Seeking housing. Any tips?

[Professor Smarmiarty]

I didn't! Cabal misinterpreted my post in that I've never seen a physical cheque for saying I haven't seen it spelt cheque. Well I think that's what happen.

Also all your banks sound awful! They already make billions stealing your money without bullshit fees. That's just pissing on you after they beaten you up to steal your money just because they can.

[mauve]

I use checks for doctors visit co-pays and for paying bills in the mail. I generally don't pay bills online and I live in the middle of nowhere so most of my bills aren't the kind where I can walk down to the nearest office and pay in person.

[Bells]

Originally Posted by Professor Smarmiarty

Man I kind of want to send people cheques now. I reckon I can not pay heaps of my bills because like I'll send them a cheque and they won't know want to do with it but I've technically paid them.

Buy 2 packs of gum and a beer and pay with a cheque, the look on their faces will leave in your mind forever.

[Aerozord]

Originally Posted by CABAL49

I haven't seen seen a check since 2005. My grandmother doesn't even use them anymore and she lived through the Great Depression. She uses a debit/credit card like the rest of civilization.

After working retail I have learned alot of people still use checks. Mostly the elderly however.

You'd also be surprised how many people still perform all transactions in cash. I saw someone pay for a 1600 dollar TV in cash.

Though the one I dont get is debit cards (not those debit credit cards straight debit) since every transaction robs you of a few bucks

[Magus]

You mean prepaid debit cards? They're a gigantic scam, yeah. Actual debit cards through a bank are not, though...well, my bank. On the other hand I know these ones are referred to as "check cards" so I'm guessing they might not actually be debit in the sense you are getting at?

[Nikose Tyris]

Originally Posted by Magus

You mean prepaid debit cards? They're a gigantic scam, yeah. Actual debit cards through a bank are not, though...well, my bank. On the other hand I know these ones are referred to as "check cards" so I'm guessing they might not actually be debit in the sense you are getting at?

Magus has the right of it.

[Aerozord]

Originally Posted by Magus

You mean prepaid debit cards? They're a gigantic scam, yeah. Actual debit cards through a bank are not, though...well, my bank. On the other hand I know these ones are referred to as "check cards" so I'm guessing they might not actually be debit in the sense you are getting at?

around here we call them debit/credit cards, or now just debit card which gets confusing. Its a debit card that can be used like a credit card. When used as a credit card they deduct directly from the checking account.

However when you use them as a debit card, or use an ordinary debit card, it charges a transfer fee. When you use a debit card to withdraw from your bank it transacts like normal. However when you use it say, at a store, the money is withdrawn from the store and then reimbursed by your bank. I am not sure where the fee comes from though. Probably from the bank to discourage you using other systems since credit card companies charge stores to use their services and the store just pays it for the customer.

[Magus]

Originally Posted by Aerozord

around here we call them debit/credit cards, or now just debit card which gets confusing. Its a debit card that can be used like a credit card. When used as a credit card they deduct directly from the checking account.

However when you use them as a debit card, or use an ordinary debit card, it charges a transfer fee. When you use a debit card to withdraw from your bank it transacts like normal. However when you use it say, at a store, the money is withdrawn from the store and then reimbursed by your bank. I am not sure where the fee comes from though. Probably from the bank to discourage you using other systems since credit card companies charge stores to use their services and the store just pays it for the customer.

Well I know my bank has a higher interest rate if you make sure you use credit instead of debit at least 20 times a month because the bank gets paid a small fee by the store for electronic transactions, but I don't think I've ever actually gotten charged any fees even when using debit by any bank I've used. What was the bank you were using? I should probably check mine out just to make sure there aren't debit fees...

EDIT: Was it Bank of America?

Like essentially I thought it was just retailers getting hit with the fees, not consumers.

ANOTHER EDIT: Like in general I think you are just better off using the credit option regardless of the reasons why, anyway, since presumably using debit too much can cause there to be "holds" on your accounts, or at least that is the warning on various things I have bought from like gas station pumps. So for whatever reason people should be using the credit option on their check cards.

[pochercoaster]

IDK what everyone's nationality in this thread is but it's worth noting there are a few differences between American and Canadian debit and credit cards. Debit transactions with Canadian bank cards are instantaneous (IIRC Canada is the #1 country in the world for debit/Interac usage) and debit cards are not combined with credit cards, at least not commonly- it's not something I ever saw as a cashier. Also entering your PIN to pay for something isn't as common in the US as it in Canada which is a little annoying because it's easier to just enter my PIN than sign a receipt and pull out ID whenever I want to buy something.

Edit: okay that wasn't very clear. But if I understand right the difference is Canada uses Interac to communicate between financial institutions and America uses... Credit companies? That's why transactions don't poist instantaneously.

America, your banking shit is weird.

[CABAL49]

Banking in Germany was super easy. You would hand them your card, then they would hand it back and say cash only. You would then walk to the atm and withdraw the proper amount. My bank account was through Deutsche Bank, of which there was only on in Tübingen. So I had to walk to that one to avoid withdraw fees.