I'm an Aussie who's been I'm the Bay Area for about a year now, I'll confirm what you say, American banks are absolutely prehistoric compared to Australia. Cheq

I'm an Aussie who's been I'm the Bay Area for about a year now, I'll confirm what you say, American banks are absolutely prehistoric compared to Australia. Cheques are still very common for rent, govt etc(I haven't filled out a bloody cheque since my Dolomites account when I was 12). Paying other people for shared expenses (dinner, weekend away etc) is a mess of 3rd party services, some of which charge fees, none of which are ubiquitous. I still end up dealing in cash for a lot of things(!). I never thought I'd say it, but I miss the aus banks so much, it's just so inconvienient here.