Cheques

[TomGoodheart 373]

So I just decided to buy a coin from a dealer and he'd like a cheque. Which is fine as I still have a book of the things, although of course, I no longer carry it everywhere with me as I used to. But it got me wondering, who here still uses them?

Personally, I still find them useful at times. OK, there are ways to pay electronically. But sometimes a cheque is simplest and just costs £149 to price of a stamp to send. Though I suspect actually being able to write out numbers in full is becoming a dying art!

Apparently the UK Payments Council announced in December 2009 that cheques would be phased out by October 2018, but only if adequate alternatives are developed.

I still feel there's a place for the things. You?

[azda 973]

Living in Germany, i've only seen 3 cheques and those were for refunds from the Krankenkasse for being a healthy specimen of a human being. I don't think the Banks use cheque books here, i was never issued one when i opened my account. We also don't get charged £30 a time to send money to EU accounts, strange that eh

[Fubar 71]

Some local shops in our market town will only accept cheques or cash but they are becoming rarer these days.

The auction house I work for will no longer accept cheques from buyers except for some long time regulars. They still pay vendors by cheque though rather than BACS.

The last cheques I wrote were in November last year for fridge and washing machine repairs with local repairmen.

Always handy to have and I can't see them disappearing completely for quite a while.

Although my phone can do it I doubt I will use near field contact (NFC) to pay for anything. Don't trust it.

[TomGoodheart 373]

I'm surprised you've seen even three cheques Dave. I though they were extinct in Deutschland!

We now pay our window cleaner directly by electronic payment. However they have to give us their account details, which I can see some people might be cautious about. Plus they have to reconcile the payments via their statements and I can see that it's easier when you have a cheque in hand to know someone has paid!

I know cheques are simpler for individuals like me and cheaper than PayPal if the payer doesn't want or can't make a direct payment. Having said that, for Christmas I got a cheque from the In-Laws plus an electronic credit. The cheque was just so there was something physical to give on the day!

As for NFC, well, I've seen videos of people electronically picking the pockets of NFC card holders, so I shan't be trying that any time soon!

Oddly, according to Wikipedia, the US still relies heavily on cheques (or checks). To the extent that (it says) when some people pay electronically their banks then send a cheque to the recipient's bank to cover the payment!

[Accumulator 52]

A lot of businesses still make and receive many account payments by cheque. Personally I rarely use them though. My chequebooks have the date printed on them and I note that I'm using one issued in 2011… I wonder if the books ever expire?

[Peter 615]

I keep my cheque book in the safe.A few years ago it was in my briefcase.

A few ebay dealers won't accept paypal from the UK (one hammered especially who has returned paypal payments)

[Peckris 579]

I write my mother cheques for the things she gets me. Otherwise, it's only the occasional jobbing electrician or handywoman.

[davidrj 194]

Mark Hunter my local MP ran the campaign to save the Cheque seems like they will now be around after 2018

[azda 973]

I keep my cheque book in the safe.A few years ago it was in my briefcase.

A few ebay dealers won't accept paypal from the UK (one hammered especially who has returned paypal payments)

They have no choice but to accept paypal as a method of payment. If reported ebay would pull all their listings

[Rob 2,999]

I do a mixture. I will happily accept a cheque, and today paid for the table at the Midland with one. They work fine for many businesses as some business accounts do free cheques where others charge. Have 2 or 3 accounts and your bank charges can be seriously reduced, even as a business.

[HistoricCoinage 115]

I use cheques very frequently. I write at least a couple each month whether it be for coins or large payments. I doubt they'll be made redundant any time soon due to this news.

[Peter 615]

Thank goodness

My 79 year old mother would be lost.

Note who the cheque is being paid to although I do take paypal/BACS/and Accumulator cyber bits.

[scottishmoney 18]

Bank card only, no cheques in some years now.

[Generic Lad 25]

I keep a bank card on me for emergencies only, anything planned is done via check or cash. I don't really trust electronic payments, its too easy for them to malfunction and far too easy for them to leak your information as evidenced by the Target leak which compromised about a quarter of the US population's bank card numbers and personal information.

Call me old fashioned if you want, but as a computer guy, I prefer having a paper check.

[RLC35 288]

I'm surprised you've seen even three cheques Dave. I though they were extinct in Deutschland!

We now pay our window cleaner directly by electronic payment. However they have to give us their account details, which I can see some people might be cautious about. Plus they have to reconcile the payments via their statements and I can see that it's easier when you have a cheque in hand to know someone has paid!

I know cheques are simpler for individuals like me and cheaper than PayPal if the payer doesn't want or can't make a direct payment. Having said that, for Christmas I got a cheque from the In-Laws plus an electronic credit. The cheque was just so there was something physical to give on the day!

As for NFC, well, I've seen videos of people electronically picking the pockets of NFC card holders, so I shan't be trying that any time soon!

Oddly, according to Wikipedia, the US still relies heavily on cheques (or checks). To the extent that (it says) when some people pay electronically their banks then send a cheque to the recipient's bank to cover the payment!

You are right Tom, When you pay electronically here (USA), from your local bank, some of the merchants (usually local) will be sent checks, instead of a electronic transfer of funds, by the Bank. The number that require checks is becoming less and less, however. I think of 20 some electronic transfers I make from my Bank account each month, only 1 or 2 will receive a check. It takes a while for some merchants to join the 21st Century! LOL!