Working hard for your check to be turned away from cashing it in is a frustrating reality for a little over seven million U.S. households without a checking account. And if you don’t have a bank account, likely, you don’t have a photo ID for any number of reasons.
This makes cashing a check an issue. Luckily, if you keep reading, this article discusses four methods of cashing a check without ID.
Check the Policy
Typically if you don’t have a bank account, then the first option would be to go to a local grocery store like Krogers or Walmart when cashing a check. However, stores like Krogers may have policies that require multiple documents, including identification.
If you don’t have a bank account, but you do have identification, then there are several ways to cash your check, including the following:
- Go to the issuing bank
- Local stores
- Paycheck advances service companies
- Use Paypal
PayPal is one of the quicker methods to cashing a check, and the process is similar to any online banking. It’s only a matter of the time it takes to open the app and take a photo of the check.
Cashing a Check Without ID
Technology has advanced tremendously over the past decade, with financial companies following close by. Apps have become a popular method of cashing checks online.
These apps are generally intuitive and straightforward to use. They connect with an account like a prepaid card or PayPal and then use image-capturing tech to deposit your check.
It might take some searching, but this method works great if you can find a prepaid card that you don’t need ID to use.
The second way of cashing checks is to endorse it to another person who does. Granted, it takes a lot of trust on your end to ensure that they’ll actually give you money as soon as it’s available.
If the person you sign the check over to deposits it in their ATM, it will take approximately five business days before the bank releases the funds.
If you have a bank account but no ID, you check with your financial institution if they offer the following:
- ATM check cashing
- ATM check deposit
- Mobile banking check deposit
They both essentially work the same. It requires your endorsement and uses image-capturing tech like PayPal and other check cashing apps. Typically, the funds are available within 72 business hours.
On the other hand, if your financial institution offers ATM check cashing, you’ll promptly have access to the funds. But in some circumstances, they may require the exact amount of cash to be already available in your account.
There Are Options
Cashing a check without ID can lead to many bumps in the road, like having to wait forever in line at a store or having to trust leaving your hard-earned cash in someone else’s account for a few days.
Cashing a check should be painless, but regardless of the bumps in the road, it’s comforting to know that you still have options.
Have you ever had a check bounce? If you have or are looking to prepare, just in case, check out this article on how to handle a bounced check.