With the rise in popularity of ATM and credit cards, there may come a time when checks and check books become a thing of the past. Because of the technological advances made in the banking industry, with computers and other electronic devices, a checkless society may soon be the norm and by all appearances, it may not be that into the future.
Even today, many younger people don't know what check books are and they don't see the need for them. They use their ATM cards because they are faster, more convenient, and all they have to do is remember a pin number.
You can find ATM machines almost everywhere you go today, especially outside of banks, in grocery stores, and in most malls and shopping centers.
Carrying check books are for the more mature crowd, especially those who are not electronically inclined. And even many of the more mature crowd are getting with the program and letting their check books go altogether or they are not using checks as much as the once did. They are beginning to see the convenience of paying bills online and using credit and ATM cards.
Grocery stores, department stores, the major gas companies, credit card companies, banks, savings and loan associations, and other businesses started issuing credit cards and ATM cards years ago and now, most people have one or more cards of one kind or another.
Many companies have set up payment systems that electronically send their employee's paychecks directly to their bank accounts, which makes it convenient for employees to handle their funds without having to go to the bank to make a deposit or to go have their checks cashed.
All the employee might see is a voided paper check to show how how much they made for the pay period and the taxes and other deductions that were taken out.
You can pay your bills online, use your ATM card to make purchases, and use ATM cards and credit cards to pay for everything from hotel rooms, rental cars, gas, food, clothing, and almost all other purchases.
But because of credit issues and the reluctance to use credit cards, checks will be around for a while. But like other things that suddenly become obsolete, the check may be on it's way out.
Becoming a checkless society has many benefits. It diminishes the need for paper and paper products. By paying bills online, it diminishes the need to send checks through the mail or to travel to the utility companies to pay them, which helps the environment by saving trees, gas, and petroleum based products.