The check is a writing by which a person stipulates that he pays a certain sum for the benefit of another person. Payment by check can be used for settlements between individuals and/or companies but also to transfer money from one bank account to another since it can be made in one’s own name. In France, a bank check is valid for 1 year and 8 days and a postal check for one year. Beyond these dates, the bank no longer has the right to collect it.
France is one of the countries most attached to payment by check. According to the Banque de France, in 2013, the French used an average of 37 checks per person, compared to 11 for the British and 0.38 for the Germans. However, like everywhere else, the use of checks is becoming rarer in favor of bank cards. In France, in 2021, 16.1 billion payments were made by credit card compared to 1.1 billion by check, according to Statista. However, payment by check has many undeniable advantages.
The main advantage of paying by check is the absence of a ceiling. Indeed, where payments by credit card are capped, depending on the type of card or the bank concerned, payments by check do not have maximum or minimum amounts imposed. This is why the check is still widely preferred for large payments: for example, when paying rent or buying a car.
In addition, the check is sometimes one of the few accepted options, whether it is, for example, the payment of a consultation with the doctor or the school canteen costs of his children. But these are not the only advantages of the check. Discover in the slideshow below what are the five advantages of paying by check.