Remember the last time you wrote a cheque? Photograph: Graham Turner
I recently made a purchase on eBay and was dismayed to see payment was only accepted in the form a cheque. "A cheque? Who still uses cheques?" I thought. "Do I even own a cheque book any more?" Apparently I do - it was in a box at the back of my wardrobe. The stubs showed I wrote my last one for a gas bill back in 2003.
A quick straw poll among friends and colleagues reveals they too have given up on this type of payment. And it would appear we're not alone: according to trade body Apacs, payments made with cheques have declined by 40% since 1990.
The slowdown in demand has seen Sainsbury's, WH Smith, Boots, Currys and Argos, as well as London Underground, all stop accepting cheques over the past year.
With more pay-as-you-go cards being introduced the writing is surely on the wall for the trusty chequebook and pen.
But this doesn't tell the whole story - despite the decline the latest figures from Apacs show that in the third quarter of this year more than 270m cheques were written, worth an eye-watering £294m.
I thought only grannies sending birthday gifts and students taking advantage of extended clearing periods used cheques these days; it seems I was was wrong. Unless grannies nowadays are exceedingly generous ...
So who are these people, and what do they use cheques for? And when did you last yours? This is not an exercise in mockery at those who haven't joined the debit or credit revolution - I'm genuinely interested. Show yourselves ...
