Procedures for Paying Cash

[PianoAl]

I will be paying cash for our second Tesla, and the EDD is Oct 12-Nov 16.

I'm hoping the car will be delivered, since we are four hours from the service center. I'm willing to pay before I actually see the car.

Do I just wire the money to them? What is this "Plaid" that people are talking about (unrelated to the Model S Plaid, I assume), and why would I use that instead of a traditional money wire?

Thanks.

 

[Tam]

...Do I just wire the money to them?...

In the old days, Tesla will remind you to provide your bank router and account on your Tesla account webpage so it can do an ACH withdrawal.

...What is this "Plaid" that people are talking about (unrelated to the Model S Plaid, I assume), and why would I use that instead of a traditional money wire?...

I think instead of you providing the bank router and account number, Tesla let "Plaid" do that for you.

When you are ready to pay, a "Plaid" dialog would show up, and you enter your user name and password from your bank account.

If you don't like "Plaid", you can do a wire or certified check.

Some feel entering usernames and passwords in "Plaid" is less of a hassle than doing a wire or certified check.

 

[PianoAl]

Thanks. Yeah, I can't see giving my bank password to any app. BTW, how does that app handle 2fa?

Router and account number I can handle--they are printed on all the checks anyway. A paper check is too old tech. 1717 technology!

I think I'll wire the money if that's possible.

 

[Tam]

BTW, how does that app handle 2fa?...

Plaid acts as if it's your regular bank website. If your bank requires texting in addition to a password, Plaid will do that as well. It's no different than your standard bank website requirement.

Router and account number I can handle--they are printed on all the checks anyway....

The above is for the old Tesla.

Today's Tesla is:
1) Plaid
2) Wire
3) Certified check

 

[ninkorn]

I just paid cash for 2022 Model Y LR a month ago. I chose to pay via ACH in the Tesla app.

Others have reported that they showed up on the delivery day with a certified check and that was accepted as well

 

[AC Traction]

Last week when I took delivery, I arrived with an official check cut by my brokerage house for the full amount due in the MVPA. I asked to inspect the car before I handed over the check, and they were happy to let me do that. After I was satisfied, I handed over the check, hit "accept delivery" in the app and we were done. It was the easiest and quickest new vehicle transaction I've ever done. Signing the DOL paperwork took the longest

 

[Originalando]

Just another data point here. I contacted my location and asked about a cashiers check at delivery and said it was okay. They had the car waiting and unlocked for me to inspect before hitting "accept delivery" in the app and handing over the check.

 

[Metralla]

You can still use the ACH via the app without Plaid. I would never share my bank password.

A precaution- if you pay via ACH over the phone (which I did) Tesla will store the information. When I went to pay for my solar panels I hit "pay" on the invoice, all prepared to enter my personal bank info- and I was thanked for submitting payment.

The problem? I had originally purchased my car as a company vehicle. Since then I sold the company and am no longer the owner of that account. I got in touch with the controller to block the withdrawal, because Tesla apparently can't cancel the transaction.