Alternatives to cheque

With the cessation of cheque being reviewed after numerous petitions, it seems there might be a stalemate between the group who believe in the ongoing modernising of payment collection processes and the group who truly believe that cheques should continue their role in everyday lives, both personal and business.

Of course, continuous cheque usage is based on the habitual nature of how they work. The feeling of security that the 50+ demographic are accustomed to needs to be brought up to date with our expanding range of electronic methods like faster payments, Direct Debits and SWIFT.  The Payments Council can't expect any less kickback that what they have experienced until an alternative payment method that offers more control can be offered.

With some consumers, asking them to abandon the idea of signing a bit of paper to approve payment is a step too far. Therefore it might be prudent to focus on those who insist on approval for each payment collected. The Direct Debit processes in the UK could have additional protocol as an option for businesses collecting by this method. Also, this perhap could build trust within consumers currently reliant on cheques.

I see internet banking as an untapped opportunity for many value add services and using this medium to replace cheques could be a good place to start.  Banks need to become more proactive in the search for alternative processes to cheques, especially if their claim that costs are prohibitive for the continuing existence of a process that has existed since 1659.

Unless a suitable solution is offered, it seems inlikely that 2018 marks the end of a process that still plays an active part in business today.