There are more and more banks closing branches up and down the country. On top of that, there are banks who are shortening their opening hours. I was in my branch last week and there was a big notice detailing reduced opening hours, by almost two hours a day. I fear for the high street bank and those who rely on it as everything seems to be going digital. However there are some technological advances which are of huge benefit to us. One thing that many people can’t get their head around is cheques. What do you do if you can’t get to a branch but you have a cheque to pay in? Let’s have a look at how to pay cheques in online.
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Who Still Uses Cheques?
You might be wondering who actually still uses cheques. Lots of people actually. Whilst bank transfers are perhaps more common, cheques are still used a lot of the time. A couple of examples of when I’ve had to write cheques include for a school guitar teacher. I’ve also written them for joiners and builders whilst I’ve accepted them from members of the family for various things. There is actually something quite romantic about the chequebook and I love it’s used in the film The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty.
Pay Cheques On Online
Traditionally you would go to the bank and hand over the cheque for it to be deposited into you account. In more recent times you can use a machine in the foyer of the branch where you can deposit it yourself. Some ATMs allow you to do it via that too. However with so many of us having online banking and banking apps on our phones, the ability to pay cheques in online has been introduced.
There are a number of banks who offer this service, however some that still don’t. Ones that do offer this via their online banking include Barclays, Halifax and Starling. Some banks are still to yet add this function to their smartphone apps.
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The Paying In Process
The way to pay cheques in online is typically the same across the board. You find the function on the banking app which will then ask for access to your phone camera. This is because you need to take a photograph of the front and back of the cheque. This can be difficult if you are not used to it as it needs to be flat – annoying if you’ve kept it in a wallet or it’s been folded before being handed to you.
You will also need to watch out for casting shadows on the cheque which can be tricky. You’ll need to keep a steady hand and perhaps line up the edges of the cheque with on screen markers. Once you’ve nailed it though, it will be deposited into your account within the usual time frame. Be sure to keep the cheque until the money has dropped into your account!
Better Than Standing In A Queue
Even with a couple of attempts of taking the perfect photograph of the cheque from your Grandma using your smartphone, it’s likely much quicker than walking into town and standing in a queue. I would expect more banks to introduce this feature over the coming years as it makes it much simpler for the user and it will be a huge benefit for banks, especially if they are closing more branches. If you are looking for a new bank and handle a lot of cheques, one that offers the ability to pay cheques in online might even sway you to bank with them. If you can pay cheques in online, in your own time, you can free up your time to do other things.
