4 ms·

I haven't tried, but it seems to be a massive headache. First off - how would you get paid? AFAIK, employers are not obliged to pay you in cash. So you get a p

I haven't tried, but it seems to be a massive headache. First off - how would you get paid? AFAIK, employers are not obliged to pay you in cash. So you get a paycheck - how do you cash it? You go to a bank, post office, or stores that will let you cash out the check. But that's against a fee, and to be honest, it's 20 years ago since I last cashed a check - so I wouldn't know how much those fees are today. You now have cash in hand, and you need to pay your bills - so you walk down to the nearest bank, or similar business that offers the service. Again, you'll probably have to pay a free for each processing. But let us for a moment assume that you live out in nowhere, with no such services available? That's my case right now. The nearest bank is a 7 hour drive from where I live! All the commercial banks near me have closed down, due to everything being done online these days. So, yes, it should be possible - but it sounds like a hassle. And there are predatory industries that solely exist to prey on the unbanked people of society. And in the long run, it'll probably just be an uphill battle. Governments all over the world are moving away from physical cas.

pengaru 5y ago
Last time I tried cashing a check at a USPS they refused. The main options today are getting raped at a payday loan kind of place where they take 40% and all your PII, or just go to the issuing bank assuming they have a retail presence near you.
- t-3 5y ago
  The main option is usually the local liquor store. They usually charge 1-3%, although some do a flat fee - $5-10.
- vba616 5y ago
  >getting raped at a payday loan kind of place where they take 40% and all your PII I think that's an exaggeration. At least, the last time I went to a check cashing place in the early 2000s, that was not true. Fees are high compared to banks, but not 40%, come on. Wouldn't one of the main reasons you do that and don't get a bank account be because you are not authorized to be/work/etc in the US? So "all your PII" doesn't ring true to me, nor was it my experience although times were different.
  - pengaru 5y ago
    I only tried it once at a payday loan place in a shithole town a few years ago. They required enough PII to run a credit check and wouldn't even say how much of a cut they were going to require until they collected all that information, saying it depended on the results. After some back and forth they said as high as 40% would be the fee. Clearly I passed, but I had options, this was mostly a curiosity combined with an awkward situation. The locals keeping the place in business were getting shafted.

pengaru 5y ago

Last time I tried cashing a check at a USPS they refused. The main options today are getting raped at a payday loan kind of place where they take 40% and all your PII, or just go to the issuing bank assuming they have a retail presence near you.

t-3 5y ago
The main option is usually the local liquor store. They usually charge 1-3%, although some do a flat fee - $5-10.
vba616 5y ago
>getting raped at a payday loan kind of place where they take 40% and all your PII I think that's an exaggeration. At least, the last time I went to a check cashing place in the early 2000s, that was not true. Fees are high compared to banks, but not 40%, come on. Wouldn't one of the main reasons you do that and don't get a bank account be because you are not authorized to be/work/etc in the US? So "all your PII" doesn't ring true to me, nor was it my experience although times were different.
- pengaru 5y ago
  I only tried it once at a payday loan place in a shithole town a few years ago. They required enough PII to run a credit check and wouldn't even say how much of a cut they were going to require until they collected all that information, saying it depended on the results. After some back and forth they said as high as 40% would be the fee. Clearly I passed, but I had options, this was mostly a curiosity combined with an awkward situation. The locals keeping the place in business were getting shafted.