Last Updated on January 6, 2024 by pf team
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When you need checks, your first instinct might be to get them from your bank. However, your bank might not be the best, or cheapest, way to get a checkbook. The best place to order checks is often from a third party.
Though checks have fallen out of favor in recent years, there are still times that you need to use a check. Whether you’re making a large purchase or paying a bill through the mail, checks are a convenient and secure way to do it. In 2020 alone, more than 3.76 billion checks were cleared through the Federal Reserve System.
In this article :
The 5 best places to order checks online in 2022
- Carousel Checks -Best overall
- Checks in the Mail -Best for low prices
- Check Advantage -Best for fast and accurate shipping
- Checks Unlimited – Best for checks with licensed brand designs
- Bradford Exchange -Best for rush shipping, at a price
Overview: Top places to order checks online
Carousel Checks – Best overall
Carousel Checks is an online seller of personal and business checks as well as banking accessories such as deposit tickets, ink stamps, coin sleeves, and checkbook covers.
The site’s pricing is very reasonable, with a box of singles personal checks starting at just $6.99. You can also order business checks for as little as $19.95 for a box of 150 checks. If you like to customize your checks, you’ll have plenty of options to choose from. There are hundreds of designs with themes ranging from flowers and food to sports and music. These features make it one of the best places to order checks online.
Carousel Checks is a Better Business Bureau accredited business, and it uses standard security practices to keep your financial information secure. To be extra safe, you can order security checks that include features like heat-sensitive ink and invisible fluorescent fibers.
If you’re looking to order checks fast, you may want to look elsewhere. Standard shipping takes two to four weeks depending on your location. Even priority shipping takes as long as two weeks.
Checks in the Mail – Best for low prices
Checks in the Mail is a low-cost online check seller that serves consumers and businesses.
You can order personal checks in amounts as small as a single checkbook with prices starting at $5.25, making Checks in the Mail the best place to order checks cheap if you want to keep costs low. You can also use the site to order business checks at a low price.
Like most check websites, Checks in the Mail offers a variety of designs to choose from for both its consumer and business checks. One nice feature is the site’s quick reorder form. If you’ve ordered before, all you have to do is enter your bank info and email address and the site will automatically prepare your shopping cart for you.
Checks in the Mail offers fast shipping, with delivery in as little as one week for expedited orders. It also commits to security, offering a one-year Fraud Armor service and multiple security features on its checks.
Check Advantage – Best for fast and accurate shipping
Check Advantage is both a check printer and seller, making it one of the best places to order checks online. You don’t have to worry about delays like you would when buying from a middleman that relies on other companies to do the printing.
With more than 2,500 designs to choose from, Check Advantage is great for people who want to customize their checks. It’s also one of the best places to order checks if you want fast and accurate service, with 99% on-time and 99.9% error-free order rates since 2001. All orders are shipped within three business days.
Check Advantage is a Better Business Bureau accredited company and a Google Trusted Store. It also offers EZShield Plus security for checks to help keep your finances secure.
Checks Unlimited – Best for checks with licensed brand designs
Checks Unlimited is a long-standing check printer. The company was founded in 1986 as one of the first direct mail check printing businesses. The company has built a reputation for customer satisfaction and security, offering an EZShield Fraud Protection program and multiple security features for its checks.
If you like major brands like Major League Baseball, Disney, and Warner Bros., Checks Unlimited might be the best place to order checks. You can get designs featuring favorite characters like Mickey Mouse, Tinkerbell, or the Looney Tunes, and teams like the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox.
Pricing is a bit high, with basic checks starting at $18.99 for one box. Delivery is also a bit slow with standard shipping taking up to three weeks. However, if you want custom checks with your favorite team or characters, it’s one of the best options.
Bradford Exchange – Best for rush shipping, at a price
Bradford Exchange is an American company focused on selling collectibles, memorabilia, and apparel. It also operates a check-selling website where customers can choose from more than 800 different check designs. While the number of designs is low, many are designs featuring popular licensed characters.
Prices are somewhat high, with the least expensive checks starting at $19.95 for one pack of checks. Disappointingly, Bradford Exchange also upcharges for EZShield Fraud protection, so it may not be the best place to order checks if you want low prices and good security.
What sets Bradford Exchange apart is that you can rush your order and have it printed in as little as a single business day. You can get your checks in less than a week from the time that you place your order. If you need your checks as quickly as possible Bradford Exchange is likely the fastest place to order from.
How to order checks online
Ordering checks online is quite easy. After all, a check is just a piece of paper with some security features and your bank account information on it.
To order checks online you will need the following info:
- Bank account number – This is your unique account number at the bank. It’s visible from your online account and listed on checks you get from your bank.
- Bank routing number – This is a unique number used to identify your bank. It’s printed on checks you get from your bank and you should also be able to find it on your bank’s website.
- Check number – When you get checks, they’re numbered, usually starting at 1 and counting up sequentially. This is useful for keeping track of transactions. You’ll need to tell the company you’re buying checks from what number to start with. For example, if you’ve used 50 checks, you’ll want to order new checks starting with check number 51.
- Personal contact information – Information like your name, address, and phone number can be printed on your check.
- Bank contact information – This includes your bank’s name, address, and phone number.
To make it easier to gather all the necessary info, some check ordering sites will ask you to send a voided check or pay for your first order with a check so they can confirm the information that needs to be printed on the check.
Security features to look for when ordering checks
Checks are important financial documents. When you give someone a check, they can deposit it or cash it at a bank to draw money out of your account.
The last thing that you want is for someone to fraudulently copy or modify a check so they can get more of your money than you intended. That makes it important to consider the security features included with the checks you order.
You also have to consider whether the company you’re ordering checks from is legitimate. You provide these businesses with your banking information which means it would be easy for them to try to defraud you.
CPSA certification
The Check Payment Systems Association (CPSA) is an industry group that examines and certifies companies to make sure they follow good processes and procedures when printing checks. If a check printer is CPSA-certified you can feel confident that they are safe to work with.
BBB accreditation
The Better Business Bureau is a consumer advocacy group that collects consumer complaints about companies and assigns a rating to them. Companies with good BBB ratings are likely easy to work with and have good customer service. Those with poor ratings may be more difficult to deal with.
EZShield protection
EZShield Protection is a service that offers protection against identity theft and other fraud. Many check printers offer this service with the checks they print. If you fall victim to identity theft or fraud EZShield protection can advance you some money and help you recover from the identity theft.
MP icon
The MP icon on a check means that the check includes microprinting as a security feature. This feature helps banks determine whether a check is legitimate and makes it harder for people to copy or falsify checks, protecting your money.
How to print your own checks
There’s nothing stopping you from printing your own checks and it’s easier than you might think. The best place to order checks might be from yourself!
To get started, all you need is a printer, paper, a program like Quicken or Xero, magnetic ink, and a Magnetic Ink Character Recognition font on your computer.
The programs that help you print your own checks make the process easy. Simply load up the paper you want to use, put the magnetic ink in your printer, and plug your bank info into the program. It’ll print out all the checks that you ask for with whatever designs you select.
Conclusion: what is the best place to order checks online?
Overall, the best place to order checks online is Carousel Checks.
Carousel Checks has one of the best Trust Pilot ratings of any of the options on this list with a rating of 4.4 out of 5 and Better Business Bureau accreditation. It also offers a huge variety of designs, which is appealing to people who want checks that match their personality. Best of all, its checks are cheap, starting at just $6.99 for a box of 100 checks.
Order checks FAQs
Can you buy checks from retail stores? (Costco, Sam’s Club, Walmart, etc.)
Yes, many retail stores like Costco and Sam’s Club will sell checks or offer to print them for you. This can be one of the best options if you need to get checks quickly.
What is the difference between single and duplicate checks?
A single check is a simple book of checks that you can fill out and use whenever you need one.
A book of duplicate checks pairs each check with a piece of carbon paper so that you can keep a copy of every check that you write. This can be useful for recordkeeping or balancing your checkbook later on.
What are high-security checks?
High-security checks are checks that employ multiple security features, including anti-copy technology, foil holograms, and heat detection. These features make it hard to duplicate or modify checks after you have written them.
Where can I get free checks?
The most common place to get free checks is from your bank. Some banks offer free checks when you open an account or if you have a high-end account that requires a significant minimum balance.
How we chose the best place to order checks
When choosing the best place to order checks, we consider multiple factors. The primary things we look at included pricing, security, shipping times, and customer reviews. We also considered how easy it is to use the company’s website as well as the variety of designs available.