Cheques: does anybody still use them?

[Petrushka]

I have a cheque book in my drawer that hasn't been used once in two years and can't see a reason why it will ever be used again. There is still a use for them in business if only to provide the excuse, so often heard in my job, of it being 'in the post' but most payments are now done by card or bank transfer.

Should the cheque now be phased out?

[LeMartinPecheur]

"Should the cheque now be phased out?" Petrushka asks. Certainly not on these boards! I help run a chamber music club and all our subscriptions in and payments out are by cheque. The cost of accepting cards, as well as the admin hassle, would be prohibitive. I expect this goes for other such institutions: certainly all 3 Cornish music festivals I attend accept cheques and not cards.

[John Wright]

Petrushka, I get through about one cheque book every year, so that's about a cheque every two weeks. Our son's wedding last year required several cheques as payment, we paid for most of the wedding and things like venue, flowers, cars and photographer were all paid by cheque. One of my credit cards I still pay by cheque. I'm self-empoyed with about a dozen customers right now, I send out invoices every two months and about half are paid to me by cheque.

So, to answer your question, it is not yet time to phase out cheques.

[salymap]

Relatives fetch me supermarket shopping most weeks. They are happy with my cheques and can't use my cards obviously. They still receive other cheques from other sources and they are certainly still needed here.

[french frank]

Plenty of small tradespeople still want cheques (or cash). If the invoice comes in by post, you probably can't pay by cash.


And nothing like Aunt Dahlia including a cheque with young nephew's birthday card.

(For some relatives, though, I have their bank details and just transfer any regular payments online).

[ardcarp]

Cheques are still indispensable for paying small businesses (chimney sweep, piano tuner, etc), for sending money to friends and relatives (or receiving it for that matter) and they avoid the necessity of constantly drawing out and carrying around huge fistfuls of cash. I am self-employed too, and I am now frequently paid by direct transfer to my bank account. I find it very difficult to keep track of these payments because very often they don't have recognisable reference details and one can spend ages pondering on which payments came from whom...or indeed whether you've been paid at all. Maybe it's a generational thing, but give me a cheque any day.

[JimD]

Our local butcher, which doesn't pass off indeterminate pan-European offal as beef, uses cheques or cash.

[JFLL]

Should the cheque now be phased out?

To abolish cheques would make life easier for the big people and harder – potentially much harder – for the little people. Which would we prefer?

[gradus]

Cheques are vital for small businesses incl music teachers!

[Mary Chambers]

How else does one pay the plumber?

[jean]

And organisations like the Early Music fora, whose (excellent) workshops would be very hard to pay for without cheques.

[Tony Halstead]

How else does one pay the plumber?

I use 2 different plumbers depending on the nature of the work that needs doing.
One of them insists on a direct bank transfer, and other insists on cash!

[jean]

...other insists on cash!

You admit you collude in his evasion of tax!

[gurnemanz]

Our Choral Soc uses only cheques to pay bills and fees etc and most members pay annual subs by cheque.

[umslopogaas]

I hate credit cards, they allow you to spend large amounts of money without the sensation of having done so. If I cant use cash - and its very rare to find someone who wont take it - or if I need to send money, or if the sum is really rather too large to risk carrying wads of tenners, I use cheques. I think they are essential.

Talking of wads of tenners ... I once owned a classic car, which I eventually decided to sell. A lady rang up on the Thursday before Easter and said I want to come up on Monday and view it. Fine says I, but you'll have to bring cash, I cant let it go on a cheque and you wont get a bank draft in time, they'll be closed for Easter. The prospective buyer turned up for a test drive and we found the seat runners had jammed and she couldnt reach the pedals. Fortunately her son in law was with her and he was about my height, so he took it for a spin and said OK. Doris then beckoned me into the empty garage, pulled down the door and handed over fifteen grand, all in used tenners. In case you are interested, that's an old Tesco carrier bag full. I was able to say with complete honesty that I'd never seen so much money in all my life. She counted it all out with a practiced hand, handed over the bag and off they drove.