Same sort of situation here in Australia, cheques (we use the proper English spelling) are a dying breed. Most people use EFTPOS (a direct debit to their bank account at the time of purchase), pay with credit cards, use automatic direct debits set up on their bank accounts, or use phone banking to pay bills. Most businesses now pay their creditors electronically as well. Writing cheques here can be fairly expensive because of government charges and taxes but paying electronically is much quicker and far more convenient anyway.
One of the things I've found strange when visiting the US is that the country that invented credit cards and the internet still use cheques so much. Can't understand why. Cheers, Carl ----- Original Message ----- From: Cotty To: Pentax List Sent: Saturday, March 16, 2002 7:11 AM Subject: Re: OT: eBay tale of woe >I wish somebody would explain how it works in the EU. My US bank might >charge something for depositing a Canadian check in Canadian dollars, but >never for depositing a US check. Why are they charging for depositing a >check in Euros? The same reason that my bank here in the UK charges me for depositing a cheque (as it is spelled here) made out in US dollars. Because there is admin in figuring out the exchange rate (with all necessary and unnecessary contributing factors) and then converting the amount and then getting the US bank on which the cheque is drawn to cough up. Costs time and money, and there is a charge (similar to yours). Strangely enough, we have cheques, but aside from eBay transactions, nobody here uses them. We normally pay for things with debit cards that transfer money from our 'current account' (your 'checking account') to the store. Or we use credit cards or AmEx. I pay all my monthly bills either by standing order (set amount each month from my current account) or by telephone banking (pressing keys on the phone to decide exact amounts going out of my account to preset recieving accounts like credit card bills and so on), or internet banking. Ten years ago we probably had (as a family) a cheque-book per month, at least. More recently, but before I met eBay, we got through maybe one a year! Post eBay, it's two a year, although I am using Paypal a lot. If I'm buying from abroad (USA usually) I now use Paypal. If not, I go to a travel agent and I get an AmEx International Money Order, which costs me, say, �10 on top of the, say, �100 I need to send. I then post the money order, which is made out in US bucks. Simple. Paypal is simpler but more expensive. No Euros here (yet). Cotty _______________________________________________________ Personal email traffic to [EMAIL PROTECTED] MacAds traffic to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Check out the UK Macintosh ads http://www.macads.co.uk - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
