I read in a paper recently that today is the last day to use cheques. Please tell me this isn't true ?!!!

It isn't true. It's the last day that you can use your cheque guarantee card - you can still write cheques.

Ah that makes more sense! My neighbour told me the same but I couldn't see how it was pssible

Full information. :-)

Makes me wonder how we are going to deal with lots of dog related things such as open show entries, without cheques, I haven't seen any details of a proposed replacement system yet.  There really does not seem to have been a lot of publicity about the ceasing of guarantee cards - I saw letter from someone with a small business in a daily paper a couple of weeks back pointing it out and saying it is going ot lead ot lots of difficulties for his business, but not much  else.

I suggest that dog shows start to use fossedata or dog.biz. If that isn't possible then they should set up a paypal account and charge a service charge so they don't money or only accept payment as a gift via paypal so no charges are made.

> I haven't seen any details of a proposed replacement system yet.

One suggestion is payment from mobile phones - you put your mobile next to the other person's and the money gets transferred via an app. Fine if everyone has a smartphone (which I don't :) ). This only works if you are face-to-face with the retailer tho'

IF people have internet access and a bank account, it is easy to transfer money from one bank account to another.

> I suggest that dog shows start to use fossedata or dog.biz. If that isn't possible then they should set up a paypal account and charge a service charge so they >don't money or only accept payment as a gift via paypal so no charges are made

That assumes that everyone has access to the internet.

> Makes me wonder how we are going to deal with lots of dog related things such as open show entries, without cheques,

They aren't doing away with cheques yet though (another 7 years), just the cheque guarantee card - which was only used when handing a cheque over in person and the recipient wrote the number on the back.  It was never guaranteed if you'd written it yourself and as I only ever sent cheques by post I haven't used the guarantee card for years.

Seven years is plenty of time for an alternative to surface but I would think that Higham and Fosse might do quite well to develop alternative payment options in the meantime :)

> Seven years is plenty of time for an alternative to surface but I would think that Higham and Fosse might do quite well to develop alternative payment options in > the meantime

I'm surprised that they still encourage cheque payments anyway - it is a lot cheaper for them if they encourage people to pay by bank transfer and a lot less hassle (apart from cheques bouncing as well) :) :)

True, but most people nowadays have internet access or know people who do.

Postal Orders are still available which is what was used before everyone had cheque books. ;-)

we have quite a few shops with signs up now saying sorry we do not accept cheques and the date on from when they will not longer accept them .

with natwest doing transfers to new accounts is quite a business because you have to use a card reader and put in loads of numbers, its tedious stuff

is it 7 years? I thought it was 2012 when cheque's would not be allowed.
for us it will be a night mare and dangerous for our customers when they can't use cheques.
we run a small gardening business where most of our customers are elderly and infirm. we encourage them to not keep cash in the house. they don't have mobiles. most don't have internet access so what are they going to do?
okay for just lawn cutting as small amount. but when we do anymore and the bill comes to hundreds/ thousands. is it safe for them to go into town and withdraw that amount of cash and walk around town with it? very few customers can do bank transfer. they send a cheque through the post. oh yes. less post so royal mail looseing out again.
sorry rant over!
lea

is it 7 years? I thought it was 2012 when cheque's would not be allowed.
for us it will be a night mare and dangerous for our customers when they can't use cheques.
we run a small gardening business where most of our customers are elderly and infirm. we encourage them to not keep cash in the house. they don't have mobiles. most don't have internet access so what are they going to do?
okay for just lawn cutting as small amount. but when we do anymore and the bill comes to hundreds/ thousands. is it safe for them to go into town and withdraw that amount of cash and walk around town with it? very few customers can do bank transfer. they send a cheque through the post. oh yes. less post so royal mail looseing out again.
sorry rant over!
lea

Although there is a fee for a postal order

>is it 7 years? I thought it was 2012 when cheque's would not be allowed.

No, it's been extended, thankfully. I still use cheques a lot - I don't trust online banking, when you hear of all the scams there are, and there are plenty of people, like my mother, who will never have a computer, and certainly wouldn't give someone else her bank details to put on theirs!

>most of our customers are elderly and infirm. we encourage them to not keep cash in the house. they don't have mobiles. most don't have internet access so what are they going to do?

Exactly.

that's good then. will be able to reassure my customers now :)
lea :)

> I don't trust online banking

I've used online banking personally and at work for years and never had a problem with it - would never wish to go back to using cheques (although I have to use them occasionally). I think it is a lot more secure than credit cards :)

I use cheques to pay utility bills at the Post Office, to help keep our local post office open. Getting rid of cheques is another nail in the coffin of rural facilities.

> Getting rid of cheques is another nail in the coffin of rural facilities

Yes - but if they bring in more of the contactless payments (ie on debit cards) then payments under £15 will actually be easier than writing a cheque which is often difficult for elderly people. I know my mother who had cataract problems  found using her debit card much easier than writing a cheque.

Mine used not to be able to see the numbers well enough and invariably put in the wrong PIN. Now that she's housebound she can only buy things by post with cheques, because sending cash is out of the question.

> Mine used not to be able to see the numbers well enough and invariably put in the wrong PIN

It's difficult isn't it :( Older people quite rightly like to be independent :( I often bought things for my mother and had them delivered to her. She lived too far away for me to take them, but (in the last few years) I had POA and so could sort the money easily. My elderly neighbours here are still able to get out and about to shop, but don't have internet access so I help them when I can - there are so many things that are more expensive if you can't buy online. I helped them only a few days ago to buy ferry tickets because there was an offer in the paper which was only valid online :( :( When their car insurance comes up, I'll help them to find it cheaper as well.

Hopefully when I'm too old and grey (well, more so than now) to manage, my children will help out, just hope that I'm not too grumpy to mind losing my independence :) :) :)

My parents help my aunt with her finances. My aunt is not able to get out to a bank at all now so she writes a cheque to my dad and he gets her any cash she needs, pays her bills etc. He has opened a current account at the post office and uses this to administer her money - her cheques to him are paid into it and he makes payments from it on her behalf. The system works for them because they trust each other but is not the ideal situation for everyone.

The statements are the records of all the transactions and helps them both to keep the records straight. The disadvantage is if anything happened to either of them - my aunt having to prove to the tax man that it is her money and my mum having to prove that it's not my dad's money could make things very difficult. They have a letter that they have both signed explaining the situation but I doubt that it would be classed as a legal document if the need arose.

Advaning technology can often leave the older generation far behind and what seems like a simple and innovative advancement for younger people can be an absolute nightmare for those who are not well versed in new ways or do not have the capacity to learn and understand them :-(

> The disadvantage is if anything happened to either of them - my aunt having to prove to the tax man that it is her money and my mum having to prove that it's not my dad's money could make things very difficult

If your aunt is already having problems, it may be better in the long run to get a POA done and your father to be a signatory on your aunt's bank account. None of this would stop your aunt accessing her money, just make it easier for your father just in case she gets to the stage of not being able to sign cheques or actually sign a POA :)

I thought that there was a news item a couple of weeks ago that said they decided to bin the idea of not using cheques anymore?

> I thought that there was a news item a couple of weeks ago that said they decided to bin the idea of not using cheques anymore

Not according to the 'thinkmoney' site. Phasing out cheques by 2018

[Admin: link expired]

This is good to know: The Payments Council said it would carry out a review in 2016 'to determine whether closing the cheques processing system should be delayed'.

If I can't enter online I always send a postal order.

>with natwest doing transfers to new accounts is quite a business because you have to use a card reader and put in loads of numbers, its tedious stuff

And darned annoying when they finally talk you ino changing to online banking, and you desperately need to move money around, and 8 days after the online banking has been arranged, they advise you that it takes 15 days to get your card reader.  GRRRRRRR!!!!

Not everyone can make on-line entries or wishes to.

I do the bookings for our Village Hall and every month I get between 12 - 16 cheques paying for hires, some from regular block bookings, some from 'one-off' hires. There is 1 cash machine near the village, main banks are about 10-12 miles away depending which town you go to. Plus I dont want all that cash in the house for up to a month between meetings when I pass to the treasurer. BAAAD idea.

There was an interview on the radio yesterday with a guy form (I think ) something called the "Payment Council"  I came in part way through the interview, which appear to have been along the lines of "why on earth get red of cheques and why has more publicity not been given to the death of guarantee cards."  He was replying by saying that guarantee cards had almost ceased to be used anyway, and that after consultation the  end of cheques had been put back from the next couple of years for about  7 years, when a new alternative would have been proved to work and be used - he insisted that the being used part had been made a very important part of the agreement.  When asked about alternatives hementioned instant payments via mobile phones, easier direct bank to bank payment (via internet or phone) ..... or "a new paper based system which might look and seem very like a cheque but would be faster and cheaper to process"!!!!  I may be over simplifying things here, but could the answer  be for the banks to make the existing cheques subject to systems which are faster and cheaper to process?  Or is that too much like common sense.