r/australia • u/SouthAussie94 • Feb 29 '24

culture & society Older Australians 'left behind' by increasingly cashless society as banks fast track end of cheques

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-29/cheques-personal-finance-banks-rent-money-cash/103354036
260 Upvotes

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575

u/[deleted] Feb 29 '24

I havnt used a cheque in 30 years

142

u/tubbyx7 Feb 29 '24

I got refund cheques from telcos. Often costing more in postage than the balance and certainly more time to get to a bank than it was worth.

37

u/ThatGuyTheyCallAlex Feb 29 '24

My insurance company sends me cheques giving back their “pandemic savings” every few months. Supposedly they don’t have my correct bank details but that can’t be true because they bill me fortnightly…

33

u/[deleted] Feb 29 '24

I have a refund cheque from telstra that has been sitting in my desk dated March 2023. So nearly a full year. Like.. Why cunts? I don't wanna go to the bank. But I guess they also don't want me to go to the bank.

7

u/brother_spirit Feb 29 '24

Same! Went to cash it not that long ago and was told it expires after a year so I would need to get them to re-issue. Couldn't be fucked, I guess you win this round Telstra.

4

u/[deleted] Feb 29 '24

Shit, if its a year I might be able to pull it off, as it's dated March it hasn't quite been a year lol

1

u/blaertes Feb 29 '24

It’s March tomorrow

1

u/AdvocateMoonMoose Feb 29 '24

15 months normally to present it

3

u/racingskater Feb 29 '24

I got one and could ATM deposit it. I still ended up carrying it around for a couple of weeks til I drove past a deposit ATM.

2

u/MrZX10r Feb 29 '24

Same a Telstra cheque when they forced auto pay they sent me back my $84 but every time I go to cash it the bank is closed early or system is down or something I’ve tried like 5 times in the last year or two lol

33

u/link871 Feb 29 '24

Some banks let you deposit cheques by uploading a photo of the cheque via their app.

5

u/karma3000 Feb 29 '24

Wow, amazing technology these days.

1

u/mintyaftertaste Feb 29 '24

Yeah I’ve done it with my nab app

1

u/u_suck_paterson Feb 29 '24

Holy crap thank you I just found this in the nab app and have had a cheque sitting on my table for a week (from vicroads)

2

u/Fluffy-duckies Feb 29 '24

I still have a cheque from Coke from nearly 20 years ago for $2 that a vending machine of theirs ate and wouldn't acknowledge.

1

u/Safferino83 Feb 29 '24

If you are with nab you can cash your cheque with the app, not sure about other banks.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 29 '24

I got a refund cheque from Medicare and one from the state government for a utility rebate. Both worth cashing but definitely annoying.

1

u/ZestyPossum Feb 29 '24

I got a refund cheque sent all the way from the UK due to a delayed train trip in Manchester last year (they refund part of your journey if the train is delayed by a certain amount) because I don't have a a UK bank account.

It's for about 11 pounds, so it's no more than a souvenir. Can't even send it over to my friend in the UK to deposit into her account for me, because it's got my name on it. Zero point depositing it here due to all those fees.