Subject: Cheque out

Following yesterday's announcement by the Payments Council that cheques are to be abolished by 2018, there have been many voices from within (and without) the charity sector expressing concern that a major giving method will no longer be available.

The elderly stand to be some of those most affected by the decision, with Age concern & Help the Aged's Andrew Harrop stating:

'This move by the Payments Council will leave millions of older people worrying about how they will manage their finances without cheques.'

The British Retail Consortium say only one 1,000 purchases are by cheque, and there has been notable decline in their usage over the last decade, apparently 40% in the last 5 years alone. Cheques are also considerably more costly to process.

So:

• Will older people - traditionally keen and active supporters of charities - struggle with new payment methods or does increased efficiency and lower cost justify their abolition?
• Will charities need to establish a greater online presence to encourage more donations over the internet?
• Will mobile phone and other technologies provide a truly accessible and satisfactory alternative?
• Are some people simply being overly-sentimental for an outmoded and semi-redundant form of payment?
  
  

What do you think?