Online Bill Pay or Mail your Bills in?

@dorannmwin (36392)
United States
October 30, 2009 1:05pm CST
Most companies now have the ability to pay your bills through the internet, some are still in the dark ages and this is not yet possible. This leads me to my question, do you prefer to pay your bills through the internet or do you prefer to use the more traditional method of postal mail? Why? For me, I like to pay our bills through the internet. We have one utility company that doesn't yet have the ability to be paid online and that one bill drives me insane every month.
5 people like this
28 responses
@cheongyc (5072)
• Malaysia
31 Oct 09
I like to pay the bill through internet, for sure. The only reason I like paying through postal method is afraid of online identity fraud. But payment through mailing is not 100% secured too. The mail could be lost or destroyed accidentally. Paying through internet is so convenient and save us a lot of trouble. We can forget about the hassle of traffic jam, looking for parking slot and long queue. Besides, we could trace the payment through the transaction record, arranged neatly. The transaction history can also be saved in the local disk.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
1 Nov 09
I keep the payment confirmations saved on my hard drive and I also write all of the information down when I make a payment so that I have a double record of having made the payments. I think that for the most part, either option is just as secure.
1 person likes this
@cheongyc (5072)
• Malaysia
1 Nov 09
I write the transaction date and reference code too, on the utility bills that I paid online. Usually if I pay it in the post office or other authorized payment counter, the bills will be printed for our record. But since I am not paying over the counter, I have to write it for my own record. At one glance I can know wether a particular bill has been paid. Otherwise, I have to check it out in my computer to confirm that.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
22 May 10
That is very much the same way that I do. I keep everything written down so I can see at a glance what is paid and what is waiting to be paid.
1 person likes this
@weasel81 (2496)
• Australia
31 Oct 09
i find it easier to do it online, expect when i want to use the credit card and i then use the phone to do it. if it's a small business like for my gas, i can just transfer the money over, but i do hate having to put a code in for new accounts. you have a time frame, of up to 1 minute to get the code in.
@weasel81 (2496)
• Australia
1 Nov 09
i usually make part payments on things, to make it easier. credit card is only used when i have to get something paid for, that's a bit late.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
2 Nov 09
We were in fact caught up in that boat once. We had to get our water paid and we did it using the credit card to make sure it was done.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
1 Nov 09
I've never actually used a credit card to make a utility payment or anything like that. We've been in tight situations where we didn't have a lot of money to get the bills paid and in those situations they just have to wait until the next paycheck. Luckily, my husband does get paid weekly.
@Thoroughrob (11742)
• United States
30 Oct 09
I pay my bills online through my bank. I do not go to all the websites and pay them. I do like it, as I can do the whole month and schedule when I want it to go out.
• United States
30 Oct 09
Amen! I love being able to do bank transactions on line as well. How far we have come!
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
30 Oct 09
We don't have the ability to do automatic payments through our bank because it is a very small local bank. However, it is wonderful for me to be able to visit the websites and make the payments as I have so much control over when the payments come out of the checking account.
@dawnald (85130)
• Shingle Springs, California
30 Oct 09
I'm a creature of habit. I pay bills by check through the mail. I just have never gotten around to figuring out how to do it online.
@dawnald (85130)
• Shingle Springs, California
2 Nov 09
Ah, it's the getting off my duff and trying it part that's hard. I'm sure the doing is easy once I've done it...
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
31 Oct 09
It's actually very easy to do. I highly recommend giving it a try. You will probably never go back to paying through the mail once you've given it a try.
1 person likes this
@kingparker (9673)
• United States
1 Apr 11
I was encouraged by my bank to use the online bill pay, so I tried to use it. It is convenient, and easy to use though. So, I won't regret using it instead of sending of post mail. It will cost your a price of stamp if you use the post mail though.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
1 Apr 11
I love paying things through the computer. It does save a little bit of money and I also have a lot more control over when payments post which is very good for us being that my husband gets paid a smaller sum every week instead of biweekly paychecks.
@kingparker (9673)
• United States
25 Mar 11
I like bill pay, and it is convenient, and it certainly save me a lot of money by sending envelope and stamp through the mail. I am currently paying my credit card and personal loan through bill pay. It works pretty good though. I just wonder if I can pay my debt collector through bill pay as well.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
1 Apr 11
I would never set up an automatic draft with a bill collector because there is the chance that they would continue to draft money out of your account after it is paid off. However, some of them do offer the opportunity to transmit a single payment to them and that might work out for you.
@cutepenguin (6431)
• Canada
31 Oct 09
We pay online through our bank account. Fortunately, all of our bills can be paid online - I don't even know where our cheques are right now.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
1 Nov 09
I do have to keep track of our checks because I have to use them for three things and three things only. I use them to pay our water bill (no effective online payment method), I use them to pay for my daughter's school lunches (they charge to use their online method), and I use them to pay for my children's gymnastics classes (cash or check only).
@jpso138 (7851)
• Philippines
21 Jun 10
I used to pay my bills through the traditional method. This means that I have to go to the company or through the counter of the company to pay. Now, I have linked all of them on my mobile banking. Now, all I need to do is pay the bill through the internet or through my mobile phone. Its really convenient and time saving.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
27 Jun 10
I completely agree with you. I wouldn't give up the convenience of being able to pay my bills online for the world. I keep hoping that our water company (the one holdout to online bill pay) will hurry up and get with the times.
@haiershen (1080)
• China
2 Nov 09
fortunately,all of companies have the ability to be paid online, so it is easy for me to pay online through banking,some companies have an extra function which was sending the receipt of paying information on my cellphone.so i have already got rid of the traditional method of postal mail.good luck and have a nice day!
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
2 Nov 09
That's really neat that the companies have the ability to send confirmation of payment to your cell phone. None of our companies have that that I am aware of. However, it is comforting to me to be able to have all of the information written down and know that my bills are in fact paid.
@hireshd (490)
• India
31 Oct 09
I would prefer to pay bills online rather than tradiotnal way because it saves me from going the bill counter and stand in the queue, but if I am completely new to the society then I would go and stand in the queue as I get to interact with people and extract some information from them.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
1 Nov 09
That is a great comment there. I've lived in the same area for the majority of my life. We moved into our home only six months ago, but it is still in the same town that I grew up in and I feel like I know what I need to know. However, if we were to move away from home it would be a great way to get a better understanding of the area.
@rodsdman (145)
• United States
31 Oct 09
I pay nearly all my bills online. My bank has it so you can just go to their site and pay all your bills in one place. Credit cards are paid directly and usually next day. Utilities and person accounts get paid by transfer if possible, or the bank mails them a check. This is a free service at Citizens bank. It is just so convient to do it this way, plus it saves on stamps.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
1 Nov 09
What a wonderful service that your bank offers. Ours, unfortunately does not, but it still works out well for me to be able to schedule the payments through the utility companies. Now, the greatest wish that I have is for the utility companies to start accepting paypal. That way I would not have to transfer money from my paypal account into the bank to be able to pay the bills that I earn enough for every few months just to take a bit of the burden off of my husband.
@atv818 (1980)
• United Arab Emirates
23 May 10
I prefer paying online because it is fast and accurate. Mailing payments is a bit risky for me and takes too long for the payment to be posted. Choice will depends on what a person prefers to do or achieve.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
24 May 10
The main thing that I have come to love about doing online payment is that I am able to have nearly complete control over when a bill is going to post. If I schedule a payment a lot of places let me pick the date that it is going to post against our checking account and for those that don't let you pick a payment, they show you a billing period so if I schedule the payment on Monday I know that it will post against our account on Thursday. This works out wonderfully for us.
• India
11 Jul 10
We are not in the dark age doran, here we receive bills for electic consumption and water consumption, telephone plus internet bills , but there is no provision for online payment.. Moreover there are errors in many bills, it is wise to go to the counter, get error rectified and pay.. Yes i pay my insurance premium, my RD instalments online always.. Thanks for sharing. Welcome always. Cheers. Professor
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
12 Jul 10
I imagine that I too would go to the counter to pay my bills if I knew that there was a history of many errors in the billing, even if there was the option to pay the bills online. Thank you for sharing.
• United States
21 May 10
I must be in the minority when it comes to paying bills, because I pay them all through the mail whenever I can. In fact, I stumbled on this blog while looking for a place to complain about a company who is forcing me to pay online. I have known a few friends that have had their bank accounts screwed up, and were forced to pay overdraft fees that added up to over $100. The way I see it, you can buy a lot of stamps and save a lot of hassle for that much money. Plus I don't like having that many companies accessing my bank account when I am not looking.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
22 May 10
I honestly don't think that you are in the minority. My husband and I choose to pay our bills online because it is what works for us. We've been doing so for several years and the only mishap that we've ever had was when I didn't go through with completing a transaction. However, I have heard horror stories of paying online as well.
• United States
30 Oct 09
If you want to insure ur bills get paid online is best its accurate quick and worry free becuz the site's u pay on are secured.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
31 Oct 09
I really do like that. When you mail a bill in the mail the only assurance that you have is once it is posted against your account, in the mean time you are praying that it didn't get lost in the mail or destroyed in the mail or even ended up in the wrong hands.
@chookie1971 (2271)
• Australia
31 Oct 09
I have set up my account to pay bills on my behalf each time I receive money. So really I don't have to take time out to pay the bills every time. It has saved me extra time. The only time, I attend to the paying of the bills is only when I have to change the amount that I am paying on the bills. That would be around once a year. All my bills are always paid by the time the due date arrives plus the best part about it all, I am always in credit. Here is a good example of what I mean. One of the bills I pay, it is paid automatically every fortnight. I am that far in credit that I don't really have to pay the bill for 6 months. But I still continue to pay so that I don't have to worry about falling behind in the bills. The only time, I attend to that bill is really just once a year to adjust the amount getting paid for the bill. A lot of time saving there.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
1 Nov 09
That sounds like a great way to go about it. I don't think that we have an option like that available for us. But, if we did, I would most definitely be in favor of it. The closest that we have to this is our credit card plan. We've signed up for a set amount of payment for the next 41 months that will guarantee the end of credit card debt at that time.
@lealuvy2j (1986)
• Philippines
31 Oct 09
Paying bills online is more convenient for me because I don't really like standing in long lines for the bills to get paid. It is actually easier however one has to make sure that the utility company has a safe and secure website. Online Credit Card theft is so common nowadays and we all have to be careful.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
1 Nov 09
I agree, we really do have to be careful with our credit online. But in my way of thinking, it is just as safe as the mail option because the checks could fall into the wrong hands through the postal mail as well.
@neelimaravi (1793)
• India
31 Oct 09
hi dora, how are you, sometimes i use pay through internetnet, if i have no time, otherwise i go to the nearest postal mail box, i just drop there, thankyou, have a nice day.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
1 Nov 09
I haven't sent a bill through the mail since we moved into our house six months ago. I feel that it is easier to not have to rely on the postal service.
@getbrowser (1708)
• China
31 Oct 09
Although some people hold the idea that the more traditional method of postal mail is more secure, I prefer to pay my bills through the Internet. You see, I am a heavy user of the Internet. Everyday, I often spend much time on the Internet and I really hope that all things can be done through my computer and the mouse. Yes, as you have said above, most companies now have the ability to pay your bills through the Internet, which is really a trend. With the development of the Internet, more and more companies will support the paying online. Happy myLotting! Have a nice day!
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
1 Nov 09
I agree. I too am a very heavy user of the internet. I've been hooked on it since before I was an adult. Now, it is were the majority of my livelyhood comes from. The traditional methods may have worked when I was a lot younger but anymore I know very few people that don't have a computer and the internet in their homes. Thus, the most effective ways for things to get done have changed as well.
31 Oct 09
For me, paying the bills through internet is a very good way, not only it is convenient but also safe. You can check anytime your balances. In ATM machines, you can pay your bills in advance and without hassles of snatchers or losing money. I find it very easy and worry-free.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
1 Nov 09
I am completely in agreement with you. I think it is very convenient and I am able to check back just a matter of moments later to see that it has gone through correctly.