Are paper checks heading toward extinction, just like the penny did?

Think about it—when's the last time you actually wrote a check? The shift toward digital payments has been relentless. Mobile apps, instant transfers, crypto wallets... they're all chipping away at those old-school payment methods. Checks feel almost archaic now, like pulling out a floppy disk.

The penny comparison hits different though. Both served their purpose for decades, but inflation and technological progress made them more trouble than they're worth. Processing paper checks costs banks money, takes time, and honestly—who wants to deal with that when you can send funds in seconds?

Maybe we're witnessing the final chapter of physical payment instruments. Digital rails are taking over, and once mainstream finance fully commits to that infrastructure, there's really no turning back. Kind of makes you wonder what other financial relics will disappear in the next decade.