Is “Cheque Illiteracy” costing Millennials money?

In one year, there were over a million Google searches for…

“How to write a cheque”

And that was back in 2015-16. So, that number has probably gone up.

That’s how quickly cheques are being forgotten by Millennials.

I wouldn’t be surprised if most young folks make it all the way through college without ever having to write a paper cheque.

Everything is done with credit cards and debit cards and Zelle and Venmo and PayPal and Apple Pay and, yes, Google payments.

There are so many convenient non-paper ways to pay for things.

Is there even a place for cheques in today’s world? Will they eventually just disappear entirely?

Well, if those youngsters grow up to run their own businesses, they may want to take a class in “how to write a cheque.”

And if you’re one of those people, don’t worry. Writing a cheque is pretty painless.

In fact, if you run a small business, you might find that writing…and ACCEPTING…cheques can actually save you money.

First, if you use secure cheques, the chances that a fraudster will attack you are lower than if you use those other forms electronic forms of payment.

Criminals always go where the money is. And there’s way more money in the electronic universe than there is in the paper universe.

Plus, criminals are lazy and always go after the low-hanging-fruit. Secure cheques are harder to forge. It takes time and effort. Criminals don’t like effort.

Finally, if you run your own business, paying by cheques (and accepting cheques as payment) can save you money.

When you pay by cheques, there’s something called “float” time. The time it takes for your cheques to go through the mail and then get cashed by the business, gives you valuable “cash flow” time.

And when you accept cheques, you avoid (sometimes massive) fees for credit card and debit card processing. Even PayPal takes a pretty hefty 4% on some transactions.

So, it can PAY to be “cheque literate.”