How Many of You Pay Bills Online?

[JustDave]

I'm drawing the line at automatic withdrawal. They'll need to work a little harder to get it if I work a little harder to get it there

I used to do that too, but I finally caved in when I forgot to pay a bill on my own and got a "Dear John" letter from my power company.

 

[That Lady in PA]

I do the same..so do most....no cheques tho' they've not been in common use for many years....

The bank will write out and mail payment via check, when the individual or business does not have their side set up for direct transfer.
It isn't too often, but it does happen.

 

[hearlady]

I agree. Something that bothered me was that DH had paid two bills from a credit card. That's not usual for him but anyway
I closed that credit card without realizing those payments came off that card.
Then on my bank statement I see two payments with PayPal added. Paypal?
I determined they weren't pfishing. They were legit.
Went into PayPal and realized since the card was closed they snatched those payments out of his PayPal account!
I will be closing PayPal after I'm sure I don't miss any other bills that need paying by a different method.

I've since realized the payments weren't "snatched". Paypal is tied to a credit card so when the card didn't work Paypal kicked in.

 

[hearlady]

It also gives me some peace of mind knowing that my bills will get paid if I end up in the hospital or have some other unavoidable disruption in my life.

Ooh, Vacation, forgetfulness, and the hospital are all good arguments for ACW.

 

[dobielvr]

I write checks for the majority of my bills. I've got 2bills that I pay over the phone and sometimes I'll go directly in to the bank to make my mortgage payment. I've been doing it this way for years and it works quite well for me.

 

[RadishRose]

Online only.
Or, auto-pay

 

[outlander]

I pay my bills manually online with a Linux PC. I would never trust Android on a phone or tablet.

I use a credit card for payment. I use the same card for gas and groceries. I pay it in full on the first of every month to avoid any interest charges. Instead of paying to use my credit card, it pays me every month

 

[StarSong]

Do you pay them yourself online or use automatic check withdrawal?
Have you ever had any trouble with someone getting into your account, etc.?
I'm starting to do this but still unsure. Always mailed checks.

Both. Never had a problem.

 

[hollydolly]

My DIL is a financial manager. She does all her bills automatic withdrawal. She must think it's safe. I may do it at some point but I'm not there yet.
It would help when away. Another thing is I like to pay from my computer. I never do any of that on my phone.

I never make payments from my phone.. I never use apple pay or any transactions from my phone.

I understand how people get very upset, when they mislay their phone.. because if they're doing banking etc online they must be terrified the phone will get into the hands of the wrong person.

If my phone was stolen, it would be a massive inconvenience, but they wouldn't be able to access any Banking apps...

 

[StarSong]

I never make payments from my phone.. I never use apple pay or any transactions from my phone.

I understand how people get very upset, when they mislay their phone.. because if they're doing banking etc online they must be terrified the phone will get into the hands of the wrong person.

If my phone was stolen, it would be a massive inconvenience, but they wouldn't be able to access any Banking apps...

Same for me on every point. My phone has no CC or banking links or info.

 

[RambleTamble]

I never make payments from my phone.. I never use apple pay or any transactions from my phone.

I understand how people get very upset, when they mislay their phone.. because if they're doing banking etc online they must be terrified the phone will get into the hands of the wrong person.

If my phone was stolen, it would be a massive inconvenience, but they wouldn't be able to access any Banking apps...

Same here. I hate doing anything on my phone -- not just for security reasons. It's too hard to read and type on. Maybe if I were young and didn't have vision problems and shaky hands I'd be more prone to using it for things like paying bills, but I'm not so I don't.

 

[HoneyNut]

For decades (since the 1990s I suppose) I used the bill pay in my bank account to pay bills, but nowadays I set up everything that I can to use automatic withdrawal. It's nice to not have to worry about payments being forgotten or late, and I especially like that the credit cards withdraw the money at the due date, whereas when I paid them myself I'd pay early.

Non-regular bills I pay on the billing website of whoever it is I owe, and I prefer to use CC (or "virtual CC" if the site accepts that), tho more and more of them charge extra for using a CC so then I do the direct debit option to save money.

When I do tap-to-pay using my fitbit I think it is using the 'google wallet' on my phone, I'm not sure if I only have 'virtual' CCs in the wallet or real CC numbers too. I rarely do direct banking on my phone, mostly because my passwords are in a password manager app that apparently my phone keeps deactivating because it hasn't been used in months.

I love being able to deposit checks with my phone, sadly no one has sent me a check for quite some time, but it is a convenient feature to have. And 5 years ago when I was receiving big checks from the home insurance to pay for storm damage to the roof, I found that the dollar limit for check deposits can be removed by the bank temporarily.

One negative about the direct debits is trying to remember who might use it if you want to close that bank account.

 

[hearlady]

For decades (since the 1990s I suppose) I used the bill pay in my bank account to pay bills, but nowadays I set up everything that I can to use automatic withdrawal. It's nice to not have to worry about payments being forgotten or late, and I especially like that the credit cards withdraw the money at the due date, whereas when I paid them myself I'd pay early.

Non-regular bills I pay on the billing website of whoever it is I owe, and I prefer to use CC (or "virtual CC" if the site accepts that), tho more and more of them charge extra for using a CC so then I do the direct debit option to save money.

When I do tap-to-pay using my fitbit I think it is using the 'google wallet' on my phone, I'm not sure if I only have 'virtual' CCs in the wallet or real CC numbers too. I rarely do direct banking on my phone, mostly because my passwords are in a password manager app that apparently my phone keeps deactivating because it hasn't been used in months.

I love being able to deposit checks with my phone, sadly no one has sent me a check for quite some time, but it is a convenient feature to have. And 5 years ago when I was receiving big checks from the home insurance to pay for storm damage to the roof, I found that the dollar limit for check deposits can be removed by the bank temporarily.

One negative about the direct debits is trying to remember who might use it if you want to close that bank account.

I noticed when I gave my daughter a check she took a picture of it then gave it back. She said "deposited".
I voided the check and moved on.

 

[C50]

I use a credit card for payment. I use the same card for gas and groceries. I pay it in full on the first of every month to avoid any interest charges. Instead of paying to use my credit card, it pays me every month

I'm the same, I use a credit card for any auto payments, and that's a cc from an institution unrelated to my bank, no way do I want to open a conduit to my checking or savings accounts by giving out that info. I still pay my electric bill by check because they want access to my checking account or a $5 fee if I use a credit card, I won't give them either.

 

[Dr. Jekyll]

If I must allow a company to reach into my account and take the money out then I use a separate small account I have with a local credit union.

This is what I do. For the longest, before retirement, I used the bill payment system that was part of my credit union. I felt more like it gave me some element of control by specifying exactly when I wanted to make the payment.

However, since retiring and now having a rather well defined set of known bills. I opened a separate checking account and, when the monthly distributions come in, I move just enough to cover the months bills into it. I do have a buffer amount in there "just in case". I still watch over everything like a hawk - entering it all into my home accounting software as things occur. Not having to worry about bill payment while doing extended traveling has been a nice relief.

 

[hearlady]

I'm the same, I use a credit card for any auto payments, and that's a cc from an institution unrelated to my bank, no way do I want to open a conduit to my checking or savings accounts by giving out that info. I still pay my electric bill by check because they want access to my checking account or a $5 fee if I use a credit card, I won't give them either.

A good argument for the CC is they can waive charges that are in dispute. I dont think your bank can do that. I just don't want them on a credit card at this point.

 

[hearlady]

This is what I do. For the longest, before retirement, I used the bill payment system that was part of my credit union. I felt more like it gave me some element of control by specifying exactly when I wanted to make the payment.

However, since retiring and now having a rather well defined set of known bills. I opened a separate checking account and, when the monthly distributions come in, I move just enough to cover the months bills into it. I do have a buffer amount in there "just in case". I still watch over everything like a hawk - entering it all into my home accounting software as things occur. Not having to worry about bill payment while doing extended traveling has been a nice relief.

I want to use the bill pay function in my CU but haven't quite figured it out yet. Now I'm going on the business site to pay online.

 

[MarciKS]

I have autopay on all my bills. I pay my rent online, bank online because my bank is an hour and a half away. With no car this is what works for me. I also buy groceries online.

We had a gal at work who was saving everyone's card info to the computer so she had access to it. She wasn't supposed to be. She was also caught stealing cash from patients.

Who knows how long before dipping into our accounts with saved info.

I just have them bill me for deductibles.

 

[MarciKS]

The only issues I've ever had was with crap I wandered into online on my own.

 

[hollydolly]

A good argument for the CC is they can waive charges that are in dispute. I dont think your bank can do that. I just don't want them on a credit card at this point.

you definitely can with UK banks.. you can raise a dispute on anything, direct debits, standing orders, and of course CC cards

 

[hearlady]

you definitely can with UK banks.. you can raise a dispute on anything, direct debits, standing orders, and of course CC cards

Hmm, maybe I'm underestimating them.

 

[Jackie23]

Some are paid by auto bank withdrawal, some are paid online, I get paid receipts online or by mail. The paid receipts go in file folders where I have all the info on each account so my children will know how to handle if something happens to me.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I never make payments from my phone.. I never use apple pay or any transactions from my phone.

I understand how people get very upset, when they mislay their phone.. because if they're doing banking etc online they must be terrified the phone will get into the hands of the wrong person.

If my phone was stolen, it would be a massive inconvenience, but they wouldn't be able to access any Banking apps...

My iPhone mobile banking app still requires two step authentication the same as if on a computer or tablet.

The apple tap ‘n’ pay feature in my phone is safer than a conventional credit card because it won’t work without facial recognition.

It just takes a bit of getting used to.

 

[MACKTEXAS]

Except for my WIFI provider, who requires online payment, I do not pay online by logging into a website and paying, and I pay nothing automatically through my checking account. I call the phone number on the bill to pay by phone and manually key in the details each month.

 

[That Lady in PA]

you definitely can with UK banks.. you can raise a dispute on anything, direct debits, standing orders, and of course CC cards

same here for the banks I use.