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  1. #1
    petesgirl is offline Emerald level (3000+ posts)
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    Feb 2011
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    Utah
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    3,721

    Default How do you pay bills?

    I've been totally living under a rock on this one, and still pay monthly bills by check.

    But DH hates it and grumbles every time we have to order new checks. I know I can go to each individual website every month and make payments from there but that sounds like more of a hassle to me than writing the checks! I also think my bank probably has some kind of e-check option I can do from their website but I don't know much about it.
    What works best for you?

    I don't want auto-pay because I want to see the exact amount we are being charged each month and I want to authorize payment myself each month.
    Thanks for helping me get with the times on this!
    Mama to :
    DS1 (July 2011)
    DD (Feb 2014-June 2015)
    DS2 (Apr 2017)

    "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...Until you climb inside his skin and walk around in it."
    --Atticus Finch (To Kill A Mockingbird)

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
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    .
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    9,735

    Default

    I’d recommend recurring fixed charges on autopay (like internet.) Plus they will send you a statement before deducting the money. You can also enroll in paperless billing. And when you get the email, just got into the website and pay (just connect your bank account in their app or on the website.) most banks also have bill pay that sends electronic checks. DH manages most of the bills, and it took me a while to convince DH to pay everything electronically.
    DD (3/06)
    DS1 (7/09)
    DS2 (8/13)

  3. #3
    khm is offline Ruby level (4000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
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    4,688

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by petesgirl View Post
    I've been totally living under a rock on this one, and still pay monthly bills by check.

    But DH hates it and grumbles every time we have to order new checks. I know I can go to each individual website every month and make payments from there but that sounds like more of a hassle to me than writing the checks! I also think my bank probably has some kind of e-check option I can do from their website but I don't know much about it.
    What works best for you?

    I don't want auto-pay because I want to see the exact amount we are being charged each month and I want to authorize payment myself each month.
    Thanks for helping me get with the times on this!
    There was just a thread in bitching about check-washing scams, if you need another reason to switch! I recently had to mail a check from a guy here in the office and it kind of stressed me out getting it to a secure send-off after reading all that. Lol.

    I use my bank's online bill pay. Most big payees are pre-loaded in their system, so you can just add them with a couple clicks. Smaller payees have to be added manually (your account number, their address/phone) and they are sent an eCheck, basically. The pre-loaded ones you can get paid very quickly, the others require 3 days (I think?).

    Most things are setup to auto-pay, but you absolutely don't have to do that. But, the mortgage is always the same, insurance wanted it auto, cell phone is auto (for a discount), same for internet. But, plenty of things require my input to be paid, but the payee is there and it's just a couple clicks.

    My CC is setup to autopay $100, just to remind me to adjust it for the actual amount.

    I haven't paid my bills by check for probably 20+ years! Think of all the postage you've paid!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
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    Default

    I pay most everything autopay now, by credit card if they take it without a fee or by echeck. I worry about forgetting a payment and always have plenty of money in the account to cover whatever bills. My credit cards, cell phone, gas, electric are all monthly autopay. For reasons I can’t explain my internet I log in and pay online but that is due basically the 1st of the month so easy for me to remember. My quarterly property taxes also autopay from my checking. My water bill comes twice a year and I occasionally pay that via check if I’m driving by the water department, otherwise I use their online bill pay. The fee for an echeck in their system ($0.40) is less than the cost of a stamp. I do get notice of bills and the autopay before it happens and could deal with any issues then.
    momma to DD 12/08 & DS 3/13

  5. #5
    SnuggleBuggles is offline Black Diamond level (25,000+ posts)
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    Sep 2005
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    Default

    On my bank's website. I set up all my vendors on there- they have a really easy database of many businesses so set up was very minimal. Only one I autopay is the mortgage (and back when we had car payments). So I have a one stop shop to pay bills. I don;t have to go to every individual business' website to pay- that sounds tedious.

  6. #6
    ezcc is offline Gold level (500+ posts)
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
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    920

    Default

    I also do mine online through my bank's bill pay. The only thing on autopay is the mortgage, with everything else the bill comes to the bank and then I schedule payment myself.

  7. #7
    o_mom is offline Pink Diamond level (15,000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
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    Central IN
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    15,743

    Default

    Online bill pay for most (from our bank's website). I think we have one that is auto pay from checking, and a couple that are auto pay by credit card.

    Once you enter all the account information, the monthly bill paying is simple. There are a few that need 3-5 days to get there, but most are 24 hrs. I think DH does it twice a month to catch all the various due dates.

  8. #8
    sariana is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    Sep 2008
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    Bay Area, CA
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    6,250

    Default

    I pay online but mostly from the vendors’ sites because when I used my bank’s bill pay, things were getting there late. So I’ve set up each company to connect to my checking account. I still have to log in each month (or whatever the cycle is) because, like you, I don’t want things to autopay.

    I still use checks for some things, such as the gardener, because I don’t use apps when I can avoid it. And I don’t trust those pay apps. I log in to the sites with a browser.
    DS '04 "Boogaboo"
    DD '08 "Lilybear"

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Location
    The Land of the Tar Heels
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    4,138

    Default

    I mostly pay through vendor sites. I do have some things set up through my bank's bill pay feature, but it requires several days lead time, and I was forgetting to schedule things. lol My cell phone bill is auto draft, which was a requirement to get the deal on my phone. My car payment, which I just paid off, was also auto draft.

    I still have checks, too! I use them to pay our quarterly HOA and to pay various other things. For example, my son's basketball organization accepts cash, checks and Cash App. I swear DH and I are the only ones on the team without Cash App. lol
    DS: Raising heck since 12/09

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
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    North-East
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    4,989

    Default

    I still bitch over having to use a check for two vendors that won’t move with the times. They’re my landscaper and recycle.

    I go with my bank ebill and if they don’t have my vendor, I pay directly from vendor website which is only one or two. The rest goes quickly. I always have the CC minimum autopay just so I won’t forget due date but usually pay statement balance when I see my minimum autoay was send.

    Sign up for paperless so you get reminded of pending bill before the autopay so you can readjust the amount.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
    Mummy to DS1-6/11 and DS2-1/14

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