Paying bills online.

[Muenkel 0]

Geeks could probably give me better input. I don't pay my bills online. I still write checks. I'm kinda paranoid of putting my bills and their payment out on the internet.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks,
Chris

_________________________________________
Chris

[Bolas 5]

You use an ATM, right?

Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting
If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh.

[Slurp56 0]

I pay all my bills online. While the internet, by nature, is not impervious to people trying to gain access to your information, the risk is quite low. That's kinda what we do, right? Manage risk? The risk is so low that I would gamble on the odds and I'm not a gambler.

A few things you need to make sure of is that you are using a trusted site (like your banks website) and that you are using a secure connection. This will be evident by the site requiring you to log in and the address changing to a https:// address. Also, in Internet explorer, the little lock will appear in the bottom right hand corner of your window, which means your conversation with the website is encrypted and as safe as it's going to be for transport over the internet. You can also click the little lock and see the "secure certificate" details for that site as well.

The reasons I like it is I can enter in all of my payee's, store their address's, and store my account numbers. If I am on vacation or visiting my parents, I can send in my payment without having to remember the address, the account number, the bill stub, or using a stamp. Some sites can be set up to email you a reminder when a bill is due as well. Lastly, the service is free (atleast through my bank) so I save $0.39 every bill I pay.

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I have proof-read this post 500 times, but I guarantee you'll still manage to find a flaw.

[Muenkel 0]

Thanks both of you. Sounds like solid advice.

One more question. What are your thoughts on having the bills paid automatically on a date I pick for every month?

Chris

_________________________________________
Chris

[mnealtx 0]

A lot of places prefer it if you autopay.

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[Bolas 5]

It depends on the bill. For something that can vary wildly like a credit card, I pay manually. For most others I have the automatic payment setup.

If you use something like Quicken or Money, you can get files that import your online banking info.

Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting
If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh.

[sunshine 2]

I love paying bills online. So much easier than remebering to mail something. I have autopay for a few things too.

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meow

I get a Mike hug! I get a Mike hug!

[skymama 37]

I pay my bills online through my bank's website and it is free. It takes a little bit of time when you first sign up to enter all of your payee information, but once you are done with that it is really easy and convenient. When I took a 2 week vacation to Europe last year, I was able to enter the payment dates before I left and I didn't have to worry about it. It was nice.

I don't do the automatic bill pay though. If I'm ever in a bind, I want to be able to pay someone a little late if I need to.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[billeisele 130]

i do the same as Skymama, it sure saves a lot of time

if you use the bank website there should not be any issues

Give one city to the thugs so they can all live together. I vote for Chicago where they have strict gun laws.

[mamajumps 0]

I prefer it, but only with the major ones that have secure websites. I always also get a confirmation number. I started doing b/c I can set it to remind me that the bill is due, otherwise I forget and the paper bills get lost.

[Gawain 0]

We've been paying our bills online for about a year now. Saves time and money, plus everything gets paid.

If you're thinking about it, just make sure the service you use doesn't charge you for the privilege. Most banks don't charge for it, but I'm sure there are some...

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[lguard8 0]

Also, I don't know anyone who has had their account info hacked into through a legitimate website but I do know a few people who had their bills with the checks in them stolen from their mailbox and then the theif was able to cash the checks themselves. (somehow they changed the name of the payee). I think using secure online sites for payment is safer than paying by check.

www.lukeevens.com
http://beachbodycoach.com/lguard8

[Remster 30]

Quote

pay my bills online through my bank's website and it is free

Same here. I hate writing checks. It feels so 1970's.

Remster

[monkycndo 0]

If the bill is the same every month (Netflix and cable), I use autopay. If it can vary due to use (gas/electric, credit cards, phone), I want to check them to make sure I'm not getting over charged before I schedule the monthly payment.

50 donations so far. Give it a try.

You know you want to spank it
Jump an Infinity

[Armour666 0]

Quote

Thanks both of you. Sounds like solid advice.

One more question. What are your thoughts on having the bills paid automatically on a date I pick for every month?

Chris

I dont like the pre authorized metheod other then on my Mortage. Had quite a few bad experiences once the term was over or Moving and using another company the payments kept comming out.

SO this one time at band camp.....

"Of all the things I've lost I miss my mind the most."

[wildblue 7]

Quote

I dont like the pre authorized metheod other then on my Mortage. Had quite a few bad experiences once the term was over or Moving and using another company the payments kept comming out.

There's a difference between paying a bill through your bank and authorizing an automatic withdraw. I've been paying bills online for.... ummm... forever? I started with CheckFree when they charged like $10 a month to do it. I've never used the option from any other bank/utility/credit card to automatically yank the payment from my checking account. I do have all my fixed bills setup as a reoccurring payment through my bank though. I like being able to schedule the bill to be paid as soon as I get it in the mail. I don't have to worry about when to drop it in the mail though, to get the most 'float' out of my $

it's like incest - you're substituting convenience for quality

[pfloyd 0]

As long as you use a secure browser like firefox, and have an updated firewall then you are secure. Also use something like spysweeper, or spybot search and destroy to find bugs and spybots! A good antivirus program will add the final security touch. Also make sure you keep all of these products up-to-date!

Safe surfing and blue skies

My drinking team has a skydiving problem

[NWFlyer 2]

Quote

I've never used the option from any other bank/utility/credit card to automatically yank the payment from my checking account.

I'll only do it when I have no other choice (my gym is that way - you have to do automatic debit unless you want to get locked into long-term contracts), or when there's some benefit to me (1/4% off the interest rate on my student loan if there's auto-pay, and I get some sort of discount from my auto/home insurance company, too). The rest, I schedule myself through my bank's bill bay service. Certain things are set up on an automatic schedule, though I will occasionally tweak the dates based on cash flow (like, for example, when my $#@&@* employer is late AGAIN on expense reimbursements and I need to pay a several thousand dollar credit card bill out of my own pocket till I get paid back).

My checkbooks last forever. I very rarely have to write them - usually because I need to pay a friend back for something and it's easier to just write it and hand it to them than it is to go home and add them as a payee.

I've been using it for six or more years now and I can only recall one or two times when I've had trouble with payments; in both cases, they were payments where the payee didn't accept electronic payments and didn't recognize the billpay check to credit it to my account. I have always had good results reporting the problem to the bill pay service and getting them to resolve the issue quickly.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[smiles 0]

I used to pay my utility bills at the bank machine (drive thru) this required having all the bill stubs with amount owing.

Recently my bank stopped this option (re: want to cut back on paper use) so bank wanted everyone to bring in their account numbers so they could be entered into system by employees-

--a mistake was made with one of mine so I was paying someone elses bill for awhile!

This made my decision to just pay online-
so now I wonder why I didn't do this all along??

SMiles

eustress. : a positive form of stress having a beneficial effect on health, motivation, performance, and emotional well-being.

[Muenkel 0]

Very useful info here. Thanks everyone. The thing is, I don't have any debt. I have a ton of medical bills, but they vary every month and I pay them in full. The only fixed bills I have is my car and life insurance and my satellite TV and internet. Like everyone, my phone bills are different every month. So I guess I can save myself some extra effort by putting the fixed bills on autopay.

Thanks again,
Chris

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Chris