R.I.P. Cheque guarantee cards

Cheque guarantee cards, those symbols of a simpler time when the written word was mightier than the Pin number, have checked out. They have been bounced into the after-life because not enough people used them in this life.

The cheque guarantee card had been unwell for some time and the writing was, not on the back of a cheque, but on the wall.

The date of its departure, Thursday 30 June, will be particularly felt by students who once relied on the old faithful to buy pizzas from less-than-impressed delivery drivers or portions of fries from nonplussed guardians of McDonald's.

Unlike a debit card, a cheque book and guarantee card never let them down and never revealed their dirty little secret - that their bank account was actually empty.(from BBC)

i wonder how long it will be before the demise of the cheque book x
i know lots of shops already refuse to take them now .