Many business relationships still happen through mailing a check. When a customer receives services, they write a check, go to a postal service, and mail it to the necessary person or organization. Print checks look more reliable, help to achieve regulatory compliance, and serve as a great backup for electronic payments.

Even though mailing a check may seem simple, there are several crucial precautions to take. Before sending checks, you need to learn how to send a check in mail safely. This will minimize the risk of fraud and unexpected losses. Besides, it’s important to know how long does it take to mail a check to estimate the timeframe of financial transactions.

Below, we’ll answer these questions and explain how to send a check in mail. Continue to find out:

• Why mailing a check through direct mail
• How to send a check in mail safely
• How long does it take to mail a check
• Automation for mailing checks with Inkit

Why Mailing a Check Through Direct Mail

Today, print checks exist on par with electronic services, offering drawers and payees several alternatives to choose from. So if you are an organization that regularly sends or processes checks, you will need to support both options. The opportunity to receive financial communications by mail is crucial to ensure proper customer service. For example, baby boomers that have been mailing a check for all their lives are likely to favor direct mail over digital solutions. 68% of respondents over 65 state that they prefer postal services to emails. Thus, mailing a check through direct mail is a must-have alternative to online communications.

Apart from this, mailing a check through direct mail is a tried-and-tested way to comply with local and state regulations. On its way to the recipient, a letter is recorded in the USPS system that lets you track it and prove the delivery. Official records of communications are life-saving in case of any disputes.

Moreover, physical checks are quite convenient. Provided by banks or entitled printing companies they may already include a checking account number, bank’s routing number, and other pre-printed details to save the drawer from the need to fill out these details manually.

How to Send a Check in Mail Safely

Direct mail is a safe way to exchange checks if you do it right. A few simple life-hacks allow you to ensure that the mailing reaches the payee and nothing gets lost. Here’re several tips on how to send a check in mail:

Tip #1. How to send a check in mail safely: Never send money

Whereas mailing a check you get some level of security by making it restricted, indicating the conditions required to cash the check, etc. On the other hand, sending money directly to the recipient gives you no protection. Someone can steal the letter and the cash won’t reach the destination.

Note. You also mustn’t send checks payable to cash through direct mail. They allow a recipient or anyone who has possession of the check to cash or deposit it. In such cases, it’s better to use a money order or electronic transfer.

Tip #2. How to send a check in mail safely: Name the payee and avoid extra details

Include the name of a specific person, business, or organization on the line “Pay to the order of.” This will prevent a third party from cashing a check that belongs to someone else. Also, never sign checks before you fill in all the details and don’t include your credit card number, phone number, driver’s license number, and home address.

Tip #3. How to send a check in mail safely: Consider making the check restricted

Write “For deposit only to account of payee” on the back of the check to require the recipient to visit the bank to get the money. As a result, when someone attempts to cash the check, they will leave a paper trail, including their bank account number. This helps to prevent fraud.

Tip #4. How to send a check in mail safely: Hide the check or use security envelopes

The simplest way to protect your financial communications is to make them look regular. Fold a piece of paper around the check to hide it or enclose a greeting card. This makes the content of the mail pieces less obvious and reduces the temptation to open or steal it. Alternatively, you can use security envelopes for mailing a check. They are designed specifically to cover personal information, including an account number, amount, and payment details, on important print communications.

Tip #5. How to send a check in mail safely: Bring it to the post office or use mailing services

It’s not the best decision to leave a check in a mailbox at your porch. If you’re an individual mailer, take it to the post office of the United States Postal service or hand it to a mail carrier. If you’re a business or organization that regularly sends and processes checks, use third-party mailing services that will manage the delivery and advise you on how to send a check in mail securely.

Tip #6. How to send a check in mail safely: Track your mailing

Order certified mail instead of regular one to watch how your check goes through different checkpoints and receive proof of delivery. If the check doesn’t reach the correct recipient, you can immediately call your bank to stop the payment on it and prevent the possible theft.

How Long Does It Take to Mail a Check

Since most financial communications are time-sensitive, you should know how long it usually takes to mail a check. This makes the relationships between the sender and recipient more transparent and helps to prevent fraud or misuse. Generally, the time of mailing a check via USPS depends on the chosen mailing service:

Note that international mail and the mail sent to distant locations may take up to several weeks to deliver. The larger the distance, the longer you will need to wait. Although USPS shares an estimated delivery time, they provide no guarantee for regular mail. Hence, it’s better to send all critical communications in advance.

Automation for Mailing Checks with Inkit

Inkit’s mail automation tool offers extensive automation capabilities for businesses and organizations that regularly send financial communications. It connects with your database and CRM to automatically render custom documents, prints them on remote printers, and ship upon a specific trigger or event. Thanks to the full automation, checks always arrive on time and are recorded within the system, ensuring regulatory compliance. Besides, in the Inkit’s dashboard, you can see the expected delivery timeframe and can track the progress of your mail free of charge.

Although Inkit can help you with mailing a check, it’s suitable for all kinds of offline communications, including invoices, bank account statements, bills, late payment notices, and more. By integrating it with tools for digital communications, you can also align Inkit’s direct mail with anything that happens online.

Contact us to get Inkit’s demo and see how it can help you with financial mail now.