# Should I pay with a personal check, or a cashier's check? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 26, 2023, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-pay-with-a-personal-check-or-a-cashiers-check/987618 "2023-07-26T09:58:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-pay-with-a-personal-check-or-a-cashiers-check/987618/1 "2023-07-26T09:58:14Z")
I will soon be buying a new vehicle, and the dealer has told me I can pay with a personal check or a cashier’s check, my choice. A personal check is of course easier for me, since I don’t have to visit my bank. In spite of that, is there any reason paying via cashier’s check might be preferable for me? ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-pay-with-a-personal-check-or-a-cashiers-check/987618/2 "2023-07-26T11:06:12Z")
My understanding is that a cashier’s check offers more protection for the vendor. As far as the buyer is concerned, there is no difference. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-pay-with-a-personal-check-or-a-cashiers-check/987618/3 "2023-07-26T12:21:57Z")
Is there a difference , like that you can drive the car home if you pay with a cashier’s check but must wait for the check to clear if you pay by personal check? If there isn’t any difference is how the car is delivered , then I don’t think it matters . But I’m very surprised they will take a personal check rather than a cashier’s check or a certified check. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-pay-with-a-personal-check-or-a-cashiers-check/987618/4 "2023-07-26T12:31:19Z")
One difference; the certified check needs to be for the exact amount so no last minute surprise charges from the dealership? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-pay-with-a-personal-check-or-a-cashiers-check/987618/5 "2023-07-26T12:34:09Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > My unders Certified checks can be faked. I wouldn’t accept either, but you’re not the dealer, you won’t lose either way. I don’t see any reason to pay a fee for a certified check if the dealer will take a personal check. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-pay-with-a-personal-check-or-a-cashiers-check/987618/6 "2023-07-26T12:38:03Z")
My bank, for one, will generate cashiers checks for no charge so cost is not a concern. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-pay-with-a-personal-check-or-a-cashiers-check/987618/7 "2023-07-26T13:18:21Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > Is there a difference , like that you can drive the car home if you pay with a cashier’s check but must wait for the check to clear if you pay by personal check? If there isn’t any difference is how the car is delivered , then I don’t think it matters . But I’m very surprised they will take a personal check rather than a cashier’s check or a certified check. They said it didn’t matter to them. I was kind of surprised at first, until I remembered that many years ago, a a friend of mine wrote a personal check for the entire purchase price of his new car - about $25K at the time. So I guess it’s not unheard of. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-pay-with-a-personal-check-or-a-cashiers-check/987618/8 "2023-07-26T13:20:05Z")
I tried to pay for a new car on a credit card but they wouldn’t allow that. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-pay-with-a-personal-check-or-a-cashiers-check/987618/9 "2023-07-26T13:46:13Z")
Yeah, last time I bought a new car the dealer would put max $5000 on a credit card, the rest could be a personal check. Regarding accepting that check, I’m pretty sure he ran a credit report which showed him, I guess, that I’d be fine before saying he would accept a personal check. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-pay-with-a-personal-check-or-a-cashiers-check/987618/10 "2023-07-26T14:03:43Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > Regarding accepting that check, I’m pretty sure he ran a credit report which showed him, I guess, that I’d be fine before saying he would accept a personal check. My dealer also ran a credit check before accepting a personal check, although this was 18 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-pay-with-a-personal-check-or-a-cashiers-check/987618/11 "2023-07-26T14:06:13Z")
I’d pay with a cashier’s check. Your personal check will have your routing and account numbers on it, so everyone who handles it can jot them down and clean you out later. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-pay-with-a-personal-check-or-a-cashiers-check/987618/12 "2023-07-26T14:09:13Z")
I think it would take more than that, but actually under the circumstances someone may have given away too much information to a car dealership already that allows that to happen. That’s a reason never to fill out a credit application for anybody that you would give a personal check. So the use of a certified check will help protect you if that’s a possibility. While it would probably cost money, if the dealer will accept a wire transfer then you will be at the advantage of having their account and routing numbers. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-pay-with-a-personal-check-or-a-cashiers-check/987618/13 "2023-07-26T15:44:10Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > I was kind of surprised at first, until I remembered that many years ago, a a friend of mine wrote a personal check for the entire purchase price of his new car - about $25K at the time. So I guess it’s not unheard of. I think I’ve paid with a personal check for every car I’ve ever purchased. Except one on craigs list, they wanted cash. Even Tesla took a personal check, and that was the most expensive car I’ve ever purchased. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-pay-with-a-personal-check-or-a-cashiers-check/987618/14 "2023-07-26T15:55:53Z")
I paid cash for my pickup 3 years ago. All I did was hand the gal a blank check, she ran it through a check scanner then I approved the amount of the check. 15 seconds later I was handed a receipt. This was actually 6 days after I took delivery of the truck, the dealer trusted me when I told them I had to take a withdrawal from my 401K to pay for the truck. The only requirement they had was to show them than I had transferred my insurance to the new pickup. A few weeks later I got a check from the dealer for over $4000, the dropped a couple charges from the purchase and gave me half the profit from selling my trade-in. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-pay-with-a-personal-check-or-a-cashiers-check/987618/15 "2023-07-26T16:17:01Z")
When I bought my car, the credit union gave me a cashier’s check for the amount I wanted to finance. I took that to the dealer and then wrote a personal check for the remainder (which was actually greater than the cashier’s check portion). I assume the dealership is just saying they can handle it however you need rather than a suggestion that one method is better than the other. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-pay-with-a-personal-check-or-a-cashiers-check/987618/16 "2023-07-26T16:31:14Z")
As noted, a new car dealership will already have plenty of buyer info it could use for nefarious purposes if it wished (seeing as it would be an absolute disaster for the dealership if that occurred and it was uncovered, the odds of it happening are extremely low). On the other hand, I might be leery of handing over a personal check to Honest Bob’s Pre-Owned Cars, In Business On This Corner Since June. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-pay-with-a-personal-check-or-a-cashiers-check/987618/17 "2023-07-26T17:26:52Z")
If that’s true, isn’t that the case every time you use a personal check? ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-pay-with-a-personal-check-or-a-cashiers-check/987618/18 "2023-07-26T17:30:35Z")
Good question. I may be paranoid, but many a time I have bought things online using the routing number and checking account number. Every time use use a personal check, that info can be easily copied for use later and used online just as easily as the account owner can do it. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-pay-with-a-personal-check-or-a-cashiers-check/987618/19 "2023-07-26T17:35:17Z")
As noted already, a car dealership may have a lot more information about you that could be used in combination with your account number and bank routing number for fraudulent purposes. Someone at the dealership might copy that information and give it to someone else that can’t be traced back to the source. Given a choice, a certified check gives them a little less info to work with. But I would suggest never filling out a credit application at a car dealership is going to be more important in protecting your bank account than using a certified check. The routing number of your bank is not a secret, and anytime you use a personal check you’re giving away your account number, but the wealth of details in a credit application, including your Social Security Number makes it much easier for someone to impersonate you. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-pay-with-a-personal-check-or-a-cashiers-check/987618/20 "2023-07-26T17:45:01Z")
I bought a used car from a Mazda dealer in November 2019. I wrote a personal check for the bottom-line amount and drove it home same-day, new license plates and all. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-pay-with-a-personal-check-or-a-cashiers-check/987618.md?page=2)