this post was submitted on 19 Mar 2024
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There's nothing stopping me from writing a $480 million USD check either. Cashing it, on the other hand, that's a you problem.
I mean, there is definitely the hurdle of getting in contact with the bank, explaining to them what checks were, waiting for them to figure things out & explaining to me how that isn't a thing anyone, etc.
Seriously tho, none of my banks offer checks, and I don't know about any that do. Probably a US thing for paychecks from historically significant employers.
Edit: US, India, France (bcs they had/have no transactions fees), and Australia still use checks, the latter two plan to phase them out by 2030. A lot of EU countries just don't offer support anymore & cannot cash existing checks (neither at commercial or central banks).
Literally every bank I know of still offers checkbooks
Checks are increasingly a US centric thing. They're almost non existent in Canada, certainly on the personal front, and in Europe the last holdout is France. All they've said is that they're not phasing out checks before 2030, but they 100% are planning on getting rid of them. They're just archaic and far too easy to commit fraud with.
I mean with the IBAN system, checks are pretty much obsolete in Europe anyways. It's so easy to send and receive money there, directly through your bank's app, that third-party payment apps like paypal, venmo, cashapp, zelle etc. are practically non-existent if they even work there at all (which gives me some ideas as to why we don't have a similar North American system)
I think in the US they cracked down on check fraud really hard for a while and people are basically too scared to do it now. In places where it does happen (usually rural poor areas) some (especioaly smaller) places will just not accept checks or have signs up about how check fraud is a federal crime and that they will take you to court for it. Not saying it's the best solution, just trying to provide some background.
Oh yeah, there were even references to that in pop culture as well (movies, series, etc).
Just cultural & historical differences.
To add to your list. You could still get checks in Canada as of a couple years ago, but virtually no one does that outside of some seniors who refuse to move on.
I love how you're being downvoted because the cavemen Muricans can't comprehend modern banking that doesn't involve cheques.
Blows their mind when you talk about tapping to pay in the early 2000's. No Apple didn't invent it.
Or PIN numbers on credit cards.
... wait, what? No way. Iirc since at least the 90s that was mandatory (at least if issued by a bank).
US credit cards still don't use a PIN. The rest of the world uses Chip&Pin or nfc contactless. The US uses magnetic strip very often, chip and no pin, and now contactless. The verification if asked, is not a PIN, it's the billing zip code (5 digit postal code of the US). Usually just petrol pumps ask.
It's also why I strongly advise any foreigner visiting Murica to learn the default zip for their card. If you use an international card (any non American card in America) it will still ask you for your zip code and if it fails, no petrol for you. And in the US you must pay BEFORE you pump so you could quite literally be stranded because of their archaic banking system.
Many European cards use 00000 or 12345. I've seen some Asian cards that use the last 5 digits of the card. Even if you have an American card if you aren't the standard boring American household that never moves, it can be a pain. The card may have its billing address (and therefore zip) set to a place you've never been. But you have to remember it.
Omg, TIL. Also kinda fascinating. Especially how credit cards aren't as universally compatible as I thought.
I was living stateside from 2018-2021, my credit card had no pin. It was chip and signature for transactions. Absolutely ridiculous system.