I feel that the United States has been lagging behind other parts of the world (Europe, in particular) in not having that chip technology in our credit cards. Kind of embarrassing, in a way, especially considering how many Americans just blindly assume that we are on the cutting edge of everything, everywhere. I am not sure WHY we have not kept up with this, considering the benefits to customers/citizens. I guess that one factor could be the resistance of some businesses to the expense of buying and installing the appropriate scanners/devices. ....But other countries have done it! Last week, one of the tellers at the bank told me that we WILL have the chips in our cards starting in 2015. All these security breaches have apparently lead to us being dragged into the 21st Century. As Winston Churchill supposedly said, "Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing…after they have exhausted all other possibilities."
I still use checks for paying bills. And I will admit that it is an old habit that I find a strangely comforting(?!) activity that I do not mind doing. It is a monthly, thoughtful tradition that gives me the satisfaction of putting some order to my world. The only problem has been when they print my address wrong on the checks, forcing me to hitch up the horse & buggy to ride into town to order a corrected printing!