topic Paying bills on line ? in Electronics

Paying bills on line ?

SouthernBee — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 18:52:30 GMT

Utilities and credit cards sending emails to start paying on line. DH pays his bills on the computer. I only have the Amazon fire tablet and not sure. I have shopped on line but concern about paying bills and doing bank transactions on line. Any suggestions?

Re: Paying bills on line ?

SilleeMee — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 19:00:35 GMT

I pay my bills using a credit card. I have set up bank EFTs for a couple of other recurring bills I pay online b/c those accounts don't have a way to use recurring credit card billing. CC and EFT methods of payments are secure. never had a problem with either.

Re: Paying bills on line ?

Toot1920 — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 19:01:05 GMT

@SouthernBee, I use my iPad all of the time to pay bills through my bank on their app. I, also, have two step verification for extra security. After setting up bill pay, I tell my bank who to pay, how much, and when. Some payments are done electronically and some by check. It's easy and convenient.

Re: Paying bills on line ?

Carmie — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 19:03:55 GMT

My husband still writes out check. I pay everything on line with a tablet.

Once the financial checking account info is placed on line with a creditor, you never have to put that info in again. Next time you pay, just choose amount you want to pay and hit enter.

I have been paying this way for over 20 years with no problems. In that time, my husband has had his check returned in a baggie from the post office because the machines tore the envelope and he has had some payments that were never delivered...he had to pay to stop payment on a lost check.....not to mention pay a late fee.

Re: Paying bills on line ?

colleena — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 19:04:20 GMT

@SouthernBee This isn't exactly what you are asking but we bank at a credit union, have for ages & they offer on line bill pay where we just go in through our on line account & pay our bills that way. When I pay my QVC bill it takes 2 days to go from the credit union to Synchrony Bank & I've never had an issue w/any creditor receiving payment timely.

Re: Paying bills on line ?

Kachina624 — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 19:04:29 GMT

I have paid bills no other way except online since about 1995, when I got my first computer. The last 8 years, I've used nothing but a variety of tablets including the Amazon Fire. I've never, in all these years, had a payment get lost or arrive late as most are by electronic transfer. I've saved many $$$ on postage. I wouldn't pay bills any other way.

Re: Paying bills on line ?

Puppy Lips — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 19:13:31 GMT

I still write checks. It is kind of a ritual for me that I sit down and twice a month write out a few checks. Somehow that helps me to budget better. I know they would all like it if I paid online. Maybe someday soon I will. I almost feel like at some point, there will be no other way to pay, but to pay online. I just don't like the direction any of this is going - everything is online, electronic, trackable. The government would like to get rid of cash all together.

Re: Paying bills on line ?

Mom2Dogs — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 19:15:31 GMT

I have a couple recurring charges paid thru my credit card...the only issue I have had is when my credit card was compromised...it was a bit of a pain to transfer all those charges to the new card.

The one time I let the bank pay my electric bill, they paid it late...won't don that again.

Re: Paying bills on line ?

haddon9 — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 19:29:19 GMT

I pay all of my bills online. At least I know they will get it asap. I'm more concerned about the mail having issues. Too many times the postal service has screwed up my mail.

Re: Paying bills on line ?

spumoni99 — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 19:29:03 GMT

We have paid all of our bills online for many many years, I can't imagine going back to writing checks, bill pay is so easy just a few clicks and they are paid.

Re: Paying bills on line ?

SouthernBee — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 19:47:15 GMT

@spumoni99 @haddon9 @Puppy Lips @Zhills @shoesnbags @Mom2Dogs @Kachina624 : Y'all are fantastic and speedy to h@elp. DH said: you shop on line and no difference. So another change for me to deal with. Thanks for all your help.

Re: Paying bills on line ?

shoesnbags — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 19:45:47 GMT

@Mom2Dogs wrote:
I have a couple recurring charges paid thru my credit card...the only issue I have had is when my credit card was compromised...it was a bit of a pain to transfer all those charges to the new card.

The one time I let the bank pay my electric bill, they paid it late...won't don that again.

@Mom2Dogs

I don't know which company you bank with, but my bank's online banking system shows the date that your payment will be received. You see this before you make a payment, so you are free to not use the service if the delivery date will be too late.

For most large companies, payments made through online banking process in one or two days. That's because they are set up for electronic payments. But for small companies, the delivery date may be a week away because they are only able to receive payment by snail mail. The difference is that any lost payment becomes my bank's problem, not mine. They will veriry that the payment was sent on X date, and I would therefore pay no late fee. Not so with a check that I send through the mail myself.

I've been using my bank's online bill pay system for many years and would never go back, especially with all of the theft in the postal system and the cost to mail a single envelope. Online payment feels much safer to me these days.

Re: Paying bills on line ?

Zhills — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 19:47:32 GMT

There are 2 ways to "pay bills online."

I have a 'Bill Pay' feature at my Credit Union (most banks have it) where I put in the amount and date I want a bill paid and the CU pays it either by electronic transfer or by mail if to a Company or person that doesn't have electronic transfers. Never had a problem.

Some Companies want you to set it up so THEY can automatically draft the amount due from your account! People do, but I would never use it!

Had a payment credited to the wrong acct at State Farm...had to REpay it because it was past due and they held both until they discovered where my payment had been incorrectly posted!

Could be a one time thing, but it won't happen to me again!

Be careful when you "Pay online." Investigate it before making a decision!

Re: Paying bills on line ?

shoesnbags — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 19:50:43 GMT

@Zhills wrote:
There are 2 ways to "pay bills online."

I have a 'Bill Pay' feature at my Credit Union (most banks have it) where I put in the amount and date I want a bill paid and the CU pays it either by electronic transfer or by mail if to a Company or person that doesn't have electronic transfers. Never had a problem.

Some Companies want you to set it up so THEY can automatically draft the amount due from your account! People do, but I would never use it!

Had a payment credited to the wrong acct at State Farm...had to REpay it because it was past due and they held both until they discovered where my payment had been incorrectly posted!

Could be a one time thing, but it won't happen to me again!

Be careful when you "Pay online." Investigate it before making a decision!

That's a great point @Zhills . I do the same as you - I use my bank's Bill Pay feature. I want to be the one who inputs the amount each month and decides who gets what when.

Re: Paying bills on line ?

SouthernBee — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 19:54:52 GMT

DH just stated that he doesn't use the bank or credit union bill pay . He just sets up accounts with each company and never uses automatic payment. He pays the bills at least a week before payment due.

Re: Paying bills on line ?

Love my grandkids — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 19:56:02 GMT

I always hated writing checks! Many years ago DH and I started paying bills online and never looked back.

There's nothing I can't handle on my laptop. I have my AARP, Auto Club and Costco annual memberships set up to automatically be paid as well as my supplemental medical insurance.

I pay my Visa and anything else online only. I can't remember the last time I wrote a check.

Re: Paying bills on line ?

CAcableGirl2 — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 19:56:34 GMT

@SouthernBee I've been doing it for years without any issues, but a couple of things to do when setting it up for the first time. Make a one-time payment of $1 and then check and confirm that it was properly credited. You don't want to make a large payment and then try to figure out where the credit was posted.

Second, be sure to use the address on the statement. I work at a local office that one department used to take on-site payments for our company but has since moved. Our on-line payments are done on a national level but some still like to drop it off or mail it to our location. Since that department moved from our location nearly 4 years ago, we are still getting checks generated from the bank where the customer used our local address and not the national payment center address. The check doesn't get to the local payment center until someone drives it over to the one of the new locations which is usually only once a week.

Re: Paying bills on line ?

spumoni99 — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 20:09:20 GMT

Funny story our HOA had changed the place to pay for bill pay and I wasnt sure if we had paid an extra payment to the wrong place, I emailed the HOA person and she said, you ve been paying both for a long time, you have a 1600 dollar credit! That was pretty funny, my husband manages the bill pay and sometimes he has a goof up like this but overall we really havent had any issue. Like others have said it tells you when they will receive the payment.

Re: Paying bills on line ?

icezeus — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 20:14:07 GMT

I pay all of my bills online. I started off paying my bills via bill pay through my bank. I paid them this way for years without any problems. Then one day I received a courtesy notice from my Insurance company, that my payment had not been made and it was due. (WHAT) I found out for smaller companies that the bank batches the checks together and sends them out once a week. (No Thank You) You have no idea, because the money is deducted from your account so I just assumed it was paid.

Now I only pay my Gardner through my Bank. The rest of my accounts I have set up payment accounts directly with them, and I just log on to the sites monthly and pay my bills.

Easy..peasey.

Re: Paying bills on line ?

Suzeecat — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 20:23:16 GMT

I don't really consider paying by mailing a check to be an option. My post office is so awfully unreliable I only use it as a last resort. Paying on line, I have proof of payment. Paying by mailing a check, all I can do is hope.