Just as well I keep all my money is a safe place, immune to the rise and fall of share prices and other misfortunes…
…by giving it to a nice friendly bar man at the start of each month.
Yeah, that’s my usual plan too. Either that or exchanging it for these funny little receipts that appear in my wallet the morning after nights I can’t remember.
Remember, a bank refers to your money as their assets.
Erm, usually they refer to it with phrases such as “overdue”, “overdrawn” or sometimes “before next tuesday or big Tony will break your legs”.
But that’s the Bank of Scotland for you.
Big downside: identity theft would then involve blood. :eek:
I personally get miffed when places (notably car rental places) won’t take my Visa check card, which I use extensively (I rarely use checks myself, but I always have them handy). Even though it looks like a Visa, is charged like a Visa, and they get their money just like it was coming off my Visa line of credit, they won’t use it. I have no idea why. It’s infuriating, as that’s the only card I have that isn’t maxed out - because it’s actually my checking account, and I know exactly how much is in it at all times.
Blah.
Esprix
Actually, deposit accounts are shown as liabilities on a bank’s financial statements (they owe you your money); when they lend your money out or invest it, it becomes an asset on their financial statements (someone else now owes the bank that money).
I’m sorry. Just trying to complete my Pedant Badge requirements before the holidays.
You’ve got it backwards, actually - your money as deposited in a bank are their liabilities; the loans you have taken out from the bank are their assets.
-AmbushBug
The car rental company wants to be able to charge your credit card with any damages if you crash or misplace their vehicle. They think it is more likely that your will have a few thousand dollars in credit available to absorb such a charge than that you will be willing to cough up a similar amount if they have to ask you. You agree to let them do this in the paperwork you sign upon renting. I don’t think you can agree to future charges on a debit card–you don’t need to be present for them to charge the credit card.
Wow. Maybe I’ll make Pedant First Class. Me and AmbushBug.
Don’t you guys pay about USD$3 for a LITRE of petrol, and and a huge annual tax just to watch television, and an hourly internet rate (I think many Irish dopers do, not sure if you do and no offense if that’s not a fair cop)? Also, what was that fab-four song called “Taxman” all about?
I despise my bank and its fees (and I LOVE my 2 credit unions), but I think the Brits are bashing too hard while they are paying the man in their own fashion.
Just my tuppence…
CLARIFICATION/Semi Apology upon re-reading:
I know this is the pit, but I wasn’t trying to INSULT our UK dopers - just trying to illustrate that many folks are astounded by what other folks pay for stuff. Those are my personal illustrations for our friends across the water.
Oh, it’s the pit - sod off! 
About $5 a gallon of petrol actually. You have a point, though - when you change countries you can find that some things are much cheaper and others much more expensive than you are used to. You shouldn’t get too worked up about one without considering the whole picture. It’s more fun to slag off the bad bits, though.
Mind you, the US banking system does seem pretty primitive. I remember getting my first bank statement after moving to the US. I called them up to change the date of my statement so it helped me plan better for the end of the month.
- “Could I get my statement prepared on the 23rd of the month please?”.
- “no, sir”
- “Uh? What do you mean, no?”
- “we only issue statements on the <whatever> of the month”
Since then, online banking has made the timing irrelevant anyway.
Funny you should say that. Petrol is $5 a gallon, as per amarone’s observation. The “huge annual tax” of £100 per year for a license fee for the BBC is a bargain, of which you hear very few complaints (I wish they’d double it to give the dear old beeb more money to play with). ADSL broadband access access for me is $30 a month (pipex, if anyone is curious.)
As for the Beatles, the tax experiences of multi millionaire musicians of the 70’s is a little bit different to the average tax we get now. In fact, I work about 3 months of the year in Houston and from everything I’ve been told our average level of taxation is actually about the same, and has been for quite a while.
Now we could go on to argue about whether a stagnating public health service is worth as much as good roads and easy access to skiing, but I’m concerned that you’d only interpret that as me bashing the US in some fashion.
Howdy, Gary Kumquat - I didn’t mean any offense, and I posted my clarification and semi-apology above after re-reading my post and insinuating that some UK dopers were “bashing.” My apologies again if I sounded like I was coming down on you.
I was just pointing out the things that I had heard about that UK folks pay for that are much cheaper (or free) here. Didn’t mean anything else between the lines. Gas is US$1.22/gallon now, and TV is free (but those endless commercial breaks!).
I retract the word “bashing” from my earlier post. We pay for checks and ATMs here. That’s just the way it is.
Damn, I hate apologising in the pit…
And who the hell eats boiled beef, anyway?
Dunno, who?