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Comment by codedokode | Hacker News Reader

In my country, partially due to sanctions, you can access the bank via browser and receive 2FA codes on $15 dumb phone. Also why do you need bank app on your phone? Do you like to give money to random strangers on the street? Only scammers need money urgently. Also it is not secure to use the phone as a single factor to access the bank.

I do not have any bank apps on my phone (it is not even connected to the Internet) and I have no problem.

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> Also why do you need bank app on your phone?

Many banks gate features like mobile check deposit behind the native app. The nearest ATM is 20 minutes away from my house, so unfortunately I consider this feature essential.

Interesting, I never saw a bank check. The companies typically transfer money directly into the account, and there are P2P transfers by a phone number working between any major banks. So I guess.. I do not need this feature.

Two cases when I've received a bank check without being able to choose an alternative: 1) as payment of proceeds in a class-action lawsuit; 2) when I got a refund from my insurance provider after changing the terms.

These might not be very common, but they're still not really rare in society either.

How often are you still receiving physical cheques that mobile deposit is an essential feature? I could probably count on one hand the number of cheques I've deposited or written in the past ~15 years, nor can I say I've been so desperate to access said money that I feel the need to deposit the cheque within moments of receiving it.

Checks are still common in the good ole USA.

Common? maybe for seniors. I probably handle a physical check once a year.

My health insurance company sends reimbursement as paper cheques in the mail, so I get multiple cheques per year. Some landlords still aren't recieving rent any other way than by cash or cheque. Happy for your chequeless existence tho!

Until i moved a few years ago i paid every month's rent with a paper check for 12 straight years as that's what my landlord demanded

At least 3 times a month. I have a rental property and my tenant prefers to mail a check instead of paying extra to pay electronically. My spouse gets paid by check for dumb reasons I won't get into. I sometimes get dividends from my insurance company via check. And then several family members still prefer to use checks to pay each other back instead of Venmo or other electronic services.

I blame it on the fact that the US doesn't have a free electronic bank transfer system like the rest of the developed world.

Carry a second cheap smartphone, like Pixel -a series or iPhone -SE. That one should be used for banking, government apps, for border inspections, etc. On your main GrapheneOS phone your financial app should be a Bitcoin wallet. The main phone should be off or in the BFU state when you are in a vulnerable situation.

Some banks require 2FA through their phone app to login to internet banking on the computer.

Yeah, all of them claim that... but I just walk into the bank and say I don't have an Android or Apple 'smart' phone, only a Linux pocket computer (Librem 5). So they could either buy me a duopoly smart phone, or let me log in via web browser with physical token or other MFA... or I take my money elsewhere.

I have several bank accounts in 2 different countries, and all of them backed down either gave me a hardware token or let me use the web app.

If an institution is holding your money hostage until you are forced to run their surveillance-tracker-infested malware on your personal device, that is a much bigger problem than what OS or device you choose.

That's why I understand the appeal of permission-less Open Source freedom money like Bitocin (BTC) and Monero (XMR).

I can do everything on my bank app from prepaying small amounts of a loan, spend analysis, opening fixed deposits and such.

I could do it all in a web browser on a laptop at home as well. Without annoying ads in notifications and without a risk to lose money if the phone gets backdoored.

App can work as digital money without card reader, maybe even free, like bitcoin.

In a town nearby me (not really near me but within an hour's driving distance), sometimes I will see old people selling fresh fruit/vegetables in their front yard. They typically take cash, Cashapp, or Venmo. It's super convenient to be able to use Venmo in that situation. These are people I haven't met before.

I usually pay with cash. As a nice bonus, cash works even if there are mobile Internet shutdowns or blackouts and they cannot block the cash in your wallet unlike a bank account.

So, you live in a part of the world that still accepts cash. Good for you.

That part is shrinking however, so you need a plan to cope with that situation sooner or later. Not doing business with others and growing your own food does not suffice as a plan for most people.

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