Checking In

Checking In

I got a pleasant surprise when I went to the bank this week to deposit my paycheck.

For years, until just a few days ago, the procedure was simple but time-consuming: you had to fill out a bank envelope with the details of your bank account, the details of the check you were depositing, and so on.

On this particular morning, I went to the small table where the envelopes were kept and discovered that there were none. When I turned to look for help, a friendly bank employee greeted me with a smile. “Can I help you?” she asked.

“Yes, please,” I said. “I need to deposit a check and there aren’t any envelopes left. Please, would you get some?”

“Oh, we aren’t using the envelopes anymore,” she said with a grin. “Now we’re using this.”

And she taught me how to use it, right then and there.

It’s surprisingly easy. You insert your bank card in the slot below, wait for the machine to read it and spit it back out, and then you insert your endorsed check into the slot above. The machine shows you an image of the check you have just deposited, asking if you want to deposit it into your own account or another one. You press the screen for yes or no, verify that the check is going where you want it to go and you’re done.

Wow.

The only problem I can think of is that there may be lines on occasion. But since the procedure is so quick and easy, they should go fairly quickly ... I hope.

(Cross-posted on Israelity)