I've never written a cheque, and never forsee a need to. I can't think of any local businesses that accept them anymore, cheque fraud is just too easy.
80% of my purchases are on a preferred rate cash-back Visa, the other 20% are on a standard rate cash-back Mastercard for our only retailer that doesn't accept Visa (Costco for fuel and in-store). Cash is just a hassle to withdraw and use. Plus getting up to 4% back on things like groceries will keep me using my Visa.
Interac e-Transfer has completely taken over for account to account transfers, it's so easy and instant.
I guess I'm a lot younger than most of you though, the cheapest gas I ever remember was 55 cents a liter, that would have been about '98, I would have been kindergarten age.
I'm older (than you - I'm NOT old, at least that's what I tell my teenage kids - we got them later in life) but I do the same.
I do all (literally all) my shopping on a credit card associated with an airline. We never use anything else unless the place doesn't take the card brand.
It has a fee, but it has perks (boarding early so my 6'4" has some foot space because my bag can go up in the bins - I don't travel with a suitcase carryon (aka "roller board")...), getting upgrades etc. I spend enough on it each year to get a cash rebate each year that's exactly the yearly fee. So it's a free card. I have never paid a cent of interest as I (manually, not automatically) pay it off every month.
And the miles I rack up with my spending pay for 1.5 to 2 tickets per year to Europe (where all our family lives).
I had one time where my card data were stolen. Not online, but at a remote gas station in TN. I have alerts set so I get a txt message for any charge larger than $200. They charged $7.34 or so and once that worked they went big. Card company gave everything back.
I have not been a victim of online card theft - but i'm very careful who I do business with. Breaches at companies (I remember Target) are not controllable by me. Other than using cash, but I don't do that.
Funny thing about the $200 alerts is that I know when to prepare to help unload the grocery bags and carry them up the hill to the home if my wife is doing the groceries alone; "ding" (your wife is soon coming home because she just paid).
I do have a Visa card and Visa Debit card too. The latter i never use - as mentioned above, not enough protection.
I do check my charges every other day online. So I catch things quickly, even when they fly under the $200 radar.
Other than the airline card, my banking is with a local non-profit FCU.
Anyway, hitches.
I've been thinking about adding a hitch to the (ICE) Rav4 (and get a small (!) trailer - small enough to park it standing on its back to decrease the footprint - to get small (!) loads of wood if need be).
But it's an automatic, and I've always driven stick shifts. I prefer towing with a stick shift; better control of what the engine does.
I presume most pick up trucks these days are automatic too? So my control issues are non-issues?
