Check vs Bank Cards, Life is Different…
Life is different here. Sometimes it differs in glaring ways: language, eating habits, food, and sometimes in subtle ways, such as check writing. When we first moved to Ireland we did all the normal things of any move: notified the post office, changed our address, opened a bank account and ordered new checks. Expecting to receive our checks in the mail we were a little surprised when the local bank person called and and said our checks had arrived and when would we be by to collect them. We went down the next morning. We were given our new bankcards and a book of 20 checks. I glanced at it, assumed that they were the temporary 'starter' checks (sure took long enough!), and asked when we would be getting the rest of them. "What do you mean?" she asked. "The rest of the check order" I explained. "We usually get 800 at a time and there are only 20 here." She looked at me in astonishment and said "And what would you be wanting so many checks for? You can only write one at a time. We'll send you more when you need them." Unable to think of a quick rejoinder for this bit of logic, we left. Later that morning, after we had done the shopping and were standing in the check-out line, I noticed that no one used checks. They all used the bankcard. In the U.S. we wrote out checks for everything. I never had cash. Lunch at McDonald's? A check for $3.59. The bankcard was only for cash withdrawals. This was different. So, in an effort to not be the conspicuous 'Yanks' we started using our bankcards. All bills (electricity, phone, etc.) are paid by direct debit and we didn't have any credit cards (well, we had one with a 400 Punt limit on it ($600.00) – what's the point?). The only time we used a check was to pay the fuel man when he filled our underground tank or to order something through the post. We still had half of the 20 checks left a year later.
When we moved to Andorra it was the same, a book of 20 checks and a bank card. The big difference in Andorra is that it is illegal not to pay your bills….illegal, in that you go to jail…big time… It is illegal not to have the money in your account when the bill is payable or the check written. If you owe someone money you either gave him a check and he took it to the bank for immediate cash or he could just take the invoice and go to the bank. The bank would take the money out of your account and pay the debt, without your specific knowledge or approval – you owed it, after all.
Here in France there are 2 differences: on the check the amount goes on the top line, the payee on the second…most confusing, and one uses the PIN numbers with the bank cards. My card rarely leaves my possession. After shopping, I insert it into the machine, wait 5 seconds, type in my number, the transaction is complete and I remove the card and take my receipt. All in all it's a very modern, high-tech transaction. What is taking the rest of the world so long?
Oh yes, check re-orders are not necessary. In Andorra and here in France, after using up 15 of the 20 checks we receive a call from the bank asking us to please stop by and pick up our new book of 20 checks…about once every 2 years.
