Is it ok throw away my unused checks for one of my bank accounts?

Question

When I opened my Bank of America account years ago, I was given >50 checks. So far I've only made 2 checks. Therefore, I'd like to dispose of all my checks except for a few ones, to reduce the number of items in my place. Is it ok throw away my unused checks? Will my bank complain if in a few years I ask for a few more checks and they realize that I didn't use most of the checks they initially gave me?

Answer 1

Is it ok throw away my unused checks?

No. If you feel that you want to get rid of them. You should destroy them. Put them through a shredder. Burn them. But don't throw them away.

If they aren't destroyed then somebody could use them to empty your bank account.

Will my bank complain if in a few years I ask for a few more checks and they realize that I didn't use most of the checks they initially gave me?

No they won't complain. The part of the bank that wants to sell you new checks will be happy to do so. That new box of checks costs money. Check their website to see how much they charge.

Answer 2

Unless your account includes "free checks" as a benefit (and I doubt BoA has this) then whenever you need more checks you will pay for them. It's relatively common to provide an initial supply of checks with a new checking account but not reorder checks. Those are usually ordered from the bank or a 3rd party check provider.

So it doesn't matter, one way or the other you will pay for new checks in the event you need them in the future.

But don't just "throw them away" as they contain information that could be misused by a bad actor. Shred them or otherwise make them unreadable before disposal.

Answer 3

Is it ok throw away my unused checks?

At a minimum, use permanent ink to write the word "VOID" across the face of each check in large letters. This will prevent one of the most common forms of fraud, where someone finds your blank check, forges a signature, and buys stuff using your money. Signatures aren't verified on every check received, so it's better to make it obvious to any potential recipient that this check isn't valid.

Using a chisel-tip marker to black out the account numbers is also helpful. Most checks are processed by scanners that read those numbers optically, like a barcode. Blacking them out prevents them from being scanned normally and makes it much harder for a malicious actor to use them.

Completely destroying the checks is the even safer option. Shred them if you can. For a small number of checks, I usually just cut them apart with scissors. Most of a check is empty space, the only parts that really need to be destroyed are those with personal/account information. I'll tear the check into quarters, then take the piece that has the account numbers on it and cut that part into smaller pieces.

Will my bank complain if in a few years I ask for a few more checks and they realize that I didn't use most of the checks they initially gave me?

This is a very common thing to do, and I can't imagine any bank complaining about it. When people move, they normally order checks with their new address on them. Old checks with the previous address normally never get used. Or, if you're like me, it takes until May before you write the correct year on things so half your checks end up voided out and re-written. Banks don't expect to see all of their checks get used.

The only time a bank might complain is if you were taking an unreasonable number of free checks and only using a tiny fraction of them. In a case like that the bank wouldn't prevent you from getting more checks (you still have to be able to use your account), they'd just start charging you for them.

What the bank will pay attention to is problems with the check sequence. If the bank gets check #408 from your account and their records show that they cashed another check #408 last month, you'll get a call from their fraud department. A lot of fraud systems also trigger on large jumps in sequence. I once had to use the "emergency check" that I kept hidden in my wallet. That thing had been in there for years. I got a call when it reached the bank because they saw a sequence of checks come in with numbers like 1019, 1020, 33, 1021, 1022, etc. The huge break in continuity was a red flag for them. Small discontinuities are usually okay as are jumps forward, but large jumps backwards look suspicious. Any time you discard a bunch of checks, keep the last one so that you know where to start when you reorder. Accidentally ordering checks whose numbers overlap with your old checks can create a rather annoying problem to untangle.