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0 pointsjacquesm6y ago0 comments

Checks are only a thing in the US because there is no proper banking infrastructure. Here in the EU we can transfer money person-to-person, person-to-business and business-to-business instantly between a very large variety of banking institutions spanning 10's of countries. No need for routing instructions, correspondent banks, transfer accounts or any of that bs, and it's cheap to boot.

There is absolutely no reason why the United States could not do the same, in fact it would be easier there. Payment systems in the United States are archaic and error prone. They also tend to offload the risk of fraud onto the consumers/merchants and I suspect that plus the fees are the bigger reasons why the banks are reluctant to get their act together.

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reaperducer6y ago

Checks are only a thing in the US because there is no proper banking infrastructure.

Tell that to the French hotel my wife stayed in 15 months ago that only took cash or American Express travelers checks.

jacquesmOP6y ago

> Tell that to the French hotel my wife stayed in 15 months ago that only took cash or American Express travelers checks.

And chip-and-pin and likely also credit cards but they tend to not advertise that fact because they hate the fees and the slow settlement. That's why in France every cab driver ever has a sign on their back seats stating that 'unfortunately, their credit card processing machine just broke down' (by law they have to accept them but if the machine broke down on that day they get dispensation for that day so this loophole is immediately abused, if this happens to you simply stick to your guns and sooner or later it will turn out that the machine works just fine).

I spend a ton of time in hotels in France (and elsewhere in Europe) and have yet to see one that did not have a wide selection of payment options.

This page:

https://about-france.com/banks-payment.htm

has this passage on it:

" France is a country in which the use of cheques is also widespread. However French traders, shops, hotels etc. will not usually accept payment by cheque unless the cheque is on a French bank; some places accept cheques in Euros on banks in other Eurozone counries, but most do not, given the increased risk and the possibility of bank charges. It is generally impossible to pay for anything using a cheque on a bank situated outside the Eurozone."

Even that seems a bit archaic to me because I haven't seen checks (or rather: cheques) in France in a decade or more but American Express travelers checks may be the exception, but this post from 2014 basically says not to bother:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/don-t-b...

Brought Amex travellers cheques in Euros on our trip to France only to discover NO ONE, not even banks take or cash them. Have tried paying with them in hotels, restaurants, and stores-no takers. Exchange bureaus (even Ria which is recommended on American Express website in Lyon) would not cash them. Spent a good couple hours wandering and visiting the following to no avail: La Poste (used to cash, but not any more), BNP Paribas, LCL, Societe Generale, Credit Agricole, Bank Populaire, CE.

Take note: don't bother with travellers cheques-will never use again. BRING a debit card, credit card with chip/pin technology, and some cash."

Which pretty much mirrors my own experience.

zenlot6y ago

I guess you're not including UK here? Checks are a thing in UK and is very common for .gov institutions: driving licence? Write a check. Overpaid taxes? Receive check. Pay national insurance gaps? Write a check. It's good though that pretty much every banking app has ability to scan and deposit a check to your account in a matter of seconds.

AndrewDucker6y ago

I can't comment on the rest but I recently paid for my driving license electronically.

sadfklsjlkjwt6y ago

For taxes you can choose whether to get a check or have the money deposited directly into a bank account.

drcongo6y ago

I can't remember the last time I even saw a personal cheque in the UK.

zenlot6y ago

I remember - few weeks ago.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

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reaperducer6y ago

Checks are only a thing in the US because there is no proper banking infrastructure.

Tell that to the French hotel my wife stayed in 15 months ago that only took cash or American Express travelers checks.

jacquesmOP6y ago

> Tell that to the French hotel my wife stayed in 15 months ago that only took cash or American Express travelers checks.

I spend a ton of time in hotels in France (and elsewhere in Europe) and have yet to see one that did not have a wide selection of payment options.

This page:

https://about-france.com/banks-payment.htm

has this passage on it:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/don-t-b...

Take note: don't bother with travellers cheques-will never use again. BRING a debit card, credit card with chip/pin technology, and some cash."

Which pretty much mirrors my own experience.

zenlot6y ago

AndrewDucker6y ago

I can't comment on the rest but I recently paid for my driving license electronically.

sadfklsjlkjwt6y ago

For taxes you can choose whether to get a check or have the money deposited directly into a bank account.

drcongo6y ago

I can't remember the last time I even saw a personal cheque in the UK.

zenlot6y ago

I remember - few weeks ago.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse