So far OT - cheque books

[Steve Walker]

I have a few things that can ONLY be paid by cheque, one of which is my ground rent - they offer no other option. They are also a requirement of a couple of payments to the secondary school in preparation for children starting there (reserving a locker, paying for a trip that happens in the first weeks of September, etc.) where payment has to be made in June/July, but your child won't be on the on-line payment system until they start there in September and they won't accept cash. I suppose it is possible that they'd accept a postal order (assuming that those still exist).

We do still have a cheque book, but of course they are only a convenience and you can write a cheque on any old piece of paper, as long as all the details are there.

SteveW

[Dave Liquorice]

Most accounts can accept a bank transfer (BACS) even if the account holder has no electronic banking facility.

Oct 2015, before that Dec 2012.

[spuorgelgoog]

You could under the old Bills of Exchange Act, but most banks' T&Cs will require you to use printed cheques from them (or an approved supplier for business accounts).

Board of Inland Revenue v Haddock is of course the leading case on the matter. See also

Owain

[Tim Streater]

Those going on about cheques being no longer needed should explain how, for example, in our village, the local church, or village hall, or Gardeners' Society can accept payment *other* than by cheque.

Especially when some fraction of those attending, booking, or being members of these entities do not have and are not interested in having, access to the Internet.

[charles]

cash?

[spuorgelgoog]

That requires people (who might not be the Treasurer etc) to receive cash on behalf of the group, keep it safe, account for its receipt, and eventually pay it into the bank -- which might be miles away.

Cheques can be paid into many bank accounts through the Post Office, but I think not cash.

Owain

[Tim Streater]

Cheques are preferred because otherwise there's no paper trail. And yes, people pay by cash too. But these entities are all too small to be able to set up for card payments.

[Andy Burns]

What would they have said a few decades ago about accepting payments from those unwilling to open a bank account?

They could setup a paypal account to accept payments, for those that wish to send it that way.

[charles]

Indeed so, but thats what a great mny small organisations do, particularly at monthly meetings. People don't write out cheques for the £4 entry fee, nor for the few pounds they might pay for the odd plant.

So, you write out your own cheque and pay that in ( keeping the cash and saving a personal trip to the bank).

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Do they have bank accounts? If so, all sorts of options.

Cash is the obvious one. Anyone who uses cheques will still be very familiar with it.

[NY]

Yes but many people don't use cash for things as much as they used to, because shops etc will accept plastic. I'm unusual that because I get paid in cash, I tend to have more on me than many people (because of the difficulty of getting to the bank). Many people would have to withdraw cash specially to pay those bills. And it's very unwise to send cash by post whereas cheque is a lot more secure if you can't pay the bill in person.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

True. And in many of those shops, they'd once have paid by cheque, with a bank card.

The difficulty in getting to a bank these days means electronic payment even more attractive.

Is that a problem anywhere? I can't see many living in a village etc able to live without cash.

Sending a cheque by post adds to the cost.

[Harry Bloomfield]

Most/all places now have access to an ATM for cash. They put them in pubs, garages and shops etc..

[Huge]

And charge £1.25 to use them.

[Tim Streater]

Our village has no pub, no garage, no shop.

[charles]

how about getting one in the Church hall?

[Huge]

No church hall.

[spuorgelgoog]

And some of them charge over £1.50, which makes getting a tenner out n ow and then extraordinarily expensive.

Owain

[Tim Streater]

There is no church hall. There is a village hall, though, and any suggestion of putting an ATM in it would be viewed with derision. It's a flimsy wooden building at the end of the day, and the ATM would be half-inched by scroats with a range rover after about a day.

[S Viemeister]

My nearest ATM is about 40 miles away...