Online, I use a pre-paid card with a very small balance. That is secure enough for me.
Some banks/credit unions are a lot more vigilent with debit card transactions than others.
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I am able to access my bank using their website. However, I needed to download their app for online deposits using an app store. I don’t use this feature very often but it is ridiculous that it is not offered directly from the bank site. The goog hides in so many places that its spy-terrorism is hard to avoid.
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Do they still accept cheques ?
My bank will but only at a cost to deposit and by post only which can take 2 weeks to clear.
Yes, I had to do the same thing. So on my Android phone, I have my bank’s app. As far as I know, Google does not monitor my banking app. Just like Firefox does not monitor my on-line banking.
BTW, it is so convenient to deposit a check by smart phone. The app turns on the camera and I take a pic of the front and then the back of the check. Way better then going to the bank.
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Mine used to do that, but not any more, they say not secure and cheques being phased out
Wait, some of you don’t?
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I still write checks and they still accept them with no fees. They clear pretty fast. The bank still has physical locations but none closer than 25-30 miles. My checking account is such that it pays hardly any interest on the balance. There are no fees to keep using the account.
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Totally different in France where we pay for the privilege of having an account. Currently I pay 10 euro per month for this type of account including debit card. Zero interest.
Saving accounts exist but you pay social charges on the interest and they have limits to amount you can save in each account any interest is calculated every 2 weeks but is simple interest not compound.
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Over here in the Netherlands it’s the same, however I do pay only about €5 for the privilege of having an account with them a year.
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As seems often to be the case, the replies have now gone far off-topic, but just to elucidate on the original point, I do not receive a signal so have no mobile telephone. However, the bank requires one. When I go to their website, I cannot log on. I have complained and had a reply that a mobile phone is a necessity. They proposed sending me new credentials; ‘however, once again, registering these would require the use of your mobile phone’.
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@ljohn sounds like the banks has you in what use to be called a “Catch-22”.
“a dilemma or difficult circumstance from which there is no escape because of mutually conflicting or dependent conditions.”
I am not sure how we at this forum can help solve this for you. I would recommend calling customer service or visiting the bank in person.
Can you ask the bank to do your 2 factor authentication via email instead of via mobile phone?
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I find it incredibly useful… Also - Samsung devices can use GooglePay - I loathe Samsung and I don’t use any of their crap on my Galaxy S23 Ultra (other than DeX sometimes). The Google Wallet app is also very useful for keeping event tickets…
I keep my cards in a metal card wallet - Medicare, Drivers License, VISA, Health Insurance.. I’m always forgetting it when I go out - but I NEVER leave home without my phone… Given I’m on-call 1 week in every 2 weeks - I’m paid (a pittance mind you) to carry my phone everywhere with me…
Having said all of the above - I don’t do banking on my phone or a tablet - I use a browser (Brave) on a computer…
I can’t really “ungoogle” my phone - there’s a whole bunch of work stuff I need, mostly MFA apps (I have 4 I need to use for different customers and my employer - the worst ones are where they force you to use TWO, like being forced to use PingID - AND - Microsoft Authenticator - why both? And another case where I have to use Symantic VIP, and then, re-auth again with Microsoft Authenticator… I don’t do work email or Teams on my phone though… Just MFA and take after hours phone calls for urgent issues… It’s my phone… Australian trade unions recently won “right to disconnect” conditions - and I don’t want work shit interfering with my leisure time unless I’m on-call…
Having written all of the above - I don’t ONLY use GooglePlay…
I have F-Droid too - which is the only way to properly run TermUX… There’ve been rumours recently about Google potentially disabling F-Droid… Why would they do that? What the actual F did they mean when they used to use the motto “don’t be evil”…
And my S23 Ultra has been bugging me daily about doing an Android Update - I won’t. The last major update broke ResilioSync… Then a subsequent “fix” (I’m unsure if it was an Android, or App update) fixed ResilioSync… And I need ResilioSync to work…
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Your life is too complicated.
When you retire get rid of these complicated hookups. It will make more mental space and free time.
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The only complex thing really - from my perspective of “difficultness” is having my music collection (a tiny subset thereof) available everywhere…
ResilioSync takes some setting up on Linux - but - it’s mostly muscle memory these days…
I like that complexity… Doing stuff that takes a bit of mental and manual dexterity is healthy…
Complexities I don’t like are unknown quantities updating shit that breaks something, but it’s so complex I don’t know what broke what…
That’s annoying…
When “sync” (my phone to my selfhosted cloud shares) stopped working - my lame manual workaround was “start the sync again from the phone” - which was a PITA… It only failed when I assumed (e.g. went for a cycle ride) that the new music I’d plonked in my music share would be there…
When Resilio Sync works - the new stuff is there in minutes… literally…
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Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler . Albert Einstein
That ‘but not simpler’ says a lot.
Scientists are notorious for finding out one thing about a topic, then thinking they know everything about it, and grossly oversimplifying their application.
I think the same phenomenon exists in designing computer systems.
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Do you think that is needed ?
I switched off proximity payment from my card but carry the rest without though, nothing on my driving licence, my médical card does have a chips but you have to présent it in the spécial machine dont think it can be read at distance but not sure what is contained on it.
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Dunno really - but it’s handy - e.g. the cards can’t get bent or warped in my pocket and it has an eject button at the side to pop them out “cascaded”…
As for de-googling - this is highly disturbing :
and :
Yet more enshittification that nobody asked for - like f–king AI!
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