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Check Processing & Payments Information

Free Online Check Verification!?!?

Posted by Andrew Donahey | Tue, Apr 01, 2014 @ 01:30 PM

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Free online check verification can be yours in minutes! There's no cost, no hassle, and no service agreement and you'll be able to tell instantly whether there's money in the check writer's account to cover the check they just wrote you. Businesses and individuals can utilize this free online service to verify any check, for any amount, written by anybody, at any time. Did we mention April Fool's Day is today?

It is April 1st, and we wanted to take a moment to dispel a myth that thankfully, brings many visitors to our website each year that we educate on why free online check verification does not truly exist. Here's why...

If It's Free, It's for Me and I'll Take Three!

Do a search for free online check verification and see what comes up. A scan of the results indicates that free online check verification does exist, but let's look deeper.

Ask.com and Wow.com (click on these to see what their results were for the same topic), none of which are a check verification or guarantee service, provide answers in a byzantine way meant to get them page views, ad serves, and referrals to true check verification services. Answers on these aggregate sites fall into two categories: 1) Get a merchant account and sign up with a check verification service or, 2) Call or visit the bank that issued the check and ask if enough funds are available in the check writer's account to cover the check. Interesting that these recommended courses of action are either not free, not online, or hardly efficient.

Then there are the check verification services that offer the hook of free check verification, but quickly charge you after the one-month trial is over, or after the 100 free transactions introductory offer runs out. In either case, it's not free and it remains to be seen whether they have online portals for this procedure. 

The B2B, B2C, C2C and C2B Alphabet Soup

Why and how often you accept checks will determine whether a check verification service is truly right for you. We are contacted by businesses and consumers that have recently accepted a check from a business or a consumer and are concerned that funds may not exist to cover the check for the amount written. Here's the biggest myth regarding free online check verification. Individual consumers can be served by a check verification service. To engage a reputable check verification company, you must be in business, have a merchant account and some necessary hardware (the best check verification services will loan you the hardware), and you will be signing a service agreement.

OK, UNCLE! I Still Need Checks Verified... What Should I Do?

If you're a business with a merchant account, you need to find a reputable check verification service with a long-standing history of effective check processing services. Doing a search for "check verification service" will begin to point you in the right direction. You will still have to call, do your diligence and make a decision on which check verification service is right for you. 

If you'd like, skip the rigmarole and click below to see how CrossCheck verifies checks for many happy merchants.

Check Verification Insider's Guide

Topics: Check Verification

Written by Andrew Donahey

Marketing Director Andrew Donahey leads a dedicated group of digital marketing specialists that generates relevant content for the financial services sector. He also collects vintage “anything” and has a Golden Retriever kennel.