should be used as a last resort.
These places that cash personal checks should be relatively close to you offering you a number of options to obtain cash quickly.
You can cash a personal check and use that cash to instantly deposit into a savings or investment account to start having your money work for you.
There are many places that cash checks near me and I always endeavor to find the best and the one that would suit my needs. I hope this article has offered some valuable insights to help you in your personal finance goals.
Do you know of more places that cash personal checks? Let me know in the comments below and I will add them to the list.
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