On 15/08/2019 09:36, wrote:
On Thursday, 15 August 2019 09:18:00 UTC+1, NY wrote:
Does the Post Office actually act as a "virtual branch" of all the various
banks,

only up to a point:

https://www.postoffice.co.uk/everydaybanking

When I went to pay in a cheque to my NatWest
account via the advertised Post Office service, all they did was give me a
NatWest paying-in envelope which they would send to NatWest, rather than
actually crediting the money to my account. So there was no advantage in
doing it that wa

Except saving you the cost of posting the cheque yourself.

You also get a printed receipt as evidence that you've sent it to the
bank. Although there's no indication of the actual amount it's a bit
more evidence than you get if you just pop an envelope in the post box.

And I assume, and hope, it provides the Post Office branch with a small
commission from the bank for providing the service. I also assume the
branch gets a commission from the bank when I use my bank card to obtain
cash over the counter.