The increasing complications of technology

Veronica said:
Is there a reason you dont do online bill pay.
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I do pay either by automated phone service or online. I only write checks if that is the only form of payment a business accepts, such as my lawn service. The reason I posted that it would have been faster to mail a check for my WIFI is because I spent a frustrating 25 minutes doing it the new "convenient way."

Veronica said:
I also do autopay on some things. It keeps my cards active even if I dont use them. And I get points.
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Other than my mortgage, phone, insurance, WIFI, and utilities, I have a VISA card a MasterCard, 1 gas card, and an ATM card, all of which are paid on a regular basis. None of those cards are ever inactive. I get points for using my VISA and MasterCard, regardless of payment method.

But, I do not do auto pay because (1) I do not keep a large checking account balance, so I want to control when money goes out of my account, not have someone else control it for me. (2) Also, I may change companies I do business with and it may take the former company 2 billing cycles to get me off auto pay, and I want no part of that. (3) Atmos, my natural gas provider, once sent me a bill for $600, when it should have been $80. I called them and they adjusted it. Had it been on autopay, it would have been deducted from my account and may take (at best) a few days to get a correction. No thanks.
 

MACKTEXAS said:
I do pay either by automated phone service or online. I only write checks if that is the only form of payment a business accepts, such as my lawn service. The reason I posted that it would have been faster to mail a check for my WIFI is because I spent a frustrating 25 minutes doing it the new "convenient way."



Other than my mortgage, phone, insurance, WIFI, and utilities, I have a VISA card a MasterCard, 1 gas card, and an ATM card, all of which are paid on a regular basis. None of those cards are ever inactive. I get points for using my VISA and MasterCard, regardless of payment method.

But, I do not do auto pay because (1) I do not keep a large checking account balance, so I want to control when money goes out of my account, not have someone else control it for me. (2) Also, I may change companies I do business with and it may take the former company 2 billing cycles to get me off auto pay, and I want no part of that. (3) Atmos, my natural gas provider, once sent me a bill for $600, when it should have been $80. I called them and they adjusted it. Had it been on autopay, it would have been deducted from my account and may take (at best) a few days to get a correction. No thanks.
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I dont mean to be confusing. Let me try again. Online bill pay it doesnt automatically charge your checking account.
You access your checking account online, go to bill pay and set up a list of who you want to pay.
You type in their addresses and account numbers. All the stuff you would do if you were writing a check.
Paying bills is so easy once you set it up. Whenever you want you can go online and access this list and pick a payee.
For example this month I paid my utilities. I clicked on gas company and put in an amount. I have full control over when and how much I want to pay.

I agree with you on autopay. I only do ones that I know wont change in the future.
The auto pays Im referring to come directly off my credit card not my checking account. I have to pay them just as I would any charge.
 
Veronica said:
I dont mean to be confusing. Let me try again. Online bill pay it doesnt automatically charge your checking account.
You access your checking account online, go to bill pay and set up a list of who you want to pay.
You type in their addresses and account numbers. All the stuff you would do if you were writing a check.
Paying bills is so easy once you set it up. Whenever you want you can go online and access this list and pick a payee.
For example this month I paid my utilities. I clicked on gas company and put in an amount. I have full control over when and how much I want to pay.

I agree with you on autopay. I only do ones that I know wont change in the future.
The auto pays Im referring to come directly off my credit card not my checking account. I have to pay them just as I would any charge.
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Ok, thanks. I see the distinction you're making. Yes, that would be okay. My bank is an independent community bank and rather old fashioned, but they do have a link where I sign in and check all my accounts online, print bank statements, and move money from one account to another - but I've never noticed if they offer paying bills the way you describe. I'll check it out when I go into the site later in the day.
 

I too just spent all morning a bit rattled over this very thing. I have Chase - Amazon card of which I keep locked
until I need to use it. It's been locked for months now. But I get a text from my bank saying Amazon Prime is asking
for a payment from them and text back Yes or No if I agree with this. Well I haven't used it so I 1st need to find out what the heck it is.
I go to log into Chase Amazon and it says password not recognized.
Every time I try to pay on that card or check it I have to redo my password. It's the only company I deal with I have to make a new
password every time, with the texts and emails back and forth for several minutes to say Ohhh now we know you. Turns out it is
my yearly subscription dues so I answer YES to the bank to pay it.
What really ticks me off is No warning text or mail letting me know it is coming due.
Anyone else have this problem with Chase? Takes a lot to get me rankled but this company sure does.
 
IrishEyes said:
Turns out it is
my yearly subscription dues so I answer YES to the bank to pay it.
What really ticks me off is No warning text or mail letting me know it is coming due.
Anyone else have this problem with Chase? Takes a lot to get me rankled but this company sure does.
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Nope.
I always get an email saying the Prime fee will be due soon, and another email when they apply the charge.
 
Complicated technology? Tell me about it. It seems that it can do almost anything. That pay-by-phone barcode zapping, blows my mind. I tell you, it's called a smart phone, but when I can't find it, then it's not so smart. You know when you misplace your phone? How smart would it be if that smart phone could help. "Where the hell are you?" "Under the covers where you left me!"
What I need is a phone with the kind of technology that I understand.
phone2.jpg
 
David777 said:
Anyone logging into say a Google gmail account has to use the same annoying two-step authorization as @MACTEXAS described. A reason I avoid using that email except for travel lodging and such.
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A gmail user can decline the offer to do 2FA, which I did sometime ago. That decision can always be reversed in the future, if desired.

David777 said:
Microsoft, given the Windows 11 operating system running on my new HP Omen 35L desktop, has forced me to use the new Pass Code PIN system every time I power up and boot my computer. I have not bothered to understand how that really works, so do not yet trust it. For years, I have been one to always SHUTDOWN, each day, then power up, and REBOOT into Microsoft Windows each day instead of what many do, leaving their computer on continuously day after day, week after week, a potentially dangerous strategy hackers love.
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I just set up Windows 11 on a laptop I'm giving to a friend, I chose to require a log-in with a password, as I do with my Linux machines, and is a standard practice in IT security. No PIN here, but I've seen it before, just a weaker security solution than a password IMO.
 
Pretty much all my stuff is auto pay now except for a few things. They're all stuff I can pay for online.
 

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