From pre-authorizing payments to getting paid, sample cheques still come in handy\u2026 even though cheques are rarely used in Canada. The main reason you need an Alterna sample cheque is to share your banking information with someone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you know what the numbers at the bottom of your Alterna sample cheque mean, you can probably just share them\u2026 without having to go looking for a Sample Cheque in your banking portal every time someone asks for one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, here are the important features of a cheque in Canada that you should be able to recognize by looking at one :<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is the information you don\u2019t need to look at a sample cheque to know. However, it is often needed by those who ask you for a sample cheque.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is the address of your Alterna branch. Note that some Alterna branches have more than one point of service.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is a 5-digit number that identifies the Alterna branch to which your bank account is associated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The institution number is a three-digit number that identifies the financial institution you are dealing with, regardless of the branch you have chosen. Alterna’s institution number is 842.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The account (or folio) number is the identifier for your bank account. Without the transit number and institution number, it cannot be used to transfer money. As a result, it is the most sensitive information you will find on your sample cheque, as it is the number that is associated with your bank account. This number varies in length depending on the financial institution but generally ranges from 7 to 12 digits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before the Internet, a sample cheque was a paper cheque with \u201cSAMPLE\u201d or \u201cVOID\u201d written on it to ensure that the cheque could not be used. If you have a chequebook, you can still do this. In fact, a sample cheque is a document that contains all the information displayed on a cheque, so you can still do it that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you don’t have a chequebook, there is a simple alternative. Unlike some financial institutions, which allow a sample cheque to be downloaded from their client portal, Alterna invites its clients to download a document with the same function, a direct deposit form. In fact, it contains all the information available on a cheque and anyone who asks you for a sample cheque will accept it. Here are the steps to download Alterna’s direct deposit form through their website:<\/p>\n\n\n\n