Re: Time to phase out cheques
Have window-cleaners stopped taking cash then? Gosh.
If you can't pay with cash (extremely unlikely), then they are unlikely to take cheques without verification of a cheque-guarantee card (do those still exist?) and even then they are absorbing a huge risk of a bounce (but at least they know where you are!). If they don't want to absorb that risk or customers don't want to pay by cheque (seriously, who pays a window-cleaner by cheque?), they can either accept cash, invoice for the work (if it's a business), or just take cards somehow (incredibly unlikely).
Cheques are now and always were a silly idea. They are promisary notes, an IOU, and nothing more, and incredibly unreliable - what you're paid for today can bounce in a month's time and you have to go track it down. If your business relies on cheques to operate, and cheques are going away, you WILL have to find another way to take monies (and my bet is, you already did, about 10 years ago). Card is unlikely because of the X% commission, but anyone will just take cash, or alternatively, invoice you in advance (which is exactly the same as a cheque, in essence). And when there are myriad ways to take cards or electronic payment in some form (bank transfer or PayPal, even) then nobody is going to miss cheques.
The window cleaner who takes card is actually no more rare than the window-cleaner who takes cheque, in my experience. But all will take cash and anyone dealing with a business will either expect cash or invoice you for regular work. In the absolute worst case, I'd take a postal order over a cheque any day of my life.
Cheque is dead. Most bank accounts don't even come with one nowadays. Most places won't accept them (try paying for fuel with one!). Nobody "demands" payment by cheque (there are always other payment methods).
Hell, even my workplace only issue/take cheques as an absolute exception. Card, bank payments, or cash, or don't even bother turning up. The bursar is much more likely to give me the business credit card to buy something than have me make him write out a cheque.