Want to help a local business? Pay with a check!

If you’ve never owned your own business, you might not know that all payment methods are NOT the same.

Cash is cash. Almost every business will gladly accept cash. No fees associated with cash.

But cash is dangerous. If it’s stolen there’s no way to replace it.

And cash has to be physically deposited. So, it requires some manual labor and some extra time on the part of the business owner or his/her employees.

Credit and debit card purchases don’t require any manual labor, and are safer than cash.

But these payments are the most expensive for the business owner. He or she pays “discount” fees on these credit card payments. These fees can run from 2% to 4% of the purchase price. Credit cards also charge transaction fees which can run from 15 to 75 cents per transaction.

Even debit card purchases whack the business owner with small discount fee (.05%) and a transaction fee of around 21 cents per transaction.

Might not sound like a lot, but if the business is accepting many payments per day, it really adds up!

Then there’s paper checks. The “old fashioned” way to pay.

But if you ask most small-business owners, “What’s your favorite way to get paid?” many of them will tell you “write me a check!”

Why?

Well, checks are safer than cash.

And, unlike cash, checks can be deposited in the bank via a smart phone. No labor or time lost.

Also, checks are easier to track than electronic payments.

And checks provide quick, irrefutable “proof of payment.”

But best of all, there are no transaction fees or discount fees associated with checks.

So, if you know a small business owner and want to help them compete with the big boys, consider writing them a check.