Most banks will give you a cheque book as part of your basic welcome pack when you open an account. They’ll give you a paying-in book too, which will probably see less use.

The cheque book might be handy for paying rent, bills etc., but these days you won’t need it for much else, because you’ll usually be able to use plastic. In fact, it’s probably easier to pay for all these items via a standing order or direct debit so that they are paid straight away.

There are several things to bear in mind before you get too chummy with your cheque book:

When you write a cheque, the money doesn’t leave your account immediately. Nor, if you ever find yourself in the happy position of paying in a cheque, does the money arrive immediately either. This is because banks need time to allow the cheque to clear’ (i.e. for the bank to decide whether to bounce it or not). Why, following the invention of the abacus, let alone the computer, it should take so long is one of the great mysteries of life, but there are those who suspect the banks dawdle on purpose so they can make a bit of extra interest while the money is in limbo.

The result is that you can’t always trust your bank balance because there may be uncleared cheques. You may have spent money that hasn’t yet disappeared from your account or, just because you’ve paid in a cheque, it doesn’t necessarily mean you can get the cash out.

If you ask a cash machine for a bank balance, it usually gives you two amounts: the balance (how much there is potentially) and the available funds (how much they might actually let you have).

Just because you’ve written a cheque, it doesn’t mean the bank will actually give the money to the person you gave the cheque to. The bank can bounce’ it if you don’t have enough money in your account unless, that is, you show your cheque guarantee card’ when you hand over the cheque. Those pesky rogues will charge you for the privilege of bouncing your cheque and your bank can even take your cheque card away and fine you if you start abusing it. As they say in chess, chequemate.

So, once you’ve run out of dough, don’t keep writing cheques.

• Boosting your income
• Banks
• Debit, cash, cheque and credit cards
• Check your cheques

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