The Anonymous Widower

A Use for a Cheque

I got a cheque today to settle my problem with National Express East Anglia. I’m not a lover of cheques, but this must be one use for them, as they didn’t have my bank details and probably the credit card details weren’t stored either, as it was a transaction in a station.

Incidentally john Lewis give out gift vouchers for small payments and another rail company gave me compensation for a late train in a Rail Travel Voucher. For me neither is a problem, as I go to Waitrose a couple of times a week and I suspect that the Rail Voucher will be used on a trip to see Ipswich Town.

I wonder how long before Universal Gift Vouchers or something similar become commonplace. These would be bar coded and possibly issued to a particular person, very much like the vouchers I buy for The Times. I think some companies already use M & S vouchers in this way.

When I paid the cheque into my account at a branch of Nationwide in Upper Street, the counter was empty, and I joked with the cashier about writing few cheques these days.  He agreed that he didn’t either and judging by his expression, he’d done little business that day.  Admittedly, it was lunchtime, but all this seems to say that counter service will soon be gone.

We just need to replace the cheque.

August 1, 2011 - Posted by AnonW | Finance, Transport/Travel | Banks, John Lewis, Trains