"It reassures us": these French people who refuse to give up their checkbook

"I never go out without one or two blank checks, just in case." At 69, Gilbert remains very attached to this means of payment and never forgets to order a new book as soon as the old one expires. "We sign, we date, we keep the stub, we always know where we stand. With online payments, we feel like we're losing control," adds this man who lives in Corsica. At his side, his wife Véronique, in her sixties, agrees: "We've already been taken in several times by fraudsters on the Internet ... The check may be slower, but it reassures us."

While some countries, such as Sweden and Denmark, have completely abandoned it, the cheque is holding out in France: according to ECB figures, the French are responsible for 88% of cheques issued in the European Union...