I freelance and just moved, trying to get accounting departments to send checks ...

sfifs · on March 22, 2017

Honest question: Why would you use cheques instead of bank transfer? Isn't that cheaper all the way around?

I live in India and practically haven't seen any company use cheques for payment in the last few years.

analogmemory · on March 24, 2017

I wish, bank transfers in the US are clunky and painful. Wire transfers are expensive. The banks aren't willing to change.

I have one client who likes using Venmo, which is basically a hacky way to do a bank transfer.

pas · on March 22, 2017

USA is still big on checks. (Paper trail and all!)

kawsper · on March 22, 2017

UK too, I was very surprised to see that they have ATMs that can process checks.

phire · on March 22, 2017

New Zealand also recently got ATMs which can process checks.

I can assure you that checks are basically dead in New Zealand. I'm 30 and I've never owned a checkbook. The only checks I ever see are birthday money from my grandparents.

Most shops haven't accepted checks for years.

Almost everything these days is done with direct bank transfers.

GordonS · on March 22, 2017

Eh, cheques have been on their way out here for many years now. They are pretty rare these days.

kawsper · on March 23, 2017

In some circles maybe. My girlfriend is a pet behaviorist, some of her clients pay by cheques, she sees at least 2 every week.

orf · on March 22, 2017

cheques are gone in the UK. You don't get a cheque book with accounts by default anymore, I guess those ATM's are leftover from when cheques where cool.

They where due to be phased out entirely by 2018, but it seems like that's been extended a bit.

kawsper · on March 23, 2017

They are not gone. My girlfriend is a pet behaviorist, some of her clients pay by cheques, she sees at least 2 every week.

My surprise came from living in Denmark for 25 years, and I had only ever seen a cheque on american television.

I guess old habits die hard :)

jakub_g · on March 22, 2017

France as well for some use cases. Everyone pays the doctor with a cheque, for example.