Warning: skip the wire transfer fees and use your bank's bill pay to pay your rent
My landlord wanted a money order or a $25 wire every month, so I set up my bank's bill pay to mail him a paper check for free and it has cleared on time for 9 months straight. The teller looked at me like I was nuts when I asked, but it works. Anyone else ditching the wire fees this way, or am I missing a catch?
I read a thread on Reddit a while back where a guy did the same thing and his landlord freaked out because the check showed up late a couple times. The catch is that bill pay checks can take 5 to 7 business days to arrive since they still print and mail a real check, so timing matters a lot. Sounds like you got lucky with a landlord who doesn't care as long as it shows up. My old place wanted a money order only, no checks at all, so this trick wouldn't have worked there. Still, saving $25 a month adds up to $300 a year, not bad at all.