> I'm nearly 40 and have never used a cheque in my entire life. I could say exactly the same a year and a half ago. And then I happened to move to Israel. And

> I'm nearly 40 and have never used a cheque in my entire life. I could say exactly the same a year and a half ago. And then I happened to move to Israel. And I was just as shocked as you would be to learn that most apartment postings say "payment: 12 checks". That means that they want checks for a year in advance. Often the landlord even prefers cash or (in my case) a scheduled transfer in bank app, and returns the checks when they get the money in their preferred way — but "pinky promise there's some money in my account you can have", I like how you put it, is still an important artifact to show your commitment to pay rent.