Checks aren't a thing in most of the world. Opening a bank account is hard because of know-your-customer laws.
The civilised solution to this is very simple: cash! Until you get you bearings and have a bank account opened, just use cash.
Tourist in a country where your debit or credit cards don't reliably work or come with extra fees? Cash!
Buying a second-hand piece of furniture from someone else, and don't feel the need to expose more information than necessary? Cash!
Electronic payment system goes down while you are in the queue at the supermarket? No problem, because you always carry a little cash for backup. (I've had this happen to me several times.)
Cash is the ultimate fallback in civilized society, and worth protecting.
Checks aren't a thing in most of the world. Opening a bank account is hard because of know-your-customer laws.
The civilised solution to this is very simple: cash! Until you get you bearings and have a bank account opened, just use cash.
Tourist in a country where your debit or credit cards don't reliably work or come with extra fees? Cash!
Buying a second-hand piece of furniture from someone else, and don't feel the need to expose more information than necessary? Cash!
Electronic payment system goes down while you are in the queue at the supermarket? No problem, because you always carry a little cash for backup. (I've had this happen to me several times.)
Cash is the ultimate fallback in civilized society, and worth protecting.