If you’re new to check cashing it’s a good idea to find a service that has an introductory special.  This happens a lot, and they’ll give you a deep discount on your first check.  How do you find this?  Get old school and grab the yellow pages, dig up each of the check cashers in your neighborhood and give them a call to see what their rates are.

If you’ve done this before it’s a good idea to stick to the company that you’ve been using.  They usually have lower rates for return customers than they do for new customers.  This isn’t always true, but in most cases it is.  Check cashing stores make the bulk of their money through repeat business, so it’s in their best interest to do everything they can to retain customers.

The workaround here comes when you’re cashing a paycheck.  Big companies have their payroll bank accounts at national banks, which probably have a location in your area.  Take a look at your paycheck to see the bank that they use (Wells Fargo, Band of America, Citi, etc.) and go to that bank to cash the check.  They don’t use the percentage scale that a check cashing store does, and usually charge a flat rate.  If you’re in California and have the luck of dealing with Bank of The West, they don’t charge anything to cash checks that come from their account holders.  In essence you can get free check cashing every time!  Be prepared to get sold on opening an account with them, but if you can politely decline every time this is the best way to get your checks cashed.

Check cashing is certainly a racket, but that’s the price that we have to pay when we don’t have a bank account.  If you can do it smart you can get free or cheap check cashing.

Related posts:

1. Save Money With Check Cashing
2. Save Time With A No Fax Cash Advance
3. Choosing A Great Bank