I was with family recently and learned that they still make property tax payments by mailing a check. I dug a little further about why they pay them that way.

And it reminded me a lot of the conversations I've had with people in the last few years about why I try to make all payments through a credit card and if that isn't available or there is a high surcharge, I'll do my best to make a direct ACH payment through my checking account.

I do my best to never write checks.

The reason?

They are not very secure. This is for a few reasons:

• Your account number is on the check!
• The check may include your full name, address, and phone number.
• Many people don't have locked mailboxes.
• People steal checks from USPS collection boxes, facilities, and rob USPS employees.
• It's fairly easy to digitally manipulate a stolen check.

Here are some of the most secure ways to pay:

1. Apple Pay/Google Pay
2. Tap to pay credit card
3. Chip insert credit card
4. Swipe credit card
5. ACH transfers
6. Debit card
7. Checks

Virtual wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay are some of the most secure payment methods because your credit card number isn't revealed when making the payment. They use a one-time "token."

Tap to pay on credit cards are very secure. Many credit card companies offer zero liability for unauthorized charges. If something goes wrong, they usually fix it quickly.

Swipe credit cards aren't ideal because of the prevalence of skimmers, but still usually have zero liability for fraud.

ACH payments is a federally-regulated electronic network. There are strict regulations and money easily transfers from one bank to another.

Debit cards are okay, but they are directly tied to a checking account, offer limited fraud protection if reported in time, and it can take longer to get back your money if fraud occurs.

Checks are the least secure for the reasons mentioned above.

It can be tough to adjust to new payment methods. Old habits are tough to break.

If you've be thinking about switching, start small and see how it goes.

Lastly, share this with someone, particularly a parent or grandparent. When I talk about these types of things I often hear, "I had no idea. They don't tell you this stuff."

Blog This Month

2025 Year-End Tax Planning Checklist

What I've Been Reading

• What's Your Worry-Free Spending Limit? Readers Share Their Number
• Going Terminally Offline
• The Frustration of Being Disabled
• 10 Things I've Learned about Wealth Management in 10 Years
• I've Written about Loads of Scams. This One Almost Got Me.

Resources

How to Manage Your Resources for Widows - Hear directly from widows about the decisions they had to navigate, how they lived with grief, and the wisdom of what they want you to know after reflecting back on their experience.

Money Lessons for Change: What They Should Have Taught You in School - A book for people in their 20s and 30s about how to set up good financial habits, how to spend freely, types of investments, how to build credit history, and major mistakes people make with their finances.

More Than Money: Real-Life Stories of Financial Planning - Stories about the impact and value of financial planning. My story of Sara and Leo is on page 205.