Older adults write the most. People ages 65 to 74 write about two and a half checks a month, and those 75 and older write about four, according to a Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta analysis released in October. Plenty of people with bank accounts still do their banking in person, too. In 2023, 15% of banked households relied mainly on a bank teller to manage their accounts, according to the FDIC.

USA TODAY recently made the case for no longer mailing checks, since thieves pull them from mailboxes and larger operations steal entire bags of mail looking for checks. I’d suggest going one step further. It’s time to retire the checkbook and move your bills online.

Once a paper check leaves your mailbox, you have no control over where it winds up. Every check carries your name, address, bank routing number and account number. In the wrong hands, that information can lead to identity theft and, of course, a cashed amount you never authorized.

Thieves have several ways to cash in. Some scan a stolen check and print counterfeit copies with your signature and a new check number. Others sell stolen checks online. On a single day in April 2025, the security firm Intel 471 found 129 stolen checks worth more than $5 million listed across 14 Telegram channels. In July 2025, four men were charged in a scheme run through a Telegram channel called White House Vibez that involved more than $53 million.

People write fewer checks today, but they tend to save them for big payments such as a contractor or a tax bill. The average check has more than doubled since 2000 to about $2,600, according to a review of Federal Reserve data.

The federal government has already moved away from paper. In 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to phase out paper checks to and from the federal government. The Treasury stopped issuing paper checks that September, and the IRS no longer mails paper refunds.

Paying bills online takes care of the mailbox problem because the money goes straight from your account to the company. You’ll also stop buying stamps and checks, your bills get paid on time even when you’re away from home and every payment is recorded in one place. Setting it up takes some time at the start, but once it’s done, most of your bills will pay themselves.

Start with a list. Make a spreadsheet of your monthly bills with the company name, due date, how much you’ll pay, where you’ll pay it and your login for that site. Because the file holds your passwords, protect it with a password or keep the logins in a password manager. The list becomes your guide as you move each bill online, and if you ever need help, a family member will have everything in one place.

Next, decide where to pay each bill. You have two choices, and many people use a mix of both.

The first is your bank’s bill pay, which most banks offer free inside online banking. I’ll use Chase as an example, but other banks work much the same way. Sign in to the Chase app or chase.com, choose Pay & Transfer, then Pay bills. Tap Add a payee and start typing the company’s name. Chase already has many companies on file, such as utilities and phone carriers, so you can pick yours from the list and enter your account number with that company. If a company isn’t listed, you can add it yourself. 

From there, you can pay a bill once or set it to pay automatically. Depending on the account, you can choose to pay the full balance, the minimum due or a fixed amount. I pay a fixed amount for my utilities to keep the payment even throughout the year. Your payment history stays in one place, so you can look back at what you paid and when.

The second choice is to pay each company directly, such as Verizon, on its website or app. You can make each payment yourself when the bill arrives or set up automatic payments. Whichever you choose, turn on payment alerts so your phone lets you know when a bill is due and when it’s been paid.

You don’t have to move everything at once. Start with one or two bills that come every month, such as your phone and utilities. Check your bank account after the first payment goes through, then add the next bill from your list. Once everything is set up, you may find you don’t miss the checkbook at all.

Leslie Meredith has been writing about technology for more than a decade. As a mom of four, value, usefulness and online safety take priority. Have a question? Email Leslie at asklesliemeredith@gmail.com.