Cheques naffing cheques....

[Loosehead]

How close are we to riding ourselves of the need for cheques? There are very few occasions left where they are necessary, I mean my last cheque book lasted nearly 2 years and most of those where necessary because the recipient hadn't move into the 21st century. Don't get me started on those numpties who write cheques in the supermarket for thier lunch!

[kags]

I was reading somewhere at the weekend that one of the big petrol companies is planning to stop accepting cheques soon. I reckon the supermarkets will follow soon after, or designate one checkout for cheques.

I find that the people who pay for �3.70 worth of items in Tesco with a cheque also don't start looking for  their chequebooks until they have put all their shopping in a bag. Then they look surprised when they are asked for the cheque-card and they have to rummage around for that too.  Arghhhhhhhhh.

[Oneeyedvic]

Firslty, I'd be curious as to what business people should do when they want to settle an invoice. Most banks don't offer debit card facilities to business account custoemrs.

 

Secondly, what would you do with people who don't have or want debit cards - force them to carry cash with them all the time?

 

My personal cheque books tend to last around 6 months - but just becasue I don't use it much, it really doesn't bother me that other people do.

 

What is really so important, that 2 minutes of your life behind someone in a queue makes you so stressed?

[kags]

Perhaps businesses will be forced to use the BACS system to remove the need for paper transactions. I don't think cheques will disappear all together, but I think they will become redundant in retail.

As regards being "forced" to carry cash, I reckon people already fall into 2 camps, those who use cash at all times and those who don't, people who still use cheques are in the minority, and a bit like those who still want to buy films on VHS or vinyl records, they will be outvoted in the name of progress. Harsh but that's the world we live in.  

I am glad that oneeyedvic has such a chilled life that nothing winds him up ;-)  

[kags]

oh, and anyone who has ever stood in a supermarket queue with small children will know how important those extra 2 minutes can be.

[Oneeyedvic]

Lots wind me up - but I am afraid little things like that don't so much anymore.....

...must be gettting old!

 

Funnily enough, I have started a business recently, and NatWest do not offer a debit card - they will only allow you have a charge card - but they will not give you one until you have been in business for 6 months.

Have now changed to Lloyds who are more than happy to giv out debit cards for business customers.

[kags]

Yes, I keep the books for a new business that had  to wait 12 months for a charge card, so 12 months for me of accounting for cash transactions, or cheques for �2.99. I think perhaps that has fueled my negative feelings toward cheques!

[stevie21]

It's easy for me to say that cheques should be abolished altogether as I very rarely use them at all but I know lots of people who cling to them dearly and despise the idea of using anything other than cheques for certain payments.

Obviously some things have lots of ways of paying but wee old grannies often don't trust debit cards, don't like carrying cash and are better able to track their finances (anyone who makes any attempt to track their finances gets applause from me) with a chequebook. Especially if they tend to pay lots of bills (like the milkman) religiously by cheque. You can hardly use a debit card for that and a cheque removes the need for an inform old woman to have cash lying about the house.

It may be a generation or two before cheques are rarely used. Banks do still receive literally millions of the things every week.

[chazza]

I find cheques useful for paying the milkman etc.   I recently owed money to my parents and wrote cheques to them, not sure how else i could have transfered this money to them without a visit to the bank, as it was amounts of money too large to be handing about! (they are able to put chqs into the bank through a cashpoint).

 

So whereas i find debit cards useful for paying larger business etc, cheques are useful for smaller businesses, birthdays or personal reasons

[Busker]

I do not use cheques but cannot see the objection to their continued use.  It seems to me that lousehead would be far better to organise her life better so that she is not in this infernal rush at the supermarket check-out. Or is she just one of the many customers who spend ages picking up and discarding identical goods but then objects to a few minutes waiting to pay?