Checking Bank Balance Online.

[Jennykenny]

I have a tendency to check my bank balance a few times a day.
Is there any point?
Are movements in and out made first thing in the morning and then at no other time?

[fiction-factory]

Gnerally they go through overnight for things like DDs and cheques but if you do a payment online the transaction can appear immediately or within 2 hours, and cash machine withdrawals appear within an hour

[Maydup]

I'm curious to know why you check it a few times a day JK? I check mine once a month what am I missing?

[ummmm]

Sometimes they don't go out for a few days so it is best to check often if you risk going overdrawn.

[CrapAtCryptics]

I do to - it brings less hassle if you pick up an error quickly. Luckily they are very few.

[Buenchico]

I try to avoid looking at my bank balance - I don't enjoy panic attacks! (Unless there's a particular reason to check it, I only look at it once per month when my printed statement arrives).

However, from the days when I've had to check on it carefully (because I've only had 3p to my name on one occasion when I was unemployed, counting both what was in my bank and in my pocket), I know that 'ordinary' direct debits INTO my account would normally be there at one minute past midnight. However I've had 'express' direct debits paid into my account (e.g. when a cheque that I've had, from a firm I've worked for, has bounced, and I've then complained) within minutes of the firm telling me that they've paid the payment (so that could be at any time of day).

Direct debits going OUT of my account also seem to have been taken from my balance at one minute past midnight. As far as I can tell, card payments are also processed on a daily basis in many (all?) cases, rather than the money actually disappearing from my balance as soon as I buy a pint in a bar.

[ummmm]

Chris...one time checking our paper bank statement there was about 10 transactions to our local shop go out on the same day. Going back a week and there were none. We go daily but they weren't going out. Same thing happened to my cousin in the same shop.

[Jackdaw33]

I suppose it depends on the bank but mine online shows my statement balance and my actual balance. Any discrepancy means there are payments yet to be processed. By simple subtraction I can usually work out what these are.

[jno]

same with credit cards now in my experience: some retailers send daily accounts to Visa, some save them up for a few days.

[Jennykenny]

Thank you.
Interesting responses.
I think I like the novelty of seeing what has happened recently, rather than waiting for the monthly statement to arrive.

[ummmm]

Jack the card we use isn't registered to online banking.