This morning, something landed through my letterbox that I genuinely hadn’t seen in years. Not a bill. Not a takeaway menu. Not a flyer for chimney cleaning.
A cheque.
Yes. A real, physical, handwritten cheque. In the year 2025. HAND WRITTEN!
I just stood there staring at it like it was a museum exhibit. It might as well have said “To be redeemed for goats and turnips at the village barter fair.” I had forgotten cheques were still a thing that happened to people. But apparently they are. And now, I am one of those people.
And let me tell you — it is a massive pain in the arse.
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- My Bank Is a Day Trip
I don’t live near a branch. I’m talking a solid hour or more of driving to hand over this ridiculous bit of paper, and another hour back. That’s time I could be writing. Or walking. Or literally anything else. Oh, and don’t forget to pay for parking!
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- My App Is Useless
You’d think, in 2025, you could just snap a photo and deposit it through your banking app. But no. Mine offers exactly zero help. Not even a “cheque deposit coming soon” message. Just tumbleweed.
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- Nobody Knows the Rules
Can I take it to a post office? Maybe. Depends who you ask. Can someone else lodge it for me? Possibly, if I write a note, provide ID, promise not to sue anyone, and get lucky. It’s all vague. Banking shouldn’t feel like solving a riddle in a fantasy novel.
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- Posting It Is a Gamble
Sure, I could put it in an envelope and hope for the best. But do I trust the postal system enough to risk a financial document just floating around the country? Not even slightly. Cheques are weirdly delicate for something that controls money.
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It’s Just Stupid
We can tap our wrists to buy groceries. We can send money around the world in seconds. We can automate entire businesses from our phones. But to deal with this? I have to literally interrupt my week, drive halfway up the country, and stand in a queue behind a man who wants to withdraw €3 in coins.
It’s absurd.
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Please, for the love of all things digital — stop sending cheques.
There are so many better options now. Faster. Safer. Cheaper. Less likely to ruin someone’s day.
Because receiving a cheque in 2025 doesn’t feel like getting paid.
It feels like getting punished.