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No Cheques Please, We're Plastic: Paper-free Payments by 2012?

If some predictions are to be believed,estimated that UK credit cards will
we will be living in a cashless societyaccount for around a fifth of all
by no later than 2012. This may not comespending this December. Furthermore, 1
as a major shock, given the currentin 10 people still carry credit card
trend in online shopping and thedebts from LAST Christmas.
ubiquity of 'chip-and-pin' on the HighSo, while it seems that carrying plastic
Street. But where does this leave theis definitely the way forward for the
trusty chequebook - once a staple part21st century consumer, it would also
of British consumer culture?seem that seeking out the best credit
Well, being paper-based, cheques arecard deals is a wise move, given many
more expensive for banks to processpeople only manage to cover the
compared to electronic methods, so ainterest-payments. Fortunately, in the
gradual shift away from cheques in manyconsumer-centric internet age, there are
European countries has become the normweb sites dedicated to the cause, and
in recent years. This 'discouragement'will compare credit cards for factors
usually comes in the form of extrasuch as interest rates on purchases and
charges for using cheques or making thebalance transfers. Indeed, many credit
alternative payment options morecards offer 0% on balance transfers and
appealing. And, of course, theinterest-free periods on all purchases,
wide-spread use of ATMs and chip-and-pinmaking it an extremely worthwhile
in most outlets has meant there isventure to shop around for the best
little need to have a cheque-book thesecredit card deal.
days.With cheque-books more-or-less becoming
Indeed, many high-profile retail outletsa thing of the past, consumer culture in
such as Sainsbury's, Asda and Boots nowthe UK is moving ever-closer towards
don't accept cheques at all, as'paper-free' payments. Whilst
relatively few people use them and it ispredictions suggesting we could be
very time-consuming to process them. Andentirely 'cashless' by 2012 may be a
this will only serve to push even morelittle premature, the fact remains that
customers towards paper-free payments.it certainly looks a safe-bet at some
But credit cards have been around forpoint in the future, with online
long enough now for this seeminglyshopping slowly becoming the norm and
inevitable cashless-society to bechip-and-pin commonplace in most retail
embraced with minimum fuss. After all,outlets.
in the build up to Christmas it is



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