Why so long for a cheque to clear? A cheque first has to go to the drawer's bank to ascertain whether there are funds to meet the liability. After two working days, if paid in the way yours was, Barclays says that: "If you are sure a cheque won't be returned unpaid, you can start drawing against it ... using our instant access service. This service is subject to limit and status. Otherwise day four will be when the customer should be able to access the funds. By day six they can be sure the funds are theirs except in cases of fraud, when the money can be hauled back later. Depending on where the cheque is paid in and at what time of day, this timing may be rejigged. For example, Barclays says if you pay in cash or cheques at the Post Office to your Barclays account, it takes two working days longer to process than if you did it at a Barclays branch. Anyone cutting things fine as you were, needs to make themselves aware of such permutations. Barclays states: "If you need the cheque to clear faster, hand it to a cashier at any branch of Barclays and ask to use the direct presentation service. We will send the cheque by Royal Mail Special Delivery (next day service) to the drawer's bank for payment. This cuts clearing time and normally costs £20, although it is free for Platinum Banking account holders. Remember that the service can work both ways. The recipients can use the fast-track service, too, in which case the money would have been available to them on the Monday or Tuesday. In the past, Barclays told me, a cheque from a customer going to someone else's account within the same branch used to be able to be cleared on the same day. This is no longer available. Barclays protests that this is a relatively rare scenario. The change does allow a little more consistency within the system. Barclays said your account is conducted pretty well. Therefore, on this occasion, further to my involvement, it has refunded the £8 unpaid item charge. This you are giving to charity. To be on the safe side, it is probably best to have any funds accessible from the time you release the cheque.