Ah, the weekend is here again. I got up at 5:00 this morning - don't want to waste a moment of it...

In the USA, you can make deposits and withdrawals with a teller from the comfort of your own car during business hours. It works the same way as going inside, except that you put your deposit in this plastic container that gets 'sent' into the bank, where the teller verifies the deposit. If you want to make a withdrawal, fill out the appropriate slip, send it in the container and in minutes you'll get your cash. However, there is a drive-up ATM that is accessible 24 hours a day nearest to the building.

In Canada, if you want to do some banking (with a teller or ATM), you park your car and go inside.

I was in Southern Pines yesterday afternoon and needed some cash on hand, and I usually drive up to the ATM because it's quicker. Yesterday, the three lanes for 'live' tellers were long, while the ATM lane was empty (which is rare). Turns out the ATM was out of order. So, I had to go inside to withdraw $20, because I don't think driving around the building and lining up for the privilege of sending documents up and down a tube would be any faster. Plus, it is bad for the environment to leave the car idling, and I did not have any checks with me (required for checking account withdrawals).

1. Get into the building and line up.
2. Wait for an available teller. [Mine, turns out, has the same name as a teaching colleague from J. Percy Page, where I was a student-teacher.]
3. Indicate that I wanted to make a withdrawal from my checking account and, silly me, did not bring my checkbook (which results in additional steps 4-6).
4. Write down my Social Security Number (SSN) on a slip of paper.
5. Show Member ID or driver's license (I left my member ID at home, too).
6. Sign the 'check' where the teller has neatly written my name on it by hand, payable to 'Cash'. (Whoever that is.)
7. Receive cash and leave.

Essentially, if you use your own checks, you are paying when you use a teller to withdraw money from a checking account. Avoid this cost by using your check card in an ATM.

In Canada, you present your bank (a.k.a. "debit") card to the teller, and it can be used to do any sort of transaction. Should you forget your account number, the teller can print out a transaction slip for you (from the computer) for you to verify.