When was the last time you wrote a cheque? Did you know it would be your last?

[piintheski]

I honestly can't remember when it was, and no I didn't know it would be my last. I do remember paying for childcare by cheque over 20 years ago, so I suppose one of those was my last. It became so difficult with the nursery being unable to predict when they would pay the cheques in that I switched to cash.

A spelling lesson with year 7s, the words "check" and "cheque" came up, and the puzzlement and confusion around the room when I tried to explain 😂

It made me realise for the first time that I haven't written a cheque in decades, and don't even know when I last owned a cheque book, or what happened to it.

I bet there are Mumsnetters who have never written a cheque!

But the time it takes for your DH to deposit that cheque and wait for it to clear surely negates the time you have saved in writing it?

Or does he deposit it via his own online banking? 😅

I do one for the window cleaner if I don't have any cash on me. He doesn't have a card machine.

Do you not have a phone??

Ive never written a cheque in my life OP.

He'll just pop it into the cheque deposit machine the next time he's passing his bank.

Yes, I have a phone but it's a bit old and knackered, I don't really trust it for that kind of thing. Waiting for it to conk completely before shelling out on another one.

We had to write one for DS’s school just the other day!

Probably two years ago, when youngest left primary and I used to write cheques for the after school club. I also used to order (not that long ago) some art materials from an online shop which only took cheques, or you had to phone them with your order and give your bank details.

Although, I’m saying two years, but it doesn’t feel that long. I was always writing cheques for something or other.

Transfer on your phone would literally take nanoseconds though? Why the need to crank up a PC?

My son received his deposit for his student accommodation back via cheque in August

I think the last time I wrote one was probably when paying the guy who used to do the service for my gas boiler - about two years ago.

I'm honestly surprised any where takes them anymore, must be a pain to administer

Strangely, I had to write one last week to the land registry. They only allow online payment if you are registered with a professional/company account, so I assume as a solicitor- which I'm not, otherwise cheque only! Luckily, I still had a cheque book because DH had no clue when his was. I haven't written one otherwise for maybe 15yrs at least!

Transfer on your phone would literally take nanoseconds though? Why the need to crank up a PC it's not as easy as that depending on the bank - Nationwide makes you use a card reader for all transfers to new payees.

I'm nearly 60 and was years ago to the old boy who used to service my car. I had this cheque book with literally one stub a year just for him! 🤣 even he does electronic banking now

I think probably about seven years ago for my daughter's dance lessons. I don't think I thought about it being my last. I'm 44. My mum used to pay for almost everything with cheques. She'd be in her mid-70s now, but died in her mid-50s. I'm not sure she'd have made the transition to online banking - she didn't have an email address or anything in the early 2000s.

Tbh I don't use building societies either as they're stuck in the dark aged too

The last time I wrote a cheque was when dd was born in 2009 and you had to pay for the full birth certificate by cheque. (I think it was £3)

I had to go to the bank to get a cheque in 2016 when I got married to pay for the church.

I didn't know you could still get postal orders!

I needed to send a cheque to DVLA the other day to apply for a replacement V5. I can't remember the last time I had a cheque book, so ended up having to go into the post office branch to ask if they still issue postal orders - it did feel like going back in time by about 3 decades!

I live in France and still use them quite regularly.

The last time I wrote a cheque from a UK account was about 6 years ago when I had to pay my dad for something. He doesn't do online banking.

I used to shop on a Sunday, write a cheque with my cheque guarantee card, knowing I had no money in my account on the Sunday and then for it to come out on the Tuesday when I'd been paid. Used to do a full weekly shop for under £50 and with loads of alcohol.

I wrote a cheque for the bloke who cuts our trees last year.

We do online banking and investment transactions on either an iPad which we don't use for anything else, or a Mac which we also don't use for anything else. DH listens to a lot of security podcasts, I write software so between us we're aware of the pitfalls. Doing banking on your regular phone (especially if it's android) isn't exactly like leaving your cash in a box with a label saying 'help yourself' ....

Another one here who writes them for Cubs. Wrote one last week for a Cub trip.

I imagine once DS leaves scouting I'll never write one again.

Guides accept BACS.

They don't let you pay cheques in via app either. Fortunately we still have a branch with walking distance of my house for the odd time we need to pay one in.

I write them two or three times a year for primary school fundraising things where cash is the only other option. The bank have just sent me a new cheque book which I'll be surprised if I ever use as I'm only about a third of the way through the current one

I haven’t in years and years, but recently my 14 year old saw my parents write a cheque and felt they were part of living history… up there with Granny also having a phone that is diallled.