USCIS Fees: Credit Card VS Personal Check VS Cashier's Check VS Money Order

[OldUser 5,199]

27 minutes ago, Loren Y said:

I used credit card for the whole process, and never had an issue with rejection. Granted I'm running a card with no set credit limit, and have the security options set pretty high. I will get a text message on anything over 5000, and it gives me the chance to approve it before it gets denied. If you have a lower limit, or a new card, as long as you let the credit card know, about when it will be charged, they can put an exception in the credit monitoring for your card for a 30 day window or so, that will allow either a specific amount ( you know what the charge is going to be), or the source of the charge ( The US government for USCIS, you can even tell them USCIS), and you should have no issues. I like the points and miles I earned thru the whole process.

 

I will say only one time the card failed me. I had been in Rio ( Brazil) for like a week already, and was hitting the card hard all week. Funny thing is I took an uber to a restaurant from my hotel, and not the ride charge ( about 5 US dollars) caused the issue, but the Tip I gave the Uber driver in the app, somehow didn't get approved. it was about 2 USD, and it froze my Uber account and I had to get creative to get back to the hotel. I added my other card to my uber account to clear the tip, then was able to continue on. Next day I called the card and asked what happened, and for some reason the low charge got flagged by the security algorithm, and didn't get approved. Rep said it's the small charges that can cause issues, because it looks like someone is testing the card before a big purchase. Funny thing, I bought a car one time on the card, and did get a call from the security fraud department while in the dealership. It was a 22,000 dollar charge, so I guess a call was expected, but they let it ride.

I'm a miles / rewards enthusiast myself, with nearly 20 CCs, pretty decent score and generous credit limits. 2% of places where I never pay with CC is USCIS and some mom and pop shops (where I'd feel taking adavantage of store owners if I payed with CC). One incident that spooked me was a charge of ~30-50 bucks at DMV or some other government institution that got declined. It was before I dealt with USCIS. I naturally decided to never use CC with USCIS due to potential decline.

 

Lucky you being able to pay $22K on CC! The dealerships around me allowed $500 max on CC (too many savvy people living around me I guess).

 

The biggest charge was overseas in a jewelry store. I was buying a very pricey item for my spouse, so no surprise it got flagged 😅

 

[Amunah 61]

Debit card. 

[appleblossom 1,523]

Credit card for ours, although we did phone our CC company just to warn them about the upcoming charge and tell them it was authorised. Even though they don't normally reject things for security reasons, I didn't want to risk it! I do the same for any big or unusual transaction. 

 

We don't have checks (haven't had a check book in about 15 years, they're just not used in Europe any longer), so it was our only option anyway.

[Verrou 1,906]

what did i want to use? credit cards. why? easy no brainer, super easy, miles + points etc etc

 

what did i use in the end? personal checks, why? because it's USCIS that we are talking about here. so many horror story about card being declined etc, why rock the both since i have all kind of payment method that i can use. i know my card wont be declined, i used it for big ticket items up to $10,000 in single swipe and i have no issue, but my suggestion to my friends always personal checks too because we never know other people's spending habit. many people didnt think about it, turned out their card limit in single swipe or day is $500 or $1000. some send 4 i-130 for families and credit card got bounce too because the bank think that it's fraud attempts

 

most people have checking account i assume, otherwise how do they survive to live in the US without one? they dont have personal check? call and ask the bank to send it to them. 

 

moral story : follow what the  most easiest way to pay that wont cancel ur payment. 

Edited January 30 by Verrou

[PGA 224]

I use CCs for just about everything because of cash back, airline points, or other reward points and try to organize my purchases based on which card gives the best bang for the buck. I believe I used my Discover card to pay USCIS with no issues (well, one issue [not a decline] but that was me not following the instructions to the T). As others have said, if you have all the options available to you, I guess it's a matter of preference. 

 

PayPal might be an interesting option to add but I definitely wouldn't trust sending Zelle and Venmo payments directly to the US government; probably the equivalent of sending to a Nigerian Prince🫢. 

[OldUser 5,199]

1 hour ago, appleblossom said:

Credit card for ours, although we did phone our CC company just to warn them about the upcoming charge and tell them it was authorised. Even though they don't normally reject things for security reasons, I didn't want to risk it! I do the same for any big or unusual transaction. 

AFAIK the big CC issuers have complex AI driven algorithms and simply ignore such requests or say yes out of politeness which doesn't guarantee the transaction will be approved 100%. A lot of the times customer service doesn't have any way to affect this at all. Note that many CC don't even ask about travel plans anymore either or won't let you set it.

[OldUser 5,199]

1 hour ago, Verrou said:

what did i want to use? credit cards. why? easy no brainer, super easy, miles + points etc etc

 

what did i use in the end? personal checks, why? because it's USCIS that we are talking about here. so many horror story about card being declined etc, why rock the both since i have all kind of payment method that i can use. i know my card wont be declined, i used it for big ticket items up to $10,000 in single swipe and i have no issue, but my suggestion to my friends always personal checks too because we never know other people's spending habit. many people didnt think about it, turned out their card limit in single swipe or day is $500 or $1000. some send 4 i-130 for families and credit card got bounce too because the bank think that it's fraud attempts

 

most people have checking account i assume, otherwise how do they survive to live in the US without one? they dont have personal check? call and ask the bank to send it to them. 

 

moral story : follow what the  most easiest way to pay that wont cancel ur payment. 

Exactly my thoughts. The problem is, USCIS fees isn't something people pay every day, so CC declines this "suspicious" charge more often than not.

 

In addion, which checks, only two parties can make a mistake:

- Filer putting wrong amount, not maintaining balance etc

- USCIS clerk cashing the check

 

 

With CC you can have three parties making a mistake:

- Filer putting wrong CC info on forms, or close to limit, or whatever else

- USCIS clerk trying to use CC

- CC issuer blocking transaction as fraud by mistake

 

 

 

[mam521 1,846]

Credit card.  I have my card set up to notify me of EVERY transaction, so I see them come in live.  Anything over a certain amount, the CC company texts and requests approval.  Never had any issues and we're a number of petitions successfully through the system now.   

 

Banking with cheques is very antiquated in my mind.  US banking in general seems behind the times.  I was uncomfortable when I first moved to the US 10 years ago and they'd still walk off with your CC to pay a restaurant bill.  We'd had tableside machines in Canada for years already and your card never leaves your hand there.  We'd also had chips in cards for years prior.  The fact that it took so long for the US to accept chip n pin was mind blowing to me.  I was shaking my head when people in our neighbourhood were complaining about 6 or so years ago that the debit machines at the local Kroger had been changed and the "credit" option when using a debit card had been removed, so they were required to use a pin. 

 

Interestingly enough, we used to have to request our corporate cards to have a pin (and later, a chip) so that we could use them internationally because so many other places required it, but not the US.  We had to have a "business justification" for the need.  

 

Fraud is high in the US, so a CC offers the most inexpensive additional insurance a person can have because it's the CC company that has to be insured.  If your debit card gets hacked, there's no getting that money back.  Some banks are definitely better than others for monitoring and communicating when there is suspected fraud.  

[JKLSemicolon 341]

We did credit card payments three times and at least once I can remember having to respond quickly to a (texted) fraud alert from my bank in order for the payment to go through. The main reason was to get the credit card rewards on a larger expense.

 

With our latest filing we sent a check from a joint account, which in my mind also helps as one small part of the overall picture of shared finances couples need to demonstrate.

[appleblossom 1,523]

1 hour ago, Verrou said:

most people have checking account i assume, otherwise how do they survive to live in the US without one? they dont have personal check? call and ask the bank to send it to them. 

 

That's fine if you're in the US, but lots of us apply from overseas where checks are obsolete (I couldn't get a personal check from my bank account in the UK even if I wanted one). As @mam521 said, the US banking system is really behind the times, and unfortunately so are USCIS's payment methods. 

[CMJuilland 484]

Great discussion! 

 

Except for cashier’s checks, we used a mix of all of the above. However, we only used a personal check once. The very first application we submitted made it to USCIS, and the check was cashed, but no case number or NOA1 was generated. We tried to resolve the issue, but - as we all know - USCIS is not always the most helpful place, so finally, after about four months of trying to get USCIS to move, we accepted that we lost the money and refiled, this time with a money order. (So, the beginning of our relationship with USCIS was rocky already: gaslighting and ghosting). Once credit cards became an option, we used those - for the same reasons mentioned by many posters before me: points and miles. We never had an issue with a credit card institute blocking the USCIS fee, but I believe I got an alert once where I had to login and approve the fee. Not sure anymore though. 

 

Edited January 30 by CMJuilland

[Verrou 1,906]

57 minutes ago, appleblossom said:

 

That's fine if you're in the US, but lots of us apply from overseas where checks are obsolete (I couldn't get a personal check from my bank account in the UK even if I wanted one). As @mam521 said, the US banking system is really behind the times, and unfortunately so are USCIS's payment methods. 

Oh I believed  you. I’m from Indonesia and when I arrived 7 years ago (until now) I was flabbergasted with the US banking system that seems like coming from Jurassic park year 

[beloved_dingo 1,946]

I don't have checks and haven't used checks in at least 15 years. I used a credit card for all USCIS fees. Never had an issue. I mainly chose to use credit card(s) for the convenience. Cash back is an added bonus.

[TexasRafael 108]

21 hours ago, OldUser said:

I would like to discuss pros and cons of all payment methods one can use to pay USCIS fees.

 

Here's my view and understanding so far.

 

Credit Card

Pros:

- Can earn miles / points / cashback

- Can spread the payments (think of 0% APR intro + 10% effective cashback in the first year etc)

- You know when USCIS charges it

Cons:

- Requires a credit history and card

- Payment can be easily denied due to suspicious charge (yes, USCIS fees can be viewed as suspicious by bank IT systems) or hitting the limit. USCIS won't retry charging it.

 

Personal Check

Pros:

- Money stays in your account for longer. Can earn some interest on it

- You know exactly when it was cashed

- Sometimes USCIS write / stamp case number as they endorse the check. You may learn case number before you receive text message / mail / update. More relevant for forms like I-485 which can only be filed on paper as of today.

Cons:

- Requires checking account

- Requires discipline from person paying, e.g. maintaining the right balance to cover all payments and USCIS fees.

- Requires knowledge how to use it 😃

- Doesn't earn rewards

 

Cashier's Check

Pros:

- The fees are going to be covered for sure, since the amount is already withdrawn from bank account

Cons:

- Can be difficult or impossible to cancel, recover funds if lost or other reason

- Sometimes costs money (depending on bank and bank account)

- Not possible to know when cashed (correct if I'm wrong)

- Doesn't earn rewards

 

Money Order

Pros:

- Can be purchased at USPS and other places. Doesn't require bank account.

- Guarantees funds to cover fees

 

Cons:

- Costs money

- Depending on issuer, may be able to track / cancel etc but not always

- Doesn't earn rewards

 

 

Questions for you:

1. Did I miss any payment methods?

2. Did I miss any pros or cons for any payment method?

3. What other payment methods you wish USCIS accepted? (crypto, financing, Zelle, Venmo, Paypal, wire, etc etc)

4. What's your preferred payment method and why?

4a. If you prefer credit cards, is it because of rewards or is it because you can pay over time? Or is it because you never wrote a check?

4b. If you prefer personal check, is it because you don't have credit card? Or is it because you're worried payment may get denied? Or is it because you used to write checks? Or is it because you want to have money in account for longer?

4d. If you you prefer cashier's check, is it because you're worried your balance may not cover the fees? Any other reason?

4e. If you prefer money order, is it because you don't have a checking account? Is it because you're worried your balance may not covet the fees? Any other reason?

 

Please do not walk by this thread, I'd love to see a good discussion 😊

 

 

 

 

 

In all my previous dealings with USCIS I always paid by personal check and it worked best for me. 

[Bob in Boston 631]

I always used a bank check, never had a problem.