Checks rejected?!

That never happened to me, because I never used a check to buy something. In my country we use mostly cash.

the same thing has happened to me before for no apperant reason, from then on I always just used my debit card to pay

Oh that is frustrating! I think it depends on how the bank processes things, as well as how the merchant processes things. The "check 21" laws that make it possible for electronic check processing have caused a lot of problems for people who were used to the way checks worked before. It's frustrating. I've never had a check rejected, but I'm having problems with my check card and the cable company right now, because they keep saying something was declined that the bank says wasn't declined. It's very annoying for me, because I work at the bank, and so I know it should have gone through!

Possibility # 1 - you bounced a check at some point in your life, didn't take care of it, and the check verification agency Target uses is blocking you (fairly). Pay it, and they'll fix it. Possibility #2 - you bounced a check @ some point, DID take care of it, and you're being blocked unfairly - prove it's paid and they'll fix it. Possibility # 3 - a lot of retail stores are not treating checks like debit cards - the $ comes out immediately. If you don't have the $ available in your account, it will be declined just like your debit card. This can even happen if you've made a deposit and the bank hasn't released the funds yet. Possibility # 4, and this is VERY common - if you sign your name below the signature line on the check it can foil the check reader and cause the check to be rejected. Also if the check isn't torn evenly it can reject.