"We only accept cheques drawn on UK banks via a mail order..."

[Roy Langridge]

We still write quite a lot of cheques as that is the only way to avoid using cash for some purchases. Things like school photos, etc. where we have to send money into school, karate licenses and membership is cheque only. We probably get through a cheque book every two years,

 

Roy

[meil]

18 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

Probably a couple of dozen a year.

 

Not just the older "small suppliers", it's some of the retailers that only use PayPal. For some reason PayPal refuses to acknowledge my bank account is real. So I can't use them.

 

 

Jason

Then don't use your bank account - use your credit card.

[caradoc]

11 hours ago, phil-b259 said:

That said its also obvious that the less people who use a bank branch, the less profitable it becomes.

 

True of course, but the customer is not always given the choice ! As discussed earlier, NSI have attempted to stop paying Premium Bond winnings by cheque; My Mum received her occasional prizes that way and therefore had to go to the bank, not as a chore but part of a day out in town. Now, through no desire of her own, that particular reason for using a bank branch (and going into town) has gone. 

 

11 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

A little before that [decimalisation, 1971] all big employers had stopped paying wages weekly in cash and insisted on paying (usually monthly) into bank accounts, so everybody had to open one. 

 

BR was still paying some grades weekly, in cash, until at least 1984. 

 

[Quarryscapes]

Thanks to this read and rifling through Natwest's latest policies etc, I have discovered that due to the Pandemic I can no post cheques to a central address where they will be processed, which is nice. I've also discovered that someone has reinstated a direct debit without my permission and that the DVLA still owe me 2 months tax for a car I sorned back in September!

 

I would also take this opportunity to urge all small suppliers to look to Square instead of (or at least in addition to) Paypal, much, much cheaper to receive small payments, which is a large proportion of cottage industry sales I suspect. 

[The Stationmaster]

Until this year I was getting through a cheque book around every 18 - 20 months and I'll no doubt return to that level of usage if 'normal normal ever returns.   Very convenient things to have and use where you don't wish to carry a lot of cash or can't get to a machine (or under the mattress) in order to get hold of some

[Wheatley]

1 hour ago, caradoc said:

BR was still paying some grades weekly, in cash, until at least 1984. 

 

Barnsley P.Way were still being paid in cash in 1992 because  I was part of a team effort to regain access to the £35,000 sitting on a desk after our chief clerk locked it and the keys in the office. One of my signalmen was still being paid in cash a few years later until he retired. 

Edited December 14, 2020 by Wheatley

[cctransuk]

I have always been a staunch advocate of cheques, but ........

 

as a small supplier who (currently) accepts cheques, it is becoming a time-consuming chore to pay them into my account.

 

Bank branches are now an endangered species here in Cornwall.

 

In theory, I can pay-in cheques at post (and sub-post) offices, but ......

 

post offices (and sub-post) offices are becoming an endangered species here in Cornwall.

 

Result - when you can find a post (or sub-post) office that is still open, you will easily recognise it by the endless queue which snakes around the premises - especially as most can only accept one customer on the premises at present!

 

So - I may seriously have to consider withdrawing cheque payment facilities; much against my instincts.

 

John Isherwood,

Cambridge Custom Transfers.

[Ouroborus]

You can post in your cheques and paying in slip.

 

[PenrithBeacon]

My personal preference is to pay for anything by everything except cash and cheque. I recently had to write a cheque to AGW and that was the first one for at least a year. Having said that Paypal seem to be having a bad hair month; a really serious pain in the neck.

[cctransuk]

2 minutes ago, Ouroborus said:

You can post in your cheques and paying in slip.

 

 

The paying-in envelopes issued by Santander specifically state that the must not be posted, but paid-in at a post office.

 

John Isherwood.

[Ouroborus]

Bad luck.  We're with HSBC.   I agree with your point though.  We have no banks left and only a part time post office counter - two mornings a week. 

I'd take it up with santander - if you can post your paying in slip and cheque to HMRC, why won't they accept it.

[Steamport Southport]

13 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

If you're worried about losing your local bank branch you need to use it - the banks are only doing what Beeching did to railways that nobody was using at the time.

 

 

 

Doesn't work I'm afraid. I also dispute they are just closing unused branches.

 

In Liverpool the Halifax/HBOS closed a very busy city centre branch on Bold Street which was convenient for retail outlets, nightlife and the main stations. It was the branch that everyone used. Particularly students.

 

But kept the much smaller branch that nobody used open. Now with fewer staff and it's not particularly convenient location wise. Now packed with people trying to get service with one desk open, queues out of the door and the poor flustered staff trying to help out by directing customers to their desks.

 

Just cost cutting pure and simple. All of them have or are doing it.

 

 

Jason

[Steamport Southport]

3 hours ago, meil said:

Then don't use your bank account - use your credit card.

 

I'm afraid I haven't got a credit card and don't want one. You get charged for them. Visa Debit cards are free and difficult to get into debt with.

 

I'll just avoid using retailers that only have PayPal as a option. If they have other ways to pay fine.

 

 

And I have tried to sort it out, but they don't recognise landlines as valid phone numbers. Gave up trying in the end. I believe I'm not the only one having problems I Googled it and it's quite a common problem. I think there was even a thread on here about it at one point.

 

 

Jason

[Crosland]

21 hours ago, tetsudofan said:

If you use online banking in your own country you should, in theory, be able to do an online transfer direct to the bank account of the person you are dealing with in the UK.

 

But at what cost? Most (all?) UK banks are not in the EU wide system that allows for fast, cheap transfers.

 

20 hours ago, 4630 said:

Paying in a foreign currency cheque drawn from a bank based in another country into a different financial institution in your ‘home’ country has always been a bit more problematic though. 

 

It's never been an issue apart from, again, the costs.

 

If you make a habit of it, one of the cheapest ways is to get a TransferWise account.

 

We still occasionally get postal orders in payment!

[Andy Hayter]

21 hours ago, tetsudofan said:

If you use online banking in your own country you should, in theory, be able to do an online transfer direct to the bank account of the person you are dealing with in the UK.

 

Barclays (my banker for 50 years and employee for 18 months) offers such a service but I have not had to use it as all my overseas purchases are done by credit card.

 

If your bank offers such a service you would have to contact the person you are going to deal with in the UK and get their bank account details such as IBAN and BIC details as shown on their UK bank account. Maybe bit of a hassle but once you have the details it should be a safe and secure way to make the transfer.

 

Keith

 

 

So some odd gob who you have never heard of asks you for your bank details.  And you are advocating giving them these details.

 

Isn't that exactly the sort of thing you banking types are constantly warning us against?

[Crosland]

8 hours ago, Mike Bellamy said:

 

It's no longer necessary to rent a card reader. A trader I have helped at exhibitions was paying about £30 a month for his, but then bought a small hand held card reader for the same one off cost. They are now even cheaper to buy - see 'Sumup' and 'Square' for example. From what I can remember, the percentage charge per transaction was about the same but the funds got to his account a day or two quicker. Paypal has been mentioned several times above - I have just checked and they also offer a card reader with a one off purchase cost.

 

I believe those sort of card readers do not, generally, handle "card holder not present" transactions, so are only useful in face-to-face situations.

 

[edit] Ah it seems some do now. I should read ALL the posts before replying  [/edit]

Edited December 14, 2020 by Crosland

[cctransuk]

34 minutes ago, Steamport Southport said:

I'm afraid I haven't got a credit card and don't want one. You get charged for them.

 

Not true - I have a Barclaycard and there is no fee; I just pay off the full balance at the end of the month.

 

Exactly like a debit card except that, before interest rates became virtually zero, I got paid a little interest on my credit card spending before I paid had to pay it off at the end of the month.

 

John Isherwood.

[Crosland]

2 minutes ago, Andy Hayter said:

So some odd gob who you have never heard of asks you for your bank details.  And you are advocating giving them these details.

 

That's exactly what you do, along with a copy of your signature, every time you use a cheque.

 

Now, which do you think is the least secure?

 

 

[cctransuk]

10 minutes ago, Crosland said:

But at what cost? Most (all?) UK banks are not in the EU wide system that allows for fast, cheap transfers.

 

I just received a payment from the Netherlands using my IBAN number - the first time, but I'll offer the facility in future. No fee at my end.

 

John Isherwood.

[KeithMacdonald]

8 minutes ago, Crosland said:

But at what cost? Most (all?) UK banks are not in the EU wide system that allows for fast, cheap transfers.

 

Most (if not all) UK banks are, however, still part of the IBAN system. We still receive payments from customers in European countries (in and out of the EU) via IBAN, and many of them do not get charged for doing so.
 

Quote

 

An individual doesn’t have to apply for an IBAN separately. If a bank is recognized in a country and has its national code, allows foreign transactions and adheres to the IBAN system of numbering accounts then by the virtue of the bank’s provisions, an individual will have his or her international bank account number. IBAN is also endorsed and promoted by SEPA or Single Euro Payments Area. Validate an International Bank Account Number structure and length, identify the bank owning this account, BIC code and address at IBAN checker.

Today, most banking transactions, especially cross border or international payments are processed using IBAN. Even PayPal payments when not made from one PayPal account to another PayPal account will need an IBAN. Escrow payments and most other types of transactions that require funds being credited to or debited from a bank account will require an international bank account number. Ideally, everyone should have an IBAN but those who have accounts with reputed banks will get it by default.

 

 

https://iban.co.uk/index.html

[Andy Hayter]

2 minutes ago, Crosland said:

 

That's exactly what you do, along with a copy of your signature, every time you use a cheque.

 

Now, which do you think is the least secure?

 

 

 

The cheque.

Simply because the situation is reversed.

I (the odd gob) dealing with a trader - someone with a reputation - ask for his bank details so that I can make (or not) an electronic transfer.  He has released his bank details to goodness knows who.

With the cheque, I am giving the reputable trader my bank details - or at least part of them since they would have to know how to convert a bank branch+account+sort code into a BIC and IBAN.  It matters not whether I have a good or bad reputation once the cheque has cleared.

 

[Crosland]

Just now, KeithMacdonald said:

Most (if not all) UK banks are, however, still part of the IBAN system. We still receive payments from customers in European countries (in and out of the EU) via IBAN, and many of them do not get charged for doing so.

 

Indeed, but someone, somewhere pays, either the payer or payee.

 

My point was that there is a separate, EU wide, i.e. cross border, system that allows for much cheaper transfers. Found it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_Euro_Payments_Area. The UK was a participant but most banks chose not to as far as I can tell.

[Crosland]

1 minute ago, Andy Hayter said:

 

The cheque.

Simply because the situation is reversed.

I (the odd gob) dealing with a trader - someone with a reputation - ask for his bank details so that I can make (or not) an electronic transfer.  He has released his bank details to goodness knows who.

With the cheque, I am giving the reputable trader my bank details - or at least part of them since they would have to know how to convert a bank branch+account+sort code into a BIC and IBAN.  It matters not whether I have a good or bad reputation once the cheque has cleared.

 

Eh? First you agree the checque is the least secure but then seem to say you prefer it.

 

You don't give your bank details to "odd gob". You give them to the same reputable traders who you would pay by cheque.

[KeithMacdonald]

4 minutes ago, Crosland said:

My point was that there is a separate, EU wide, i.e. cross border, system that allows for much cheaper transfers. Found it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_Euro_Payments_Area. The UK was a participant but most banks chose not to as far as I can tell.

 

Sigh.

 

UK banks didn't need to, because IBAN had already done that.

 

Quote

An individual doesn’t have to apply for an IBAN separately. If a bank is recognized in a country and has its national code, allows foreign transactions and adheres to the IBAN system of numbering accounts then by the virtue of the bank’s provisions, an individual will have his or her international bank account number. IBAN is also endorsed and promoted by SEPA or Single Euro Payments Area.

 

https://iban.co.uk/index.html

[cctransuk]

5 minutes ago, Crosland said:

Indeed, but someone, somewhere pays, either the payer or payee.

 

Are you sure about that?

 

I don't pay a fee for BACS transfers - either to me, or from me.

 

I didn't pay a fee to receive an IBAN payment, and the payer gave no indictaion that he did either.

 

My understanding is that IBAN is simply an international version of BACS.

 

John Isherwood.