I am adamant that online bill pay is one of the best services banks have offered in years. It makes it so easy and quick to pay bills on time and without hassles. With a few clicks of a button, bill paying is done, and I can get on with my day. Here are my favorite reasons for using online bill pay:
You never have to worry about forgetting to write down a check that you’ve written.
If you use your checking account’s online bill pay system, the transaction is already recorded when it happens. Paying everything online also eliminates any math errors you might make when you’re subtracting payments from your account.
You can schedule payments ahead of time.
If you’ve got a vacation coming up, bill payment can get a little iffy, especially if some of your bills are due during that time. You may not be able to afford paying the bills early; you may need to wait for your regular payroll deposit. Paying your bills online allows you to schedule your payments well after you know your payroll will hit your account. You can relax and enjoy your vacation knowing that your finances will be fine until you get home.
You can pay virtually anyone.
You may wonder about the convenience of using online bill pay if some of your vendors aren’t large corporations. How do you pay your doctor’s office or homeowners association dues? Fortunately, many bill payment systems allow you to set up vendors that are specific to you. Your bank will write its own check to your vendor and send it to him.
You can eliminate some of your paper bills.
Many creditors such as your credit card companies, your utilities, and your insurance providers may actually enable you to receive your bills electronically through your online bill pay system. Now, not only can you pay your bills online, but you can view and file them, too.
If you’ve been putting off switching to online bill pay, now is the time to check it out. If you still aren’t completely sold on the idea, just test the waters by paying one or two bills for a couple of months and evaluate it for yourself. You’ll quickly see why online bill pay is the way to go to take care of your family’s finances.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I still love writing checks and keeping a balance; it is something that occupies me for a few minutes and clears my mind. I will think about the trees and very possibly go the electronic route ASAP.
Lot of considerations are at stake when dealing with credit card debts especially with the multiple balances. Evaluation is very essential in order to decide on the best solution possible and to achieve an effective repayment plan.
I prefer to hand-deliver my bills to the appropriate payee. Gives it that nice personal touch, and I don’t have to worry about those dastardly computer hackers.
Another reason to use online bill pay is the postage saved. It is not a lot, but to a tightwad like me it is the thought that counts. And I want to keep my postage money.
i only use it to pay the very important bills like hosting and advertising; never for other things that like the electric bill and whatnot. I am not so comfortable with high levels of automation in my life.
Just like Ace said,
You can save on stamps–which is not just pennies anymore.
You save LOTS of time.
You save trees.
What else do you need to know?
That is so true about the stamps – seems I run out just when a bill is due!
It’s rare for me to have bills that aren’t automatically paid already, but I did give online bill pay a try once when that happened and I was about to go out of town. It really was nice to be able to schedule things like that.
I agree with Ace, save money on stamps, paper waste and time. Plus everything is right in front of you! No more, where did that bill go?
One other reason why I love online bill pay is that you don’t have to worry about dealing with stamps and envelopes! I can’t count the number of times that I was about to send off a check only realize that I was out of stamps or envelopes and needed to run to the store to get more. Bill pay solved this for me.