in japan I believe they have been using payment-enabled mobile phones for some years. this is quite obviously a viable option, and as most people out and about these days have a mobile phone, it makes sense and would be very handy.
alternatively, ensure businesses who receive payments are card-payment equipped. they have 7 years to sort themselves out! should be long enough.
let's be honest - cheques are dated and have quite an overhead in terms of man time when compared to alternative methods currently available that are far easier and quicker (I'm talking about time taken to design, manufacture, fill in, post / pay in, enter into a system in the bank, yada yada). things change, move on.
sometimes we need someone to make the decision to stop using this, that or the other, other wise we would be sat in a position whereby we say "it's comfy like this" and we would never progress. Man didn't get to the Moon, invent the combustion engine or learn the art of flight because he sat on his hands saying "what we have will do - why look at something different?". We did it because it's progression. I don't think people should see this as removing something 'comfortable' as much as it is giving the opportunity for something better to be given a place.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6z1DidldxUo
peace out