I can't claim insider knowledge but I do know how things are amongst the little people and in NZ cheques have gone away. Nobody uses the bloody things. Online payments aren't a type of cheque. They're a method of payment, just as cheques are a method of payment. My daughter did some shopping for me yesterday. She paid via eftpos. When I dropped her in town to catch up with her friends she bleated about needing to be reimbursed. I pulled out my phone and did it. She then had money for her night out. The only other way to do that would be with cold hard cash. Cheques wouldn't cut it.
Same here. I can type chose a contact on my phone, type "200" and send that amount to that person. It takes about 10 minutes max, if we use different banks. Instant if same bank. I still can't understand how americans can misunderstand "socialism" to such a degree as to what is being displayed in this thread, though. Comparing Venezuela and Norway, for one... I gotta laugh. As for the stripe vs chip security thing: a stripe can be scanned with a reader. Do that, you have all the needed info stored on the card. The only thing you need to use the card is the code. You will have all the info stored, though, which will include accountnumber, information about the card owner (name, social id, and so on). To get that off a chip-card, you need the code. The content on the chip is encrypted until you enter the code - only after you enter the code is the data available. Hence, slightly more secure. Of course, if you have the code, you own it anyway.
I prefer to use CASH- as I prefer not to have my information sold, shared, HACKED (anyone reading the news lately? millions of accounts hacked?) you can't hack what you don't have. Checks are fine with me. This whole electronic debits plan is replacing a gold standard with fake non-existent electronic signals. They can, and have, gone down. What would you do without your precious Eurobank? your debit or credit card? I know what I would do. I have been through 2 hurricanes. I was the only one within miles who had a working telephone (landline, the battery backups at the central office keep the lines open) all cell calls got a bizarre recording because every network was overloaded. That is what happens in every city, ANY country if there is a tremendous amount of calls trying to get in or out. Remember 9-11, sure it was long ago, but people could not make or receive calls. Doesn't matter how high tech your system is, they go DOWN. Analog is always better, always will be, by definition. Digital is subject to compression, hacking, systems errors, etc not that analog is not, but less likely to have the infrastructure subject to (or even desirable) to hackers. Every day I am hearing of yet another database error compromising millions of customers, accounts, etc. The health care system now in place in US was put into implementation solely to make a digital database for research purpose. Personally I do not like my information being used for "research" which we all know, research facilities are not subject to US laws concerning bio-engineering or biowarfare. Save your paranoid accusations for someone else, I do not suspect I am a subject for biowarfare, I just don't like the impetus behind the entire push for all digital. It is not, nor ever was, designed to be in our best interest. Have fun using your "digital money" when the power goes out. Have fun using your digital (fake, worthless) electronic beeps when the shit hits the fan, which it will. I have a strong suspicion, and it IS with merit, that you are all being set up for the biggest let down in human history. All of this infrastructure was placed for a reason, so it can be CONTROLLED. If you enjoy being controlled, living in your European Utopia of grownups giving you rules at every turn and being treated as a baby toddler, that is your prerogative. It isn't everyones, and for you (Playboy Norwegian) to sniff and sneer at those who choose not to is ludicrous. I think perhaps he is envious or has his pride threatened by America thus the groundless insults, he is trying to build himself up as "bigger" "stronger", a sure sign of weakness.
And THERE we have the conspiracy nut. Thread complete. End of the line. Nothing more to see here: NSA, you can delete this now, to be sure it doesn't get out that we're all being subject to a world-wide plot to rid us of all out money. *headdesk*
Online payments here in the states and everywhere else use both account and routing number, that by definition is the process by which checks are processed. Without the mechanism in place to make it possible to process checks there would be no online fiduciary transfers. It is a chicken and egg scenario. Its great to hear that things work so well for you the way that are but just imagine if some a-hole comes along and forces you to change. Back to the original topic, it is not right for anyone to be "FORCED" to make online payments.
Good point as there are those who simply cannot afford to purchase a computer or pay for internet. And there are still those (mostly elderly) who don't even know how to use one. Some have never even used a cellphone in their lives. This is why we still have post offices and doubtless always will. It's really all about choice even if we don't agree with it.
But on the other hand this is a good market now for IRL online bill payments. Basically, you're the 3rd party payer they pay you IRL, and you pay their bills online. Although, I'm not sure I could ever do this with a straight face. I'd feel like a huge leech.