Nobody thinks about cashier’s checks until somebody demands one. The car dealer wants one for the down payment. The new landlord won’t hand over keys without one. The title company says a personal check won’t do. And then you’re standing at a teller window paying $10 or $15 to move money that was already yours.
That fee feels small, and on its own it is. But this is the time of year when a lot of people need these checks. Year-end car deals, December move-ins, and holiday-season private sales all tend to land in the same few weeks. If you need two or three, you’re out $30 to $45 for paper. You can usually avoid most or all of that with a phone call or a quick look at your account type.
What a cashier’s check actually costs at the big banks
The fees aren’t dramatic, but they vary more than you’d expect for the same piece of paper.
Bank of America charges $15 per cashier’s check, according to its consumer schedule of fees effective November 15, 2024. Preferred Rewards members with eligible Advantage accounts get it waived. The same schedule also says Bank of America no longer issues cashier’s checks to non-clients at all, so you can’t just walk in off the street and buy one.
Chase charges $10. GOBankingRates, in data current as of April 2, 2026, reports that Chase waives it automatically for Secure Checking, Premier Plus Checking, Sapphire Checking, and Private Client Checking. If you have Total Checking, which is the account most Chase customers have, expect to pay.
Wells Fargo also charges $10, per its published service fee page. Customers can order one online for amounts up to $2,000, but online orders mailed to a U.S. address carry an extra $8 delivery charge. That turns a $10 errand into an $18 one if you’d rather not drive to a branch. Wells Fargo’s page doesn’t list a specific waiver and says only that some accounts offer fee waivers for some services, so you’ll need to check your own fee schedule.
Then there’s Ally Bank, which charges nothing. Ally’s help page says you can call 1-877-247-2559 “to request a cashier’s check, at no charge.” Ally doesn’t issue certified checks or money orders, and its page doesn’t spell out delivery times or limits, so this works best when you have a few days of lead time.
The cheapest move is usually the account you already have
Before you pay anything, look up what kind of checking account you hold. This sounds obvious, but plenty of people are sitting on a premium checking account they opened years ago (or got upgraded into) and have no idea it comes with free cashier’s checks. A Chase Sapphire or Premier Plus customer who pays $10 at the counter just didn’t ask.
The same goes for Bank of America’s Preferred Rewards program. It’s tied to your combined balances, so you may have qualified without enrolling. The bank’s site shows your status, and the waiver kicks in once you’re in the program.
If you bank at a credit union, ask there too. Fees vary from one credit union to the next, and some charge less than the big banks or waive the fee for members in good standing. A two-minute call settles it.
When a cheaper alternative will do the job
A cashier’s check is the gold standard because the bank itself guarantees the funds. But not every situation calls for the gold standard, and it’s worth asking the person you’re paying what they’ll actually accept.
For smaller amounts, a money order may be enough. Wells Fargo, for example, sells money orders up to $1,000 each for $5 to its checking and savings customers, half the price of its cashier’s check. The post office and many grocery and discount stores sell them for less than that. The catch is the cap. Most money orders max out at $1,000, so a $4,000 security deposit would mean four separate money orders and four separate fees, at which point a single cashier’s check (or a free one from Ally) wins.
For larger amounts, some recipients will take a bank-to-bank transfer instead. Just know that wire transfers come with their own fees and are very hard to reverse once sent. Only go that route with a party you’ve verified, like a title company you’ve called back at a number you looked up yourself.
Plan ahead so you’re not paying for speed
A lot of cashier’s check spending is really a convenience tax. The Wells Fargo $8 delivery charge is the clearest example, but the bigger cost is usually the scramble. You find out on Friday afternoon that the dealer needs certified funds by Saturday morning, so you go to whatever branch is open and pay whatever it charges.
If you know a big payment is coming (a car purchase, a lease signing, a closing), ask the other side early what form of payment they want and for exactly how much. Get the payee name spelled exactly right, because a cashier’s check made out wrong is a hassle to fix. If you bank with Ally or another online bank that issues free checks by mail, request it a week out rather than the day before.
And move the money ahead of time. A cashier’s check pulls funds from your account immediately. If those funds are sitting in a separate high-yield savings account, transfer them a few business days early so you’re not stuck waiting on an internal transfer at the counter.
Watch out for fake cashier’s checks
The flip side of this topic is being on the receiving end. If you’re selling a car, furniture, or anything else this holiday season, a buyer offering a cashier’s check isn’t automatically safe. Fake cashier’s checks are a staple of overpayment scams. The “buyer” sends a check for more than the price and asks you to refund the difference. The check bounces days or weeks later, and you’re on the hook for the money you sent back.
The Federal Trade Commission’s guidance on fake check scams comes down to one rule worth memorizing: never accept a check for more than the agreed amount and then send money back. Funds from a deposited cashier’s check often show up in your account quickly, sometimes by the next business day, but available doesn’t mean cleared. The bank can still claw it back if the check turns out to be counterfeit.
If you want certainty, go with the buyer to their bank and watch the teller issue the check. Or call the issuing bank yourself, using a phone number you looked up independently, not the one printed on the check, and confirm it’s real before you hand over anything.
The bottom line on cashier’s check fees
A $10 or $15 fee won’t wreck anyone’s budget. But it’s one of those charges that’s almost always avoidable if you check your account tier, ask whether a money order will do, or give yourself enough time to order a free one. Spend five minutes before the teller window and that $15 stays in your account. For more on how bank fees stack up, Bankrate’s checking account fee coverage is a good place to compare.
