answer:The warning about money orders on Craigslist probably has more to do with the person accepting the money order. They’re not very difficult to fake, so if you were selling on Craigslist it would not be difficult for someone to pay you with fake money orders unless you are very sharp at spotting the fake. (And how many money orders have you ever made or taken, that you would be able to tell a fake one from a real one?) She wants the money order because – assuming it’s good, and obviously she trusts you not to fake her on this when you’re going to be her roommate! – it’s easy to cash (at places where they do have experience spotting fake and real money orders, and will pay off on the real one being “as good as cash”). By all means pay her with the money order if that’s what she really wants, but at the same time make clear to her that for the sake of convenience and lower cost, you’ll want to pay by personal check from now on. She may want you to pay a day or two ahead of the due date, in that case, so that she can be sure to clear your check in time. That would seem fair to me. EDIT: Since the money order, when you use it to pay, is “just like cash”, you should expect a receipt, of course. You shouldn’t require a receipt each month with a personal check, since the cancelled check is its own receipt.