The Birchers. An Everyday Story of Payment Folk. Part 97: Cheques, Mate
For inexplicable reasons, and in response to events too boring to relate, an insurance company sends us a cheque for 20-something quids. I don't know why. I've never paid them with a cheque so far as I am aware. They know my bank account details and they know that I live in Woking, not 1972.
I put the cheque in my bag, meaning to pay it in next time I go to a bank branch, which might be any time in the next three to five years. I forget all about it.
For no reason, I was walking past a bank branch today when I remembered the cheque. So I went to one of the pay-in-a-cheque machines. But them I remembered I didn't have my debit card with me, because I live in the modern world and use my phone to pay for things.
While I'm standing around looking confused, a helpful Barclays assistant person asks me what the problem is. I explain. He shows me that you can manually enter the sort code and account number and then feed the cheque. So I do this. Then as I'm walking out, I remember that I've got another cheque for a tenner or so which was a refund for buying something online that I returned.
But now there's someone using the machine, but I can see that the counter position is open. So I go to the nice woman at the counter and ask if I can pay in this cheque manually as I know the sort code and account number. She asks if I have the Barclays Bank app on my phone, which of course I do, and I use it all the time. Well, she tells me, you can pay in cheques using the app now.
WAT!
She directs me to the relevant menu, which I tell her does not have anything about cheques it, and wouldn’t you know it, now it does. Hurrah! My app has sprouted a new “Pay in a cheque” button! So I pressed it, took pictures of my cheque and that’s that. I’ll let you know how it goes.
It’s like living in Count Zero or something. I just checked, and the cheque was credited to my account same day. I am so happy! When someone sends me a cheque, it’s like they’ve set me homework. But no more! At last Fintech is making my life better. Joy unbounded.