With the advent of direct deposit and internet banking, I kind of thought cheques (or checks in the US) would be a thing of the past. Not in Minnesota. Unless they opt-in to direct deposit, University of Minnesota employees receive pay checks. We have to pay our rent in checks. As far as I can tell, checking accounts are the most common type of bank account. Some people even pay for their groceries using checks. It seems kind of backward for a country that is so advanced in so many other ways.
The most confusing part is in restaurants. After your meal, you ask for the check. You can then pay the check with a check. Or with a bill. And when you receive bills in the mail, you can pay the bill with a check or a bill. It seems that 'check' and 'bill' are interchangeable and the meaning must be determined by context. Why not have two different meanings for the two words? I dunno. I'll ask an American next time I see one.
;)
ReplyDeleteYes - checking accounts are the most common. I still find it weird here in Aus when people assume I want to pay out of a savings account. How is it a savings account if I'm constantly paying out of it?
And, spot on re cheques and bills ;).
Do all shops accept bills? Or do you have to cheque first? And does that get confusing with dollar bills? You could pay a bill with bills or a bill with cheques or a cheque with bills?
ReplyDeleteYou might already know this (as I'm going through the old posts of your blog), but we don't use the word "bills" to refer to paper money very often. We'd say cash instead. So when you receive your bills in the mail, you either pay with check or cash.
ReplyDeleteMost bills can be paid electronically now though. I get electronic checks for my internet, rent, and phone and pay all of them through my checking account. You're spot on with that - savings accounts are just for saving money, not for spending it. It has a higher interest rate than a checking account, and usually comes with an ATM card.