What will be the implications of this?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailyexpre...-threaten-ATM-charges

/// Charging customers for using hole-in-the wall cash machines and internet banking are just two ideas being considered by hard-up banks.////

On top of this they are talking about scrapping cheque books.

If all this comes into being, will we see queues inside the banks?

People using the money back facilities in the supermarkets?

In the absence of cheques, will the postal order come back in fashion?

Or will people just stop using banks?

[jno]

I don't know about you but I hardly ever write cheques these days. A book used to last me six months, now it's more like six years. I suspect they're just following changing public habits on this one.

[anotheoldgit]

I agree, but there are certain times when you wish to send sums of money to someone via the post.

[bednobs]

i use cheques all the tie, so it will be a bugger if they go

[jake-the-peg]

They obviously don't have school age kids

Most cheques I write these days seem to be for to the school for various things!

[rov1200]

I used to wonder in amazement why people continued to use banks when many of the services offered were available at building societies such as Nationwide. Because the banks have shareholders the dividends need to come out of the public using those banks whereas the building societies have no such obligation.

Unfortunately even the Nationwide has come a cropper because people have taken out fixed mortgages linked to the base rate + 2% and we know this is close to the floor so they can't give very good savings rates.

Personally I prefer not to use those hole in the wall machines as their security is well published and the alternative where you can get cash back from Tescos etc seems a better deal.

[tigerlily11]

notice how they consider all the ways they can to increase profit, Usually at the public's expense, except the most obvious.
Cut out those stupid great bonuses. Pay a wage that is in line with how good they are at their jobs not how much money they can lose.
Oh silly me that's the right thing to do. no chance of that happening.

[tamborine]

got deep floor boards to use

[jno]

Yes, cheques still have their uses, though far less often. Most of the cheques I write are to handymen etc - small businesses that don't do paypal/credit cards etc - and just occasionally to bigger companies that charge for the use of credit cards. (I pay the actual credit card bills online by direct debit.) I guess they will just have to find other ways of receiving their money - the onus will probably be on them rather than on their customers, otherwise they'll lose business.

[socket2008]

The way round it is to go into your bank/cashpoint get out say £200. Keep part of that on you/rest at home and use Maestro for everything else. Use cash for emergency only.

As for cheques, many places don't even accept them anymore. I've encoutnered several arguments at pretol stations and supermarkets with the public annoyed that cheques aren't accepted. I certainly see public cheques being obsolete within 5 years.

[NiceCupOfTea]

They've insiduously worked their way into our lives, forcing us to get current accounts using carrot and stick methods with our employers to get them to pay only into current accounts, and now tell us we have to pay for the pleasure. I'd happily go back to the old cash ways. Can I start up a protest group and bring about mass change? My employer just laughed when I suggested it. We used to get paid weekly, now monthly, so it is a much higher risk to have that amount of cash hanging round. Hmph.

And yes, I too still use my cheque book, though only for BabyCuppa's school and our local pizza parlour.

[hc4361]

Don't you remember when it cost to cash or deposit a cheque? Every transaction had a fee, whether it was money going in or out?
Current accounts you to be quite expensive to run.
Then free banking came along, with fees for those who chose not to abide by the rules.
Now the banks are having to refund those fees they have to get the money from somewhere.