Cheque

The cheque is in fact an ancient means of making payments. Historical documentation suggests that similar forms of transaction were certainly in use in Roman times, and quite possibly long before that. In more modern times though, it is quickly becoming outmoded by electronic methods of money exchange. There are now so many more efficient and quicker methods of ensuring payment that the old fashioned cheque has fallen into almost complete disuse. The introduction of cash machines (ATMs) meant that the need for personal cheques to gain access to your own money was greatly reduced. This decline was accelerated by the advent of the debit and credit card. Now these could be used to make quick and efficient payments for real world, telephone and internet transactions, while regular bills can by settled via direct debits and standing orders instead of posting a cheque. Today, electronic forms of payment are ever more popular, especially when it comes to online purchases of goods and services.

The decline of the cheque is further encouraged by the emergence of telephone and online banking. Banks now actively discourage the use of cheques because, being paper-based, they are costly to process in comparison with electronic payments. Banks in many countries now discourage the use of cheques, either by charging for cheques or by making the alternatives more attractive to customers.

In the United Kingdom, the cheque still clings on, perhaps partly because most UK bank accounts are “free” to operate, in that there is no service charge, unlike the situation in many other countries. Attempts have been made to withdraw the service, and the UK Payments Council (a banking umbrella body) even announced in 2009 that cheques would no longer be accepted after 2018. A media and consumer storm quickly blew up however, with concern from charities, older people and welfare groups criticising the decision. When replacement services were suggested to be open to fraud, the plans were quietly dropped. Nevertheless, the numbers of cheques being issued has continued to fall rapidly, with industry insiders suggesting that the end of the cheque will eventually be inevitable.

From the online bingo player’s point of view, a few online sites do still accept cheques as payment. But the main disadvantage of this method (apart from its slowness and the additional cost of postage) is that most companies do not allow you to withdraw your winnings by cheque. Even those that do are likely to make a charge to do so, because of the additional expense in terms of staff time and postage.

So for online bingo, very few people use the humble cheque to make their payments. But if for some reason you do wish to pay in that way, you will definitely be able to find a few flexible titles that will be more than happy to accept your money. That is one of the great advantages of the age of the internet – just about every taste is catered for. Busy Bee always checks out the accepted methods of payment for every site we review, so if you are looking for that niche title that still accepts cheques as a means of payment, you know where to come to find out who they are.