OT: Paying in a cheque by phone.

[Jimk]

More practice?

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Decided to try this using my quite old Galaxy 5. Took the pic of the front of the cheque just fine, but refused to take one of the back, which was blank. Tried writing on the details of the account it was going into to give it something to focus on, but still no deal. It was on a dark grey background. So posted it off instead. Anyone help for when I get another cheque in perhaps a year? ;-)

[michael adams]

Which does raise the question as to why they'd require a photograph of the blank back of a cheque in the first place; which I assume is your reason for posting.

Solutions.

a) Take a selfie of yourself holding the blank back of the cheque towards the camera,

b) Place the blank back of the queue on a sheet of newspaper which can then form a border.

c) Write something on the back of the cheque in thick black marker. Possibly something along the lines of "This side to be left blank"

michael adams

...

[Graham Harrison]

I haven't really sussed it yet except put the cheque on something dark and flat for contrast. Otherwise, for me, perseverance works!

[Richard]

Do your cameras not have manual focus?

[Roger Mills]

Which bank? I've had reasonable success with Lloyds. I always try to do it in good daylight and to use a contrasting background - usually darkish yellow. Blank backs are usually ok. The thing which most often causes failure is if the cheque has been folded, making some of the small print unclear.

On the odd occasion when it's objected to the back, I've substituted a different cheque - also with a blank back. [An unused one from your cheque book would be ok].

[Bev]

I found that the darkest possible background helps (I have a black hardback book with a not reflective surface that I use as the background) though sometimes I do have to retake as the photo has been taken before the cheque is within the green lines for some reason.

[ss]

Try placing something next to the blank side, a coin or something, focus the camera on the coin then tilt it slightly to move it over to the cheque, and click.

[tim...]

most small format cameras (phone or stand alone) don't

even where they do (like mine, if I select the correct mode), using it is a fiddly PITA with poor results

[Dave Plowman (News)]

With the Barclays app, you don't 'click'. It does it automatically. That's the problem. It did take the print side perfectly. Easy to read all the text too, as the camera is very good. It showed a graticule round the actual cheque too. But nothing on the blank side.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

There may be an endorsement on the back. A pic of it blanks shows there isn't.

[Adrian Caspersz]

I vaguely remember ye could sign the back of a received cheque to endorse it, giving someone else the permisson to cash the cheque for themselves.

Looking on the webs, seems ye could also place other instructions for the bank.

[Jethro_uk]

If you bank with Nationwide, you can only pay cheques in at branches.

Admittedly not what you were looking for, but it solves any tech issues.

[Jethro_uk]

That went 30 years ago - it was a fraud magnet.

Cheques can only be paid into the (an) account of the named person. They effectively became "perma-crossed" (kids today going "Do what ?").

In fact it's that unique property of a cheque - that it can be paid into any account without the issuers knowledge - that is still impossible to implement any other way.

[Andrew]

There is still the option of posting it to the bank with a covering letter, or if nearby, shoving it in their letterbox.

[charles]

That's fine if you have a branch nearby, and one where the cheque scanner works ;-)

During lockdown, I received a cheque for a significant amount which I posted to my bank. Royal Mail took 2 weeks to deliver it. I was getting worried.

[Jethro_uk]

Not really. What happens when the cheque gets lost ? Even if you have a photograph/scan of it.

[Bev]

The banking app I use doesn't require you to focus or 'click'. It brings up green guidelines and when the cheque is positioned within them it does the job automatically. Sometimes the cheque is outside the lines when it takes the image.

Its not a frequent problem and usually is fine on the second attempt.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Not quite.

crossed with two parallel lines and A/C Payee ONLY.

Bearer bonds. Cash.

[The Natural Philosopher]

What happens is you phone your bank up and they say 'get a new cheque issued and the old one cancelled, and come and pay it in yourself'

So I did.