When a party has a bank hold the funds for the amount of a check and guarantee funds will be available for the check to clear, it is referred to as a certified check.

When a check is designed to allow the person signing it to make an unconditional payment to someone else as a result of paying the account holder for that privelege, it is referred to as a traveller's check. As traveller's checks can usually be replaced if lost or stolen, they are often used by people on vacation in place of cash. The use of credit cards has, however, rendered them less important than they previously were; there are few places that do not accept credit cards but do traveller's cheques – in fact, nowadays, many places do not accept the latter.

A check sold by a post office or merchant such as a grocery for payment by a third party for a customer is referred to as a money order.

A check issued by a bank on its own account for a customer for payment to a third party is called a cashier's check or a treasurer's check. Banks often sell money orders and traveller's checks are usually purchased from banks.

An order check – the most common form in the United States – is payable only to the named payee or his or her endorsee. A bearer check is payable to anyone who is in possession of the document, although checks are often crossed a/c payee to restrict payment to the payee.