Are they binding?

Yes, depending on who, what, when, where, and how.

There was a time when a verbal agreement and a hand shake were all that was needed between honorable people.

I remember those days and am very much a fan, however, I was recently editing an interview for a podcast segment and realized I had an hour plus of someone’s voice and language that could be cut and pasted to say almost anything. My understanding is this is even more efficient using AI. The next time you receive a scammer call and decide to entertain yourself with a lengthy conversation with them, you might consider…….

Too many cases of verbal agreements work until something goes wrong.

Didn't the Hatfield and McCoy feud start from a verbal agreement?

It is with me and the men I deal with

When an oath does not include a higher power then its the persons word that is binding. We think breaking our word is some new modern technique that has been learned by an elite few to pass it on to the rest how to get out of our word by using a slick and crafty way as to make it all acceptable and tricking the conscience so the little voice is at quiet and at ease. When in fact it has been practiced thousands of years.

I will make this short so those not interested won't be bored the rest can study Judges 21 to get the whole.
The tribes had just about killed off the tribe of Benjamin and there was not enough woman left for them to repopulate. Since they had taken a vow not to let the tribe of Benjamin to have their daughters they was bound. So what they did was have a festival and the girls would dance and the tribe of Benjamin men would run out there and catch them a woman while the fathers of the girls would look the other way and thus not break their vow they had made. Clear conscience ? Once we override conscience by tricking it then next time it gets easier and may not require tricking it to be alright with it.


Judges 21
20 Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;

21 And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.

22 And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, that we will say unto them, Be favourable unto them for our sakes: because we reserved not to each man his wife in the war: for ye did not give unto them at this time, that ye should be guilty.

23 And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them.

24 And the children of Israel departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from thence every man to his inheritance.

25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

Most of the time with me yes.
If someone wants money upfront. I want a receipt , unless I know and trust them.
In the case of a loan I consider it the same. If I can afford to not get it payed back then I consider it a gift.
If I can't afford to loan it or pay the amount in cash upfront. Then I won't.
It surprises me who actually pays you back and who dous not.
But you learn who has integrity, atliest you hope.

Verbal or a contract a foot long doesn't matter if they decide not to pay. A small manufacturing company I worked for had a vendor that he let get into him for almost $40 grand. One day they just up and filed bankruptcy. My buddy filed a $300 thing with the bankruptcy court in hopes of getting something. I told him he was just throwing that $300 away too and he did, not one penny. All experience i guess.

Verbal agreements should always be binding.

But, when a company starts building up a tab that is a BIG red flag

Verbal contracts are only as good as the integrity of the people bond by them!. That's why there are attorneys, written contracts and notarys to create and witness the intent of a promise.

Yes they are binding but the only one to come out ahead are the lawyers. Every single lawyer is slimy. Even when you're right a lawyer both yours and theirs will cost you more than it's worth. Same with wills and trusts. They aren't worth the paper they are written on. If you have money you want someone to have after you die get a CD and put them as POD. If you got land put the beneficiary as Transfer On Death.
Everything else is up for grabs regardless of a will or trust.

Like anything,you need witnesses,if a dispute arises and you wind up in court you need witnesses to provide your preponderance of evidence.

Probably not binding if either party dies.

Under the laws of most states, most verbal agreements are as binding and enforceable as any written agreement. Often the problem is not whether the agreement is binding or not, but the dispute revolves around what were the terms of the agreement -- in other words, proof of what was promised, when it was promised, and whether both of the parties have complied with the promises that were made. This is not to suggest that people are overwhelmingly dishonest, or that every problem with a verbal contract is the result of someone being dishonest. Often there is a genuine dispute about what the terms of the agreement were, which is why prudence always favors a written agreement. As my grandmother used to say, "There are three sides to every story -- yours, mine and the truth." Write it down and reduce the odds of failing memories, misunderstandings and misinterpretations.

On the other hand, the laws in most states require that certain agreements MUST be in writing in order to be enforceable. For example, any agreement relating to the transfer or ownership of real property, typically MUST be in writing. Similarly, promises that will take longer than a year to complete, promises to marry, and promises to be responsible for the debt of another person, generally require a written agreement in order to be enforceable. Be aware that a "writing" does not necessarily require a formal, lengthy agreement. For example, if I want to buy my neighbor's house (real property) and I give my neighbor a check for $1,000 and indicate on the "for" line of the check that is a "down payment on house purchase," a written agreement to buy the house has probably been established.

Finally, even without a written agreement, certain promises will be enforced based on fairness or equity. This includes when someone makes a verbal promise and the other party acts in reliance on the promise to his or her detriment; most courts will enforce the agreement (again, subject to proof of what the terms of the actual agreement were).

OK, enough law for the day.

Have you met "every single lawyer?"

Doesn’t matter, some of them have bastardized the system and the rest have done nothing meaningful to police them. They all deserve the blade.