Does UKBA no longer accept banker's drafts?

I note that the payment section on the SET(M) application form page lists:

If you are applying by post or in person, you can choose how to pay your application fee:

by cheque in sterling on a UK bank account - the application form will tell you who to make the cheque payable to, you should write your full name and date of birth on the back, and attach the cheque to the front of the completed application form;

with a UK postal order - you should write your full name and date of birth on the back, and attach the postal order to the front of the completed application form;

with a credit or debit card including MasterCard, Visa (including Electron), Delta, and Maestro (including Solo). We can accept any Maestro card if you are applying in a person at a public enquiry office, but only Maestro cards issued in the UK if you are applying by post. You must include the card number, the amount paid, the payer's name as it appears on the card, the 'valid from' and expiry dates, the card verification value (CVV) code, the cardholder's signature and the date. The issue number is also needed for and Maestro cards. If you are applying in person at a public enquiry office, the cardholder must be present in order for the payment to be taken.

Payment by any other method, by post or at a public enquiry office, is not accepted.

That would be unfortunate - I used a banker's draft for my FLR 2 years ago, and it was certainly the easiest, quickest method. No waiting for cheques to clear, no sending account details through the post. I know I can use a postal order to avoid these issues, but as far as I've gathered you can only get those in denominations up to £250, which suggests to me (incorrectly?) that I would have to get 4 individual postal orders totalling the £900 fee. Given that you have to pay for each postal order, I'll probably just send a cheque and accept the extra week of processing time.

ETA: Hmm, although I find that the SET(M) form itself says:

You must pay by one of the methods specified below.
•   Cheque
•   Postal Order
•   Credit card1 - Visa (including Electron), MasterCard    
    or American Express (Amex)
•   Debit card  - Delta, Maestro* (including Solo)
•   Banker’s draft (payable to the Home Office)

I used personal cheques from my husbands current account & there were no 'delays'...they cleared our bank within 2 days after arriving at UKBA for processing. This was in April last year for my ILR and just in December for my Naturalisation.

Personally, since there is conflicting information, I wouldn't use a bankers draft just in case. I'd use either a postal order or a cheque.

Interesting, another change - or at least something that I didn't notice 2 years ago with my FLR app - is the requirement that you provide photocopies of all of your documents in addition to the originals. From the SET(M) form:

You must provide the documents specified below which are relevant to your application. If you do not, we reserve the right to decide your application on the basis of the information and documents provided. Tick the relevant boxes to show the documents you are providing. They must be originals. You should photocopy each of these documents and provide the copies in addition to the originals. You should also provide passport/s along with photocopies of any pages that contain a stamp.

I guess the caseworkers got tired of making all those copies themselves.

Or they're passing the cost of photocopying on to the applicant.  £900 isn't enough to cover it, apparently.

My cheque cleared within 3 days as well (sent earlier this month). I think 3 is the new 5 when it comes to cheques. Unfortunately, still waiting for my application for ILR to be approved (or for me to be deported). 

Interesting, another change - or at least something that I didn't notice 2 years ago with my FLR app - is the requirement that you provide photocopies of all of your documents in addition to the originals. From the SET(M) form:

I guess the caseworkers got tired of making all those copies themselves.

This changed with the new version of the form that was released in late November 2010.

Just so you know, there is a note in the processing guidance that states they won't refuse you if you don't provide the copies.

My cheque cleared within 3 days as well (sent earlier this month). I think 3 is the new 5 when it comes to cheques. Unfortunately, still waiting for my application for ILR to be approved (or for me to be deported). 

Yup, my family used to take full advantage of the "write a check, get a week's grace" aspect of banking, but it now seems to be down to two or three days max, even in the UK.
(p.s. good luck sjb!)

Yup, my family used to take full advantage of the "write a check, get a week's grace" aspect of banking, but it now seems to be down to two or three days max, even in the UK.
(p.s. good luck sjb!)

I found when I visited the US in 2009 I wrote checks on my US Bank account (that has funds in it) because I had left my debit card at home in the UK and lots of places (NAPA auto parts & Wal-Mart come to mind) processed my checks electronically and the money was out of my account a couple of hours later.