In Australia, the banking system simply doesn't have checks in any capacity. (I had a coworker. His name was Brian. He talked a lot, and had once lived in Australia. Every conversation with him was a game of "How long until he mentions Australia?" That aside, the fact that checks simply aren't a part of their banking system at all fascinates me and I think is also rather forward-thinking of them. I hate checks.) I know in the US, at least it used to be, that gas stations would charge you more per gallon if you used a card. Thing is though, using cash mandates that a person be at the station to take your cash, which means the employer is paying someone to be there. It's actually much cheaper to make people pay all through machines, aka using credit/debit, in the long run.
Not necessarily - there are machines that will take cash. That's the case for a lot of parking-garages here, and also things like car washes. No reason there can't be a cash-accepting machine at a gas station.Thing is though, using cash mandates that a person be at the station to take your cash
I moved here in '98 and I had a checking account for about a year or so before I got rid of it. Checks (cheques) are still around, but most people just don't have personal checks any more. Tax refunds come in a check, if you don't want to give the IRD (our IRS) your bank account details; also, I got a reparation check not long ago from the police; the funds came from the guy who stole my car last year, as part of his sentence.