We're phasing out checks in the US as well. I have probably written 5 checks in my life.
I think the advantage is similar to cash, which is that you don't need to know anything about someone (except their name) to write and give them a check in person.
OTOH, that kind of delay on check cashing is only for very large amounts like you mentioned. I receive reimbursement checks from work because I never told them my bank account number for direct deposit, and I can take a picture of the check with my phone and have the whole quantity deposited in my account available for use immediately. Of course you also have to consider the time it takes for me to receive the physical check, so it's still much slower than a direct deposit.
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We're phasing out checks in the US as well. I have probably written 5 checks in my life.
I think the advantage is similar to cash, which is that you don't need to know anything about someone (except their name) to write and give them a check in person.
OTOH, that kind of delay on check cashing is only for very large amounts like you mentioned. I receive reimbursement checks from work because I never told them my bank account number for direct deposit, and I can take a picture of the check with my phone and have the whole quantity deposited in my account available for use immediately. Of course you also have to consider the time it takes for me to receive the physical check, so it's still much slower than a direct deposit.