Hacker News Reader

Comment by MrRadar | Hacker News Reader

Why couldn't you use a cashier's check?

I have never seen a check in my life :-) (EU), they are not used or supported (maybe in some special cases, but 99% of people never used a check here). Larger sums are always paid with bank-wire transfer which is free and usually fast (instant or 24 hour), smaller payments are done with debit (or credit) cards, and then small payments can be done with cash.

When I was a teenager, my mother was playing a lottery that sent out winnings as checks through the mail. She always gave those to me to cash in because I was the only one in the family who had a checking account at the local bank. Her bank did not have branch offices, so it was literally impossible for her to cash the check.

That's not a thing in (most countries of) Europe any more. I was shocked when I came to the US and saw that checks are still in use

Check and cashier's check are different things.

A cashier's check is like a domestic SWIFT.

The point the person you are replying to is making is that to Europeans, checks are a thing that only exist in Hollywood movies.

It's difficult to imagine in a modern world, people or institutions writing or printing something on a piece of paper, and saying, "here, this is money".

Still a thing in France, at least as of last year.

Got stuck behind someone at the Carrefour (grocery store) paying with one. Ugh.

Still common in the UK. I know friends in Wales who can only pay by cheque because a two-signature policy applies to their bank account.

Exactly why it is not needed, the banking system supports transfers between banks in SEPA for free or very cheaply.

Some people/business will still ask for a cashier's check though.

Very common in France for bigger transactions or guaranty deposits.

Some people would balk at the idea since they have bad credit and no bank account, and hence have to fork over a fee to walmart/publix/your local check cashing place in order to make it liquid. Cash works for everyone.

I agree, cashiers checks are safer, but some people have reasons to prefer cash.

In the UK all big banks offer "basic" (no credit attached) free bank accounts as the government were musing placing a public service obligation on them to make it compulsory.

In the UK, government benefits are paid by bank transfer.

Unless you're homeless you will have a bank account in Europe. For the simple reason that you can't really live without one. Taxes, salary, state allowance and mortgage are all done by bank transfer and nothing else.

We don't really use checks in Europe, at least not in the Netherlands..

But in the UK we do. You can set up a bank accounts which requires two signatures, then only cheque payments are possible. Very quiant, annoying and backwards.

I am the Treasurer of a Charity we set up to keep our local Library open. We need two signatures on our cheques - but not to be "annoying" or "backwards". It's simple security to stop a rogue actor emptying our bank account!

Yep I get that, but the artist playing at our charity festival have complaint every time about having to deal with cheques both I (treasurer) and the other finance officer have to sign. Why is it that in the 21st century we can't have a digital online two-signature policy yet have to sign a paper which signatures one easily can forge. That's backwards. We got cryptocurrencies but no way to implement a digital two-signature policy? Odd.

In Spain the bank charges you for this service (you can negotiate the amount). There is no commision for cash, but you must fill a form to tell the taxman that you are getting a more than given amount (3000€ if I remember well)

People in the US don't trust cashier's checks. For good reason. They are easily forged.

Because they are not used here since 19th century :)

Reply on news.ycombinator.com