A Guide to Buying Leather Checkbook Covers & Checks

The days of ordering checks by filling out a form and mailing it in are long over. Even many banks will have customers order checks online through its website. Of course, the ins and outs of ordering checks online can be tricky.

Below is a complete list of commonly asked questions about leather checkbook covers and ordering checks and some simple-to-understand answers.

How Do I Order Checks From My Bank?

The first place to look when ordering checks, if you want something simple, is your bank or credit union. Since your bank or credit union is already attached to your checking account, the bank already has all the information it needs to make the checks. Any adult can order checks through his or her bank's website or in person.

When using either option, the money to pay for the checks (unfortunately, checks are not free) can come directly out of the bank account that the checks are attached to.

How Do I Order Checks Elsewhere?

Outside of ordering checks directly from your bank or credit union, there are many websites online that sell checks. It's best to check reviews online to ensure the check seller is not a scammer.

Once you are sure that you have found a safe website, you will need to fill out an order form. Online order forms will require you to provide more information than your bank would, as they do not already have the information on hand. You will need to include your name, address, phone number, and bank routing number in your order form.

All of these things are necessary to create a valid check. From there, you can choose how many checks you want.

Where Can I Order Checkbook Covers?

Most check orders, unless stated otherwise in the order form, will not come with a checkbook cover. It is not necessary to have a checkbook cover, but it does make keeping your checks safe easier. If you buy plastic or leather checkbook covers, then you can be sure that the checkbook cover is waterproof.

Banks and credit unions often have an option for customers to order checkbook covers when they order their checks. Other check-ordering websites may have the option to have a cheap checkbook cover included in the order, but these are usually flimsy.

Unlike ordering checks themselves, you can order a checkbook cover just about anywhere. Checkbook covers are there to protect the check. They do not contain any personal or confidential information.

Can I Personalize My Checks?

All checks are automatically personalized to some extent, as they need to contain personalized information to connect to your checking account. All checks will contain a person's name, the check number, the routing number, and usually the customer's address and phone number.

Of course, there are some optional personalizations you can make to your checks. Your options for customizing your checks will depend on where you are ordering the checks from. The most popular way to customize checks is to change the background and colors. Many online check shops will have options that have various pictures for the backgrounds. Some check companies will even allow customers to upload their own pictures to use as check backgrounds.

Other than customizing the picture on the check background, some checks will also have the option to customize the font/text. Both picture and text customizations are for aesthetic purposes and will not change the function of the check.

Can I Get Personalized Checkbook Covers?

It is pretty easy to order personalized checkbook covers. Typically, checkbook covers are made out of leather or plastic. The average plastic checkbook cover will be less expensive than even cheap leather covers, but there are more options to have personalized leather checkbook covers. For example, it's much easier to find embossed leather checkbook covers, rather than plastic ones.

If you're looking for where to buy a leather checkbook cover, then you can search online and find them easily. Banks are not likely to offer leather checkbook covers, as they usually use plastic.

How Much Do Checks Cost?

There are a few factors that will determine how much checks cost. The first factor is how many checks a person is ordering. Checks are usually sold by the box, which typically contains 100 checks. However, some banks and businesses allow people to order checks in pads, which can contain anywhere from 25-50 checks per pad.

It all depends on where you buy the checks from. Generally speaking, a person can lower the price per check when he or she buys in bulk. Buying in bulk will have a higher upfront cost, but it will give a person more checks, so they will not need to reorder as often.

Another thing that affects the cost of checks is whether or not they are personalized. If a check is not set up to be personalized, the background will usually have one light solid background coloring and the font for the text will be the same for all checks.

This is why adding a picture or changing the font will cost extra. The more personalized the check, the more the checks are likely to cost. The exact price will of course depend on which company you are buying the checks from.

How Much Do Checkbook Covers Cost?

The cost of a checkbook cover will depend mainly on what material the cover is made out of and how personalized the cover is. Plastic checkbook covers are going to be cheaper in almost every case in comparison to pleather or leather covers. However, they are also less durable.

Custom leather checkbook covers will be the more expensive option, but they are also more likely to last longer. Leather is an extremely durable and waterproof option. There are different grades of leather that you can choose from. The better the grade, the more expensive the leather will be.

Much of this is for the aesthetic properties of the leather and will not affect the function much. However, make sure to choose real leather checkbook covers, as fake leather can flake and become damaged easier. 

Like with the checks themselves, the more customized the cover is, no matter what material it is made out of, the more expensive it is likely to be. If you do not want a custom checkbook cover, you can always check which current checkbook covers the company has in stock.

Customizing the checkbook cover is not likely to change how durable the material is or how long it will last. That is all up to the material that the cover is made out of.

Unlike checks themselves, checkbook covers are not usually sold in bulk. This is simply because the average person will need a lot of checks, but only one checkbook cover. Companies may be able to arrange to buy checkbook covers in bulk, but the average person will not need to do this. You can order individual checkbook covers at Carousel Checks!

Do People Still Use Checks?

Yes! Many online payment options (for bills, utilities, or rent) will have an extra fee when it comes to paying for things with a credit card. However, most billing groups will not have an extra fee for paying with a check. While you will need to pay for a stamp to send in a check, the cost of the stamp will almost always be cheaper than paying the credit card usage fee.

Most businesses will still accept checks since they are not yet obsolete. However, if you are not sure if a business accepts checks, make sure to call or ask before sending one. The last thing anyone wants is to have late fees because they sent a check that was not to be accepted.

Late fees are probably the biggest factor to consider when using checks. When using checks, make sure to mail them in early enough to make sure that the check makes it to the billing office in time. Even if the check is dated before the bill's due date, the payer might be charged late fees if the check does not get in the mail by the due date.

Do Checks Expire?

Do checks expire? Well, that depends on what kind of check they are. Blank checks that you own, in your checkbook, typically do not expire. Think of blank checks as customizable dollar bills. When they are not written on, they do not have any value. Once you write on them, you are creating your own currency.

Checks may expire after you write on them, depending on a few factors. The biggest of these factors is the date that is written on the check. Some checks, depending on where you get the check from (whether you ordered them or whether it was given to you) will expire after a set number of days. This is usually between 90 and 180 days. Checks that have an expiration date will usually say so-- directly written on the check.

If you write a check for someone and it expires before he or she can cash it, then the money will not be taken out of your bank account if they try to cash it past the expiration date. However, your check must have a cash within X days printed on it for this to happen. If the check has no such warning, the check can be cashed at any time.

If the check holder tries to cash the check after the expiration date, you may need to write them a new check and void the old one by either writing VOID on it or calling your bank.

If you were given a check that you are trying to cash but has since expired, you will need to call the check issuer. That person or business will need to issue you a new check. They will likely void the old one. You can do the same thing if you lose a check and need to be issued a new one. The old check will be void. This means that, even if you find the old check later, you will not be able to cash it.