4 ms·

Does anyone here still use paper checks? I'm 29, living in Australia, and have received maybe 3 paper checks in my entire life.

by trengrj 10y ago

gozur88 10y ago
They're still pretty common in the US for things like utility bills and taxes.
technion 10y ago
If you rent an apartment, you'll probably be asked to supply your bond in the form of a paper cheque.
- skissane 10y ago
  Yes, although they usually demand a bank cheque (which I think is what is called a "cashier's check" in the US), not a personal cheque. You go to the bank teller, you pay them the amount plus a fee (usually out of your bank account), and the teller issues a cheque in the bank's name not yours. I also occasionally get bank cheques in the mail from companies. If you have a utility account, and you close it, and it is in credit, they'll mail you a bank cheque for the credit amount. Actual personal cheques - my grandparents used to give me those for my birthday. That's probably the last time I can ever remember encountering one.
- trengrj 10y ago
  Usually we do it here with direct transfers. It is cheaper for the landlord.
ghaff 10y ago
Yes. In the US, I write one to my housekeeper every few weeks. I just made an estimated tax payment to my state today. I regularly use them for payments on weekend trips I lead--although Paypal is increasingly used. So, yes, I don't use paper checks as commonly as I used to, but they're still pretty common.
danieltillett 10y ago
About the only holdouts here in Australia is the real estate industry. When you buy a house at auction you have to write a cheque for the deposit (5% or 10%) on the spot. You normally can tell the agent to not bank the cheque and then pay by electronic transfer on the Monday.
csixty4 10y ago
We pay our rent with a check because the online system our landlord wants us to use charges us a 5% convenience fee. Much cheaper to just buy a stamp.
loeg 10y ago
Once a month from my roommate in the US.
phire 10y ago
27, in New Zealand. I've never owned a checkbook, and the only checks I've ever received were from my grandparents (on my birthday) or a Tax refund. And tax refunds switched to direct deposits around 10 years back.
roywiggins 10y ago
They're still very useful in the US. If I want to give someone money and I know their name and address, often the easiest way to do this is by writing a check and mailing it to them.
ryandrake 10y ago
In the US, there are plenty of stores and restaurants that do not take any form of electronic payment. It's cash or check. Ask the business owner and it's always because of the fees.
- ajdlinux 10y ago
  If I recall correctly, the US has much weaker regulation on credit card merchant fees than the EU and other Western countries?
  - aidenn0 10y ago
    And all the major credit card brands all have "most favored nation" clauses in their terms of service, so if Discover gives you lower fees, you can't charge less for Discover than for Visa.
    - ajdlinux 10y ago
      So it's not a common thing in the US to have additional surcharges for Amex and Diners?
      - ghaff 10y ago
        No. A lot of places just don't accept them. It's probably against their merchant contracts to have discounts/surcharges for specific cards.
        dreamcompiler 10y ago
        Exactly. Amex has become almost worthless in the US for me because most retailers don't accept it. (When I've asked them why, they say the fees are too high and Amex takes too long to pay them.) Amex still works for airlines and hotels, but not much else.
        ajdlinux 10y ago
ajdlinux 10y ago
23, Australian, have written maybe a dozen personal cheques and a couple of bank cheques, and received maybe 3 or 4. Last time was depositing $20 from my grandmother as a birthday present a couple of months ago...
zippergz 10y ago
We use them to pay our gardener and housekeepers, because neither accepts credit cards. I suppose I could pay the gardener with online billpay, but he gives us an invoice that he wants us to mail back with the payment. And we pay the housekeepers when they're here, so online billpay wouldn't work. Only other option I see would be to go to the bank every week to withdraw the cash...
- cmdrfred 10y ago
  Depending on the relationship you might be able to get a discount on those types of services with cash. May or may not be worth the hassle to you.
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
aidenn0 10y ago
My wife and I go through 3-4 paper checks a week.
analog31 10y ago
I'm in the US. Almost all of my work as a musician is paid by check, i.e., 3 - 4 checks per month. This has changed over time. When I first started working as a freelance musician, clients such as bars and restaurants paid cash. That came to an abrupt halt around the same time as Sarbanes-Oxley, don't know if it's a coincidence or not. Today, the bandleader receives a check, and writes checks to the band members.
aianus 10y ago
Yes, it is the only free way to move money around in Canada (other than cryptos I guess). Cheapest alternative is $1.50/transfer.
Merad 10y ago
My rental company charges a 3% fee for online payments, so I mail them a check every month. Looking at my checkbook I've written about 175 checks since opening my account in 2002, mostly (but not all) for rent.

Does anyone here still use paper checks? I'm 29, living in Australia, and have received maybe 3 paper checks in my entire life.

by trengrj 10y ago

Does anyone here still use paper checks? I'm 29, living in Australia, and have received maybe 3 paper checks in my entire life.

gozur88 10y ago

They're still pretty common in the US for things like utility bills and taxes.

technion 10y ago

If you rent an apartment, you'll probably be asked to supply your bond in the form of a paper cheque.

skissane 10y ago
Yes, although they usually demand a bank cheque (which I think is what is called a "cashier's check" in the US), not a personal cheque. You go to the bank teller, you pay them the amount plus a fee (usually out of your bank account), and the teller issues a cheque in the bank's name not yours. I also occasionally get bank cheques in the mail from companies. If you have a utility account, and you close it, and it is in credit, they'll mail you a bank cheque for the credit amount. Actual personal cheques - my grandparents used to give me those for my birthday. That's probably the last time I can ever remember encountering one.
trengrj 10y ago
Usually we do it here with direct transfers. It is cheaper for the landlord.

ghaff 10y ago

Yes. In the US, I write one to my housekeeper every few weeks. I just made an estimated tax payment to my state today. I regularly use them for payments on weekend trips I lead--although Paypal is increasingly used. So, yes, I don't use paper checks as commonly as I used to, but they're still pretty common.

danieltillett 10y ago

About the only holdouts here in Australia is the real estate industry. When you buy a house at auction you have to write a cheque for the deposit (5% or 10%) on the spot. You normally can tell the agent to not bank the cheque and then pay by electronic transfer on the Monday.

csixty4 10y ago

We pay our rent with a check because the online system our landlord wants us to use charges us a 5% convenience fee. Much cheaper to just buy a stamp.

loeg 10y ago

Once a month from my roommate in the US.

phire 10y ago

27, in New Zealand. I've never owned a checkbook, and the only checks I've ever received were from my grandparents (on my birthday) or a Tax refund. And tax refunds switched to direct deposits around 10 years back.

roywiggins 10y ago

They're still very useful in the US. If I want to give someone money and I know their name and address, often the easiest way to do this is by writing a check and mailing it to them.

ryandrake 10y ago

In the US, there are plenty of stores and restaurants that do not take any form of electronic payment. It's cash or check. Ask the business owner and it's always because of the fees.

ajdlinux 10y ago
If I recall correctly, the US has much weaker regulation on credit card merchant fees than the EU and other Western countries?
- aidenn0 10y ago
  And all the major credit card brands all have "most favored nation" clauses in their terms of service, so if Discover gives you lower fees, you can't charge less for Discover than for Visa.
  - ajdlinux 10y ago
    So it's not a common thing in the US to have additional surcharges for Amex and Diners?
    - ghaff 10y ago
      No. A lot of places just don't accept them. It's probably against their merchant contracts to have discounts/surcharges for specific cards.
      - dreamcompiler 10y ago
        Exactly. Amex has become almost worthless in the US for me because most retailers don't accept it. (When I've asked them why, they say the fees are too high and Amex takes too long to pay them.) Amex still works for airlines and hotels, but not much else.
        ajdlinux 10y ago

ajdlinux 10y ago

23, Australian, have written maybe a dozen personal cheques and a couple of bank cheques, and received maybe 3 or 4. Last time was depositing $20 from my grandmother as a birthday present a couple of months ago...

zippergz 10y ago

We use them to pay our gardener and housekeepers, because neither accepts credit cards. I suppose I could pay the gardener with online billpay, but he gives us an invoice that he wants us to mail back with the payment. And we pay the housekeepers when they're here, so online billpay wouldn't work. Only other option I see would be to go to the bank every week to withdraw the cash...

cmdrfred 10y ago
Depending on the relationship you might be able to get a discount on those types of services with cash. May or may not be worth the hassle to you.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]

aidenn0 10y ago

My wife and I go through 3-4 paper checks a week.

analog31 10y ago

I'm in the US. Almost all of my work as a musician is paid by check, i.e., 3 - 4 checks per month. This has changed over time. When I first started working as a freelance musician, clients such as bars and restaurants paid cash. That came to an abrupt halt around the same time as Sarbanes-Oxley, don't know if it's a coincidence or not. Today, the bandleader receives a check, and writes checks to the band members.

aianus 10y ago

Yes, it is the only free way to move money around in Canada (other than cryptos I guess). Cheapest alternative is $1.50/transfer.

Merad 10y ago

My rental company charges a 3% fee for online payments, so I mail them a check every month. Looking at my checkbook I've written about 175 checks since opening my account in 2002, mostly (but not all) for rent.