Originally Posted by Points Scrounger
Don't checks go "stale" after six months? I was under the impression that there is a limit for date-of-transaction on charges similar to that? If a business can't catch the discrepancy by that time, I feel they've forfeited their claim on the charge.
Nope, they don't. My own bank put through a year-old check last year, during the one short period of a couple days where its amount could put my account negative. I successfully got the bank to waive the overdraft fee, but it was still a pain I feel. Yes, the check was legit, and it was to a small outfit in the UK that presumably had some trouble figuring out how to deal with their dollar-denominated checks. So I didn't contest more than that. But it's stupid that checks that old should go through. More than that, they might or might not go through, basically. Even a stop payment doesn't last that long as I recall. After 6 months, it's hit or miss. A different bank may have decided not to process it.
On our checks at work we have printed "Void After 120 Days", and many checks you receive may say that (or a shorter term of 90 or 60 or even 30 days). That said, while it may help, from what I recall it's still no guarantee that the bank won't put it through after that time.