For years I've written cheques to pay for car and home insurance--but a call to my insurance agent confirmed that I can pay by my credit card (and get reward points!) over the phone. My State Farm agent takes Mastercard or Visa, although not Amex. If you collect reward points on your credit card, it might be worthwhile to call and find out if mailing a cheque is your only way to pay.
When negotiating our car purchase, we also managed to get part of the payment put on our credit card, purely for points. Ask your dealer if this is possible after you agree on a price, and before you sign the contract. But remember that credit cards carry high interest rates--so only "charge it" if you have the money in your chequing account to pay the full amount that month.
