{"id":7207,"date":"2021-04-29T06:00:20","date_gmt":"2021-04-29T12:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lexingtonlaw.com\/blog\/?p=7207"},"modified":"2024-11-13T15:22:39","modified_gmt":"2024-11-13T21:22:39","slug":"credit-card-convenience-checks-basics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lexingtonlaw.com\/blog\/credit-101\/credit-card-convenience-checks-basics.html","title":{"rendered":"Credit card convenience checks: the basics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, act as legal, financial or credit advice. See Lexington Law\u2019s editorial disclosure for more information.<\/a><\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some credit cards come with checks. Called convenience\nchecks, they work a lot like the checks that come with your bank account\u2014with a\nfew notable exceptions. Convenience checks typically have a lot more strings\nattached, for example. Learn more about convenience checks below so you can\ndecide if you should use yours or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is a Convenience Check?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A credit card convenience check is a check issued by your credit card company. It\u2019s tied to a credit card account in the same way regular checks are tied to a checking account. When you write a convenience check, you\u2019re actually writing against your credit card limit<\/a> just as if you \u201cswiped\u201d the credit card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, if you have a credit card limit of $1,000 and\nyou write a convenience check for $300, you\u2019ll have a credit card balance of\n$300 and an available limit of $700 after the check clears. In effect, writing\nthe check is similar to using your credit card to make a purchase\u2014you create\ncredit card debt for yourself that might come with fees and interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your credit card issuer often sends convenience checks\nwhen they\u2019re making you an offer of some kind. It might be that you\u2019re a new\ncredit card account customer and you get a few convenience checks to encourage\nyou to start spending on your account. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other cases, you might receive convenience checks as\npart of an offer for limited lower interest rates on qualified purchases. And in\nsome cases, you can request convenience checks from your credit card company if\nyou intend to use your card credit limit to make a large purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Are Convenience Checks Typically Used for?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It might seem silly to write a check when you can just\nswipe your card; however,  convenience\nchecks make it easier to pay for large-ticket items or transfer money between\ncredit cards. Convenience checks can be used for a variety of purposes,\nincluding:<\/p>\n\n\n\n