Adrianna TanMy new property manager has started charging a fee for the convenience of paying them my rent (!) so I am petty enough to go stand at a bank, request checks, write them and walk two blocks to pay rent just as a matter of principle.
The state of financial technology in America is that checks are still the best thing for most things, and the best thing your bank does is the online bill pay where they, get this, print out a check and mail it for you to a payee
In fact when I was at the bank the teller said, oh good your landlord accepts personal checks! Confused, I asked.. as opposed to what? He said many landlords now demand cashier’s / secure checks (basically money that’s already been withdrawn), and that those cost a lot of money for people with personal accounts. Truly the worst timeline (and people)
Vlado Vince@skinnylatte I really struggled understanding how checks worked when I moved to America almost 15 years ago.
I figured it out in the meantime, then I had to figure out how cashier's checks work a few weeks ago when the real estate agent demanded them for payments before we could rent a new place.
Because after seeing every little bit of our finances that show we make the absurd 40 x monthly rent they require, they still didn't trust that normal checks wouldn't bounce smh.
MikeWait, does that 40x mean you make 40x annually what rent is monthly?
Ah, that makes more sense. I was confused because I'd read it as 40x monthly what rent is monthly, which isn't Impossible (especially if a couple gets two Bay Area salaries for remote work), but....
Although, come to think of it, my notions of what interior US city rent should be are 25 years out of date ...
karaboondi@skinnylatte Back in 2013 , my apartment management in Connecticut only took cashier’s check . No online bill pay or personal check or online portal . I moved there because I needed something cheaper and safer until I moved to Wisconsin.
@skinnylatte Wisconsin and Arizona landlords were so helpful in comparison.
@skinnylatte back then it was either locked into a 2 year lease , paying $1450 with online pay and other conviniences in safe Rocky Hill with a lease breakage fee of 4 months or do the cashiers check , $1200 in rent and no lease breakage in somewhat safe Manchester . Given that me and friend who co-signed the lease were looking at an out of state move ASAP , we opted for the latter . I still look back to those days and think oh you clueless child .
Colin Curtin@skinnylatte and where the recipient of said check takes it to their bank where they, also get this, scan it into a computer, to tell the other bank they now owe them money. Sigh.
Hagfish fancier v4.02.01@skinnylatte I love that my credit union does that, it is so handy. I think depending on the vendor the transactions are electronic sometimes though
@pagrus In Singapore, I can transfer money electronically to anyone there and in almost all the countries in Asia instantly for no / low fees. It’s very bizarre to be back in a world where none of the financial innovations seem to have happened here
@skinnylatte Sure, I think even in most of Africa you can transfer money with your flip phone? I mean that's partly why fintech bros get so jazzed about shit like bitcoin, sure it's a pyramid scheme but you also bypass all the archaic bottlenecks here
@pagrus Most of the rest of the world has moved on (can’t think of any other country, developed or not, that uses checks to this degree) but any shitcoin bro who thinks they’ll get to actually succeed at that stuff is dreaming (given that most countries have already built up fast transfer fiat infra)
@skinnylatte I mean, that much is clear
EllenInEdmonton 
@skinnylatte
Oh, the US financial system is SO prehistoric, still doing things like writing cheques for groceries that were the norm 60 years ago! In Canada, we can use debit for virtually everything and there are so many methods of online billing and payment.
Oh, the US financial system is SO prehistoric, still doing things like writing cheques for groceries that were the norm 60 years ago! In Canada, we can use debit for virtually everything and there are so many methods of online billing and payment.
Karl Baron@skinnylatte The funny part is how after you have used online banking to have the bank mail a check, the recipient then uses their online banking smartphone app where you take a photo of the check to scan and deposit it.
WHY IS THE SLIP OF PAPER INVOLVED IN THIS TRANSACTION!!!