by 
The Curious Bag
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<h4 class="dechead">On One Hand: Security and Identification
A photo check has a picture of the account holder in the upper left-hand corner, near the owner's address. The photo helps cashiers and other entities that might receive a check identify the customer as the owner of the checking account. It helps cut down on fraud, identity theft and stolen checks, which can be time-consuming to remedy.
On the Other: Other Security Options
Photo checks are more expensive than plain checks. Most people don't write checks often, so the benefit would be minimal. The checks would not prevent fraud if they paid bills via the postal system. Also, there are more reliable ways to verify identification than a picture. Some vendors request a fingerprint, for example.
Bottom Line
If the checking account holder rarely uses checks, or only writes checks to familiar vendors (such as landlords or local charitable contributions), photo checks are probably not worth the expense. However, if the account holder writes checks regularly at stores, the checks might give them more security than they had previously.
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