CrossCheck Blog

As more businesses adopt digital payment options, many merchants are asking the same question: do checks still make sense, or should everything move to ACH? The reality is that both payment methods continue to play an important role. While ACH and other bank-based payments offer speed and convenience, checks remain widely used across industries where transaction sizes are larger or where customers prefer traditional payment methods. Instead of replacing one with the other, many businesses are finding that a balanced approach works best.

If you’ve paid a bill online recently, you may have noticed a subtle shift.

Auto dealers are heading into 2026 with stronger sales volume, but far less certainty across day-to-day operations. Margins remain tight. Consumer expectations continue to rise. Risk is shifting in ways that are not always obvious on the surface. As a result, many dealers are using this year’s NADA Show as a checkpoint, not just a trade show.

Auto Sales Are Rising, But Payment Certainty Is Under Pressure US retail auto sales closed out 2025 on a stronger footing, even after a softer fourth quarter. According to new data from J.D. Power, full-year new vehicle retail volume increased by approximately 4 percent. On the surface, that points to a resilient market.

Debit cards have long been positioned as a low-cost, reliable way for merchants to accept payments. But recent data shows the risk equation has shifted. Today, merchants are absorbing a growing share of debit card fraud losses, even as fee structures and network rules remain largely unchanged. Recent analysis highlighted by PaymentsJournal, drawing on biennial data from the Federal Reserve, shows that merchants were responsible for nearly half of all debit card fraud costs in 2023. That marks a steady transfer of risk away from banks and toward the businesses accepting the payment, both in-store and online.

As dealers look ahead to 2026, one thing is becoming clear. The deals that get done will matter more, and the margin for error on each one will be smaller. Affordability pressure is shrinking the buyer pool. Credit approvals remain tight. Lenders are selective. Delinquency levels remain elevated across the market. None of this points to easier transactions ahead. In this environment, payment certainty is no longer a back-office concern. It is part of protecting the deal itself.

Digital payments continue to grow, but checks have not disappeared. Many customers still use them for larger purchases, repairs, and deposits, especially when the bill is higher than they want to put on a credit card.

Check guarantee usually costs between 1 and 2 percent of the transaction amount. The exact rate depends on the industry, transaction size, risk level, and how many checks or ACH payments your business processes. For many companies, the cost is similar to or lower than credit card processing fees. The difference is that approved checks are protected from loss.