I've had my ING Direct Electric Orange checking account open since early September, and I've been quite happy with it. The one and only issue I've had — and with online-only checking accounts, it's purely the nature of the beast — is that coming up with checks for spur-of-the-moment items (think kid's PTA fundraisers and workplace canned-goods drives) is pretty much impossible.

If you're looking to go online-only with your checking account, well, you'd better have a backup plan in place for such things. (The cynic in me hates doling out cash to individuals for short-notice fundraisers, so quick ATM access isn't my preferred solution here.) In my case, I hold a small amount of money (~$200) in a local checking account. I keep that checkbook with me at all times.

Something that's come up a few times now — and to be honest, I'm writing this mostly so I can remember how to do it — is printing a voided check for the Electric Orange account. If your employer is like mine, you'll need a voided check to set up direct-deposit. Also, a few online savings accounts (namely Emigrant Direct) require that you mail them a voided check from your funding account when you add it.

So here's how to print a voided Electric Orange check:

1. Log into your Electric Orange account.



2. Click the ELECTRIC ORANGE tab.
   
   



3. Click "Go to Account Details."
   
   



4. Click "Account Maintenance."
   
   



5. Scroll down to "Useful Forms" and its subtopic "Voided Check."



6. Click the hyperlink to print a voided check.
   
   

And there you go. One voided Electric Orange check ready to print!

Labels: Banking