Cheques - do you use them?

[Earlybird]

I was listening to talk radio a few days ago. The topic was cheques, with the host saying she thinks they are old fashioned and inconvenient. She claimed not to be able to remember when she last wrote a cheque as all her money flows in/out via direct debit/standing order/internet banking.

I still write quite a few cheques. Am I old fashioned? What do you do?

Why did I read this as being 'condoms - do you use them?' And seeing it was under legaland money matters I thought, hmm, sounds interesting...

Message withdrawn

I pay bills with cheques to control (and usually stall) the money going out.

Don't know whether you should get some sleep, get your eyes checked, or get extra points for imagination! Tell us, what's on your mind??

i still write them...but not very often

i don't get people who use them when out shopping. you need a cheque guarantee card to use it... which is a debit card (or isn't it always?).. so why not just use that?

I do when I have to post money to anyone but also when it's close to the end of the month, but not quite payday. They take longer to process than deit card payments, so therefore buy me a little time when we're a bit skint.

oops - that's 'debit' card (switch) payments.

hmm i guess... i have a big fee-free overdraft so i usually just go into that before payday

Hardly ever, in fact we couldn't find our book when we went to look for it. All bills are on direct debit, all cash on cashback, all payments on debit/credit card. We paid the nursery by direct transfer. We just don't really need one.

i use my cheque book and guarentee card when i need to get something and i know that there is money going into my account the next day. naughty, but sometimes nesscerary.

Most things by DD, but I still pay the windowcleaner by chq (as I'm out when he calls, usually) and put chqs in birthday cards.

I use them to pay for bills that I send by post (Next account, Council tax etc), money for school things, football club etc and also at the end of the month when I havn't any money in my account but hope it'll be in before the cheque clears.
So, yes I do use cheques quite a lot.

As little as possible. I do most of my banking on line and like to see what's going in and out in real time as much as possible. When I have cash flow problems I tend to use a credit card, as that usually puts it forwards enough, but I prefer to do everything direct from my account.

Mostly use them to pay for after school activities and any money to be sent to the school

Oh, and if we have a takeaway delivered and I've not got enough cash in my purse.

I hate cheques. And switch is p?????g me off at the moment, but far preferable to a cheque.

I use cheques to pay for 'local' things - school, the window cleaner (where is he, btw - hasn't visited for months, grrr!) and for birthdays etc but not much else.

I heard on the news that Shell garages have stopped taking payment by cheque. Sure enough, an elderly lady had her cheque refused yesterday when I went to the garage.

Nope. Haven't used a single one in over 3 years.

If I see something when out shopping and haven't enough money in my account I'll write a cheque then transfer the cash online when I get home. Apart from that school fees, ballet, swimming etc.

pay for things like
cubs,
swimming
football
karate
playgrooup fees
school dinners, though now using online stuff more often
if i owe a friend money, as i never have cash.
anything that needs to be paid by post, and cant be done online.
ebay, as i dont like paypal

I love paypal, except the fees.

the fees are why i dont use it. and since i dont actually buy much, there is no point in having it.
i remember the first thing i ever sold on ebay, all th eproceeds went to paypal fees.

all the proceeds

I use cheques a lot, but often just use PO's, but their big fees put me off, likewise with paypal.

The thing is, when you pay by cheque, you've absolutely NO idea when it's going to be debited from your account. I hate having no control, been there, got the t-shirt.