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Living in the blazing fast world of the constantly evolving information age has made us oblivious to the fact that it might seem like an almost alien world to the older generations. Millennials and people belonging to Generation Z take technologies like the smartphone, the internet, and online payment systems for granted, while their grandparents simply do not understand what these technologies do, and how they can use them.

If you want to explain the modern payment systems of today to your grandparents, read on. This article by online slots Ireland list breaks down this modern service in easy to understand and relatable terms for people belonging to Generation X.

You have to remember that technologies like the internet and smartphone did not exist back in the day when your grandparents were young. So you have to break down the concept of modern payment systems using other terms and concepts that they understand. Your grandparents primarily used cash and checks for payment back in the old days. Thus, it is a good idea to stick with these terms when you try to explain the concept in detail.

Why Do We Need Modern Payment Systems

The first thing to explain is why modern payment systems exist in the first place. The short answer is time-saving and convenience of use.

Your grandparents must be intimately familiar with how long checks take to process. This is the case today, as it was back then when they were young. You always have to wait a few hours (or even days) until the money shows up in your account. The bank has to verify the authenticity of the check, the signature on the check, and also the fact that the owner’s bank account has enough money to make the transfer. Many banks use automated processes to accomplish many of these tasks. However, a human employee has to supervise some of these processes. This adds time to the processing of the check, and more so when it is a Sunday and the employee is not at the office. Ask your grandparents if they wanted a faster way to carry out transactions than checks. The answer will probably be yes.

When your grandparents needed to pay for something instantly, they used cash. Cash is a much more convenient form of payment because you do not have to write a check, sign it, deposit it, and wait for the money to transfer. All of this is covered when cash exchanges hands.

Why then, do fewer and fewer millennials carry cash these days? Because of convenience and security. The newer generations do not have to carry bulky wallets with large wads of cash when they want to purchase something expensive due to modern payment systems. For example, with best free spins no deposit Ireland they do not have to fear getting robbed of their cash, yet they always can use their online account to pay for something whenever they want. Win-win!

How Do Modern Payment Systems Work?

Keeping in line with the theme of cash and checks, you can explain the modern payment process to your grandparents as submitting a check electronically. The process is simple, and it has many similarities to the old way of payment.

The money exists in your bank account, as it did in the old days. You want to buy something from a shop, as your grandparents might have back in their youth. The only difference is that you use online payment, while your grandparents used cash or check (if they knew the shopkeeper). While in the old days, the shopkeeper had to trust the person and hope that the check comes through, the modern process is faster. The bank immediately processes the “electronic check” – your online payment method – and transfers the money to the shopkeeper’s account. The process is fast and simple, and it removes the requirement of trust from any transactions by check.

Conclusion

Even though we have come a long way since the time our grandparents were in their youth, traditional banking processes have not changed too drastically. Thankfully, it is still easy to make a relatable analogy with the payment methods of yesteryear.

If your grandparents asked you to explain Apple Pay and you did not know how to answer them, just be glad that they didn’t ask about Bitcoin.