Monday, August 12th
2024 Personal Check Store Reviews
Walmart
- "A+" Better Business Bureau rating
- Free standard shipping
- 150 checks per pack
- 90-day return policy
Walmart is a retail corporation that operates over 4,700 grocery stores throughout the United States. In addition, they have a comprehensive website that sells nearly everything you can imagine. If you need food, clothes, photos, furniture, electronics, baby gear, beauty products, or any other essentials, you can get them at Walmart. This is a company that is a part of most people's everyday lives and - unsurprisingly? - also sells business and personal checks as part of their huge inventory of items.
Options for everyone
When you reach Walmart's website, you can decide between business or personal checks. Their three main categories include high security, basic, or character checks. Their other categories include contemporary, floral and scenic, Disney, patriotic, dog breed, animals, feminine, inspirational and religious, and cause-related. Within each category are over a hundred choices, so customers should be able to find a design they like here without a problem.
Low pricing
Walmart's slogan is "Save Money. Live Better." The good deals on products and services you can find here extend to their personal checks as well. We found pricing to be better than through most other retailers. Each pack of checks contains 150 checks that you can either purchase in duplicates or singles. Pricing includes:
- Single Checks
- 1 pack of single checks: $8.96
- 2 packs of single checks: $17.92
- 3 packs of single checks: $26.88
- 4 packs of single checks: $35.84
- Duplicate Checks
- 1 pack of duplicate checks: $10.21
- 2 packs of duplicate checks: $20.42
- 3 packs of duplicate checks: $30.63
- 4 packs of duplicate checks: $40.84
Not only do you get more checks with each pack than from most other companies, but it's unusual to be able to purchase a 3-pack. In addition, you'll get free standard shipping, so you really can't beat that.
Easy reordering
As part of Walmart's 3-step personal check buying process, you'll input your bank routing number, account number, starting check number, and entire bottom row of numbers for your check before purchase. Then you'll provide your address and any optional customizations you want. From there you can purchase your checks - and come back in the future using your bank routing number, account number, and zip code for easy reordering when you need to.
Reach customer service by phone
For any issues you run into with your checks, like errors with information you provided or checking on the status of your order, Walmart asks that you contact their customer service team over the phone. Since they don't handle personal or business check purchases in-store, you'll need to give them a call. Walmart doesn't give specifics about their return policy on checks, but their standard return policy allows most things to be returned for a refund within 90 days of purchase. Since checks are customized, this may be less flexible, but in most instances, Walmart will work with their customers and give their money back if they aren't able to solve any issues.
Reliable retailer
Walmart has an "A+" rating from the Better Business Bureau. If you attempt to read through all their customer reviews, you'll find a lot of positive and negative things said about the company. Most of them apply to in-store experiences or purchases of other items through the website that are non-check related. Because Walmart is such a big store with customer-friendly policies and a good customer service team, it's a safe option for buying personal checks. With such impressive prices and ease of use, Walmart has earned our highest rating for personal check buying.
Carousel Checks
- "A+" Better Business Bureau rating
- Excellent customer reviews
- Save 15% with email signup
- 21-day return policy
Carousel Checks is located in Chicago, Illinois. They are a family-owned business that began in 2003 and that has grown exponentially since that time. They aim to be the leading supplier of financial documents and their specialty is personal checks. Other products they offer include address labels, business checks, computer checks, checkbook covers, stamps, and more.
Plenty of style choices
There is no shortage of design choices for personal checks when you're shopping online at Carousel Checks. They have a long list of categories you can browse including animals and wildlife, careers, flowers, food, seasonal, musical, transportation, patriotic, and more. They also have options to add customer photos on your checks if you want to highlight your family members, pets, or a favorite scene from a vacation. If you prefer top stub, side tear, deskset, or end stub checks, you can shop specifically for these as well.
Easy to personalize
Once you select the style of checks you want, it's easy to get them personalized. You can create a free account through Carousel Checks or check out as a guest using your email address. Customers will input up to 5 lines of personal information that they want to appear on the check as well as adding their account information. You can choose from a few different fonts and add a signature line message if you prefer to.
Competitive pricing
If you want to save a little bit on your checks, provide your name and email address for their subscription list and receive 15% off your next order. Even without a subscription, the prices at Carousel Checks are very competitive with what you'll find at other retailers. You can buy 1, 2, or 4 boxes of either single or duplicate check boxes (100 checks per box). The average price is $24.99 for a box of duplicates and $22.99 for singles. Two boxes of duplicates is $45.99 and two boxes of singles are $39.99. Four boxes of duplicates will cost you $89.99 and four boxes of singles are priced at $77.99. For an additional $7.98 customers can get up to $25,000 in fraud protection in the event of unauthorized use..
Shipping options
The cost for shipping depends on how many checks you're purchasing and how fast you want delivery to be. For accurate delivery pricing, you can enter your zip code and view your options. You can expect basic trackable shipping to be around $9 for residential areas. You'll want to make sure you double-check all the information you input for check printing since Carousel Checks does not offer returns on custom orders, and non-custom orders carry a 25% restocking fee. If you choose to send your personal checks back, you have 21 days to do so.
Excellent customer feedback
Carousel Checks not only has an "A+" rating from the Better Business Bureau, but they also have extremely high customer ratings. There are tens of thousands of people who have left reviews about their experience with the company and report that they have excellent customer service, their delivery is prompt, it's easy to place an order, prices are reasonable, and quality is as expected. What more can you ask for? Besides hefty restocking fees on returns (which hopefully you won't have to deal with), clearly this is a great place to purchase personal checks. Carousel Checks has earned one of our highest ratings.
Check Advantage
- "A+" Better Business Bureau rating
- 100% original designs
- Low prices
- Free shipping
CheckAdvantage prints and sells both personal and business checks. The company was established in 2001 and they boast that since then, 99% of their orders have arrived on time and 99.9% of them are error-free. CheckAdvantage focuses on keeping private information secure and protecting against identity theft by partnering with McAfee and VeriSign to make sure sensitive data is safe with them.
Original designs
Shopping on CheckAdvantage's website is a very simple, straightforward venture. They are nothing fancy, but it's easy to see what they have to offer and browse their collection of 100% original designs. They provide themselves in not using stock photography, but rather selling personal checks with designs that come from their own photographers and artists. Whether you want checks with pictures of flying pigs or a breathtaking view of the beach, you'll find it here.
Straightforward personalization
The personalization process of CheckAdvantage is similar to how most other companies do things. You'll just need to fill out your personal info, provide bank information, give account information, and decide if you want to upgrade with any additional options. You could add a message above the signature line, use a custom font, or add a stock logo if you choose to. From there you can check out and your checks will be shipped to your home within 3 days.
Great pricing
Something CheckAdvantage really has going for them is their pricing. They offer personal checks that are less expensive than many of their competitors. Each single box comes with 150 checks and the duplicates come with 120. A single box is just $15.38 and a duplicate box is $18.69. Your most expensive option is 4 boxes of duplicates for $56.18, which is a great deal. Customers can decide between top tear and side tear checks and add matching items like address labels, checkbook covers, and other optional accessories. If you opt for standard shipping, your order will also ship for free.
Free order corrections
Since most checks have customizations, CheckAdvantage does not accept returns. However, they're generous with discrepancies, so if you make a mistake with your information and your checks don't function at the bank, CheckAdvantage will reprint them at no cost to you. You just have to let them know within 30 days of purchase and provide payment for shipping to get it fixed.
Positive customer feedback
CheckAdvantage earns an "A+" rating from the Better Business Bureau. They have hundreds of reviews from customers who attest to the quality and accuracy of the products offered here. We noticed that there are a few customer complaints here and there about delayed order arrivals, so this could be something that the company is struggling with every once in a while. But for the price of checks and free shipping, you're getting a good deal with CheckAdvantage.
Checks On Sale
- 15% off when you join the mailing list
- Hundreds of design choices
- 21-day return policy
Checks On Sale doesn't provide a lot of information about themselves. They just have a basic website with options to shop personal checks, business checks, deposit tickets, and accessories. They do boast that they have extremely low prices with sales up to 50% off of clearance prices. With a name that touts sale prices, we would hope they would provide some good deals here.
Hundreds of choices
There are hundreds of design choices of personal checks under a variety of categories like animals, food and drink, happiness and love, licensed art, patriotism, sport, transportation, and many others. You can search for a particular image or character, so if there's a certain design or style you have in mind, this might be the fastest way to browse Checks On Sales' inventory.
More expensive than we expected
Even though Checks On Sale was advertising a huge sale at the time of this review, their low prices only applied to 12 different designs. Most of them are plain and not exciting, so that was disappointing. Their standard pricing is not a lot cheaper than what you'd find anywhere else. A single box of checks (100 checks per box) is $19.99 and a box of duplicates is $22.99. You can buy 1, 2, or 4 boxes and prices go up to $81.99 for a set of 4 duplicate check boxes. For a company that prides themselves on good deals, we didn't feel like this was exceptionally affordable. The best way to save money here is if you sign up for their email list and get a code for 15% off your first order.
Shipping depends on location and quantity
The cost of shipping depends on the quantity of checks you're ordering and where you need them delivered. There aren't any free shipping options here, and we found that the least expensive delivery cost is about $9, so you can expect to add this onto the price of your personal checks.
Restocking fees apply on potential returns
If you need to return your order to Checks On Sale, there is no guarantee that you'll be able to. The return policy states that refunds are made at the sole discretion of the company only if there is a defect. If they do offer a refund on a custom product, it will come with a 50% restocking fee. For any non-custom orders (usually personal checks don't fall into this category), you can return them within 21 days, but expect to pay a 25% restocking fee.
Average at best
We aren't thrilled that the Better Business Bureau doesn't have a rating for Checks On Sale and there are hardly any customer reviews of the company either. Nothing about Checks For Sale makes them shine above their competition and we don't have a good reason that we'd shop here over a higher-rated personal check site. This seems to be a mediocre company, so they've earned an average rating from us.
Designer Checks
- 100% satisfaction guarantee
- Over 130 check designs
- Options for custom photo check styles
Designer Checks was founded in 1992 for people to be able to find fun personal checks to reflect their personalities and make the task of paying bills a little less monotonous. The company has over 9 million customers and promises to provide the highest quality checks with top security measures. In addition to personal checks, Designer Checks sells business checks and accessories like check registers, checkbook covers, address labels, photos products, and more.
Vibrant designs
In all, there are about 130 check designs from Designer Checks. The categories you can browse include Disney, Warner Bros, patriotic, MLB, cartoon, scenic, inspirational, nature, and others. Their patterns are bright and vibrant, so they appear very high quality. The inventory here isn't so small that you won't find something you like, but it is a little bit less extensive than what is offered by some other companies. We like that they do have an option for custom photo checks, so you can print whatever photo you want on them.
Transparent pricing
The price of your personal checks will depend on whether you want single or duplicate checks (100 checks per box). Costs include:
- Single Checks
- 1 box of singles: $18.99
- 2 boxes of singles: $29.98
- 4 boxes of singles: $52.92
- Duplicate Checks
- 1 box of duplicates: $24.99
- 2 boxes of duplicates: $39.98
- 4 boxes of duplicates: $68.92
You can add coordinating products to your order like matching labels, a checkbook cover, or check register. At the time of this review, there was a special offer for customers who ordered four boxes of checks. With a discount code, they also would receive free shipping on their purchase.
Customize and choose shipping method
To customize your checks, you'll follow a similar process to what any other company does. You'll choose your design, then provide bank information (last name, zip code, email address, routing number, account number). From there you'll check out and choose your shipping method. For an extra $5.95 you can get in-plant rush which means your checks will be processed and ready to ship within 2 days after verification. Standard untrackable delivery will take up to 15 business days and standard, trackable delivery will take between 7 and 11 days to ship.
Guaranteed satisfaction
If you're not happy with your personal check purchase from Designer Checks, you can take advantage of their 100% guarantee. They promise that they'll work with you to rectify any issues or else they'll refund your money completely.
Average company
Unfortunately, Designer Checks is not rated by the Better Business Bureau and neither is their parent company, Direct Checks Unlimited. Besides the filtered customer reviews on their website, there isn't a lot of customer feedback for this company. We like what we see as far as competitive pricing, a decent range of designs, and a satisfaction guarantee. We wish there was more feedback from customers, but in our opinion, this is an average company and their rating from us reflects this.
Checks Unlimited
- "A+" Better Business Bureau rating
- 100% guarantee
- Save up to 50% when ordering 4 boxes of checks
Checks Unlimited was established in 1986 as a major direct mail check printer. They started out with just 13 designs, but have expanded to offer hundreds of different styles to fit your personality. If you're less familiar with ordering and writing checks, Checks Unlimited has gone out of their way to provide helpful pages to explain the anatomy of a check, how to properly write a check, how to order checks, and what important features they come with. If nothing else, Checks Unlimited is a good resource for basic information about personal checks.
Upload your own photos
Like other retailers that sell checks, Checks Unlimited has categories of designs to browse including scenic checks, collegiate checks, floral checks, cartoon checks, Disney checks, religious checks, cute checks, and more. If you're wanting to customize the photos on your checks you can also do that with options for the same photo on each check or rotating photos. There's a helpful how-to on the website to make sure you choose a good photo that will show up clearly once it's printed.
Save on bulk orders
At the time of this review, Checks Unlimited had a discount code posted to help customers save up to 50% when they order 4 boxes of checks. The normal cost for single checks is $18.99/box, $29.98 for two boxes, and $52.92 for four boxes. Duplicates are slightly more expensive at $24.99 for a single box, $39.98 for two boxes, and $68.92 for four boxes. The cost of shipping is calculated at checkout, so you'll need to go through the whole ordering process before finding out how much it will cost in the end.
100% satisfaction guarantee
Your purchase of personal checks from Checks Unlimited is backed by their 100% guarantee that says it's completely safe to order from their company since all their checks meet the American Bankers Association standards for security and quality. Checks Unlimited also says that if you're not happy with the checks you receive from them, then you can call a customer service representative to discuss your options. They don't explicitly say whether or not you can get a refund, but we'd hope this is an option.
Delivery issues
The Better Business Bureau gives Checks Unlimited an "A+" rating. However, not all customers would agree with this high score. A frequent concern we noticed was that people either receive their personal checks weeks later than expected or they never show up at all. When they are trying to reach customer service to rectify the problem, they run into more difficulties and find it hard to get answers. There were enough people who have had a similar issue that it makes us leery of recommending Checks Unlimited. Because of this, they've earned one of our lower ratings for personal checks.
Bradford Exchange Checks
- Up to 70% off bank check prices
- Hundreds of design choices
- 100% guarantee
- Free standard shipping
The Bradford Exchange Checks sells a variety of personal checks, check accessories, stationery and stamps, business checks, and promotional products. The company is affiliated with The Bradford Exchange, a company that specializes in fine collectible art. At The Bradford Exchange Checks, they provide exclusive designer checks from top artists from The Bradford Exchange to make special impressions every time they are used.
Hundreds of design choices
We noticed that The Bradford Exchange Checks has a slightly outdated website. It's really busy and a little overwhelming at first with moving images and a lot of information to take in all at once. However, you can sort through all the busyness by selecting from a list of personal check categories you're interested in. Some of the categories include charity and support causes, holiday, Disney, inspiration and religious, lifestyle, scenic, wildlife, patriotic, and more. There are hundreds of designs to choose from in all.
Choose between duplicate and single checks
The Bradford Exchange Checks boasts that their prices will save you up to 70% of what is charged by banks, plus you can get free standard shipping. You can purchase either single or duplicate packs of checks here, for a few dollars difference in price each. Duplicate checks are a popular option and include a carbonless copy so you always have a record of the checks you write whereas singles don't have a copy. Depending on the style you choose, prices might vary slightly, but you can expect to pay about $23 for 1 pack (100 checks) of duplicate checks and $19.95 for a pack of single checks. Prices go up from there and you can buy up to 4 packs at a time.
Meets top security standards
For an extra $2.50 per pack, you can get fraud protection from The Bradford Exchange Checks. This means that in the event of check fraud, they will assign a specialist to work on your behalf to get all your money reimbursed. The safety and security of each check sold by The Bradford Exchange Checks is 100% guaranteed to meet the standards instituted by the American National Standards Institute and all checks include features like micro-security print, chemical protection, erasure protection, and more.
Contact customer service for refunds
If you're not entirely satisfied with your checks when they arrive, contact customer service by phone or online as soon as possible to discuss a refund. If the error was made by the company, they'll take the checks back within 30 days and provide a full refund.
Series of customer complaints
The Better Business Bureau does not have a rating for The Bradford Exchange (the parent company for The Bradford Exchange Checks). However, they do have a slew of negative customer reviews that we weren't impressed by as well as an alert stating that there have been a pattern of complaints about issues with shipping, refunds, and subscription services. Customers have said that they get signed up for rewards programs they weren't aware of with monthly fees, orders arrive with incorrect information, and customers are continually charged for new items they didn't purchase. These low ratings make us concerned about the reliability and honesty of The Bradford Exchange Checks, so they haven't earned one of our highest ratings.
Checks Superstore
- Save 20% with email signup
- "A+" Better Business Bureau rating
- Packs as low as $10
ChecksSuperStore prides themselves in keeping operational costs low in order to offer significant savings to their customers on personal checks, business checks, and accessories. The company is based out of Texas and originated back in 1922. ChecksSuperstore's website features easy-to-browse categories for you to quickly find what you're looking for and start the ordering process within minutes.
Similar inventory to competitors
You can search through the inventory of personal checks by choosing designer checks, inexpensive checks, discount checks, or checks by theme. We noticed that a lot of the themes like animals, characters, classic, floral, patterns, inspirational, and other designs are similar or the same as what we've seen through other retailers. If you get a great deal here then that's a great reason to buy, but just be aware you won't find a lot of original designs at ChecksSuperStore.
Deceiving pricing
The category of discount checks features boxes as low as $10. The cheapest checks are also the least exciting-looking, but if you're just hoping for functionality, they have some good deals here. The standard price of personal checks is around $14 for one pack (100 checks) of duplicates. By signing up for Checks SuperStore's email list, you'll unlock a code for 20% off your first order, which could be worth doing if you plan on stocking up here. Unfortunately, they don't disclose shipping prices until you're ready to check out, which is a little frustrating. We also read quite a few reviews that complained about expensive "processing fees" that are sometimes tacked onto really cheap purchases. In the end, it doesn't end up being as affordable as it initially appears.
No returns
Since all checks are personalized with your information and bank details, ChecksSuperStore does not accept returns. However, if there are quality issues with the printing of your personal checks, you can contact the company within 30 days and they will refund or reprint your checks.
Not worth the issues
Even though they boast that you can save up to 75% off of bank prices for your personal checks, we aren't convinced that ChecksSuperStore is really offering the best value. Despite their "A+" rating from the Better Business Bureau, many people are frustrated by quality issues, delivery problems, and surprise fees at checkout. Customer satisfaction is mostly poor, which is disappointing. With so many people running into issues with Checks SuperStore, it's not worth wasting your time looking for personal checks here.
Checks In The Mail
- "A+" Better Business Bureau rating
- 20% off your first purchase with email signup
- Free shipping
- Discounts on first orders
Headquartered in Texas, Checks In The Mail has a company history that goes way back to 1922. Each year they make and distribute over a billion checks to people all throughout the United States. In addition to personal and business checks, Checks In The Mail supplies customers with address labels, checkbook covers, debit caddies, address stamps, card and ID cases, security stamps, and more.
No custom designs
Your choices of personal check designs from Checks In The Mail include characters from your favorite TV shows and movies, floral designs, Disney scenes, scenic landscapes, unique patterns, inspirational/religious designs, and more. We did notice they don't have options for custom personal checks with your own photos, so if this is something you're looking for you'll need to go elsewhere.
Take advantage of discounts
To save a bit on your first purchase, Checks In The Mail offers 20% off if you subscribe to their marketing list with your email address. They also have a new customer special offer where you can get a box of checks for $6.99 and $5 for each additional box plus free standard shipping and handling. Normal costs for checks outside of discounted pricing includes:
- Single Checks
- 1 pack of singles: $24.99
- 2 packs of singles: $44.69
- 4 packs of singles: $86.25
- Duplicate Checks
- 1 pack of duplicates: $28.25
- 2 packs of duplicates: $50.99
- 4 packs of duplicates: $99.25
You can also receive up to $25,000 of fraud protection for an additional $4.99/pack. Pricing is slightly more expensive than what we've seen when compared with other retailers, so taking advantage of the discounts offered will give you the best value.
Security guaranteed
Checks In The Mail guarantees the security of the checks they sell by using four industry-approved security features to guard against check fraud that include chemically sensitive paper, a CheckSafe backer, an MP padlock icon, and an MP icon. All of these features are designed to prevent an individual from making copies of your checks or altering your personal information.
No return policy
There is no return or refund policy listed for Checks In The Mail. We wish they would at least state that they don't accept returns if that's the case rather than not having any information at all. We would assume that all sales are final here, but if you have an issue that needs to be taken care of regarding your order, your best bet will be to contact their customer service team by sending an email through their website.
Lots of recent complaints
The Better Business Bureau gives Checks In The Mail an "A+" rating. This is great, but we found that customers aren't always thrilled with their purchases here. They have average reviews with complaints about receiving checks with incorrect information printed on them, poor customer service communication, orders that were never received, random order cancellations, and more. The majority of customer reviews over the last year have been negative and it appears that Checks In The Mail has gone through some ownership changes, which may be a contributing factor to this. Unfortunately, they don't seem like a reliable place to buy personal checks so we don't recommend shopping here.
Deluxe Checks
- "A+" Better Business Bureau rating
- 100% satisfaction guarantee
- Partnered with over 4,000 financial institutions
Deluxe Corporation is a payment and business technology company. They were founded in 1915 and have grown into four different business divisions that include cloud, promotional products, payments, and checks. Deluxe is a large company with over 6,500 employees based out of Minnesota and they have over 4,000 financial institutions as customers.
Lacking transparency
We'll start off by saying that although Deluxe is a large and reputable company, one of their biggest flaws is their lack of pricing transparency. You can browse all the designs they have, but in order to see how much they cost, you have to first provide your routing number, account number, and zip code. This seems really bizarre and slightly uncomfortable for people who aren't wanting to hand over private information right from the get-go.
Pricing depends on financial institution
The fine print in Deluxe's FAQ section says that since they are connected with a lot of financial institutions, the cost of checks, shipping, taxes, and other fees are often set by the bank you have. So depending on who you bank with, you might be paying more or less for checks from Deluxe.
Underwhelming selection
The selection of designs for personal checks is a lot smaller than what is offered by most other companies. There are up to 14 designs per category at most, which really isn't very many. We were surprised that for such a big company, Deluxe doesn't give very many choices to customers. Some of the categories include animals, Disney, classical, contemporary, inspirational, scenic, sports, and more. None of the styles are very unique or exciting, so we were very underwhelmed by what's offered.
Basic customization process
To customize your checks, you can choose the font you want, then provide your name, address, check details, an optional symbol or monogram, and an optional message above your signature line. On some designs, they only offer duplicate checks, so singles aren't an option. You can order 1, 2, or 4 boxes at a time, but it isn't specified how many checks are in a box.
100% guarantee
Deluxe provides a 100% guarantee rather than a return policy. The company says if there is an error with the checks you receive or you're unhappy with your order for another reason, you can contact them for a reprint. They'll also offer to replace your order with a similar product at no extra charge. You'll get a refund if they are unable to resolve your concern.
Bad customer reviews
We wanted to give Deluxe a high rating since they're a big, well-known company, but when it comes to personal checks, they fall short of their competition. They have an "A+" rating from the Better Business Bureau, but their customer reviews are quite bad. No one seems impressed with pricing, so for the most part, this probably won't be one of your cheapest options. People also say it takes a long time for orders to arrive and when they try to reach customer service for updates, it's nearly impossible to get straight answers. There are so many issues reported by customers and nearly every buyer rates Deluxe with a 1 out of 5 star rating. This is one of the last places you'll want to try for personal checks.
