“Bills and Pills; Bills and Pills” to quote Disney’s Pollyanna. No one likes them! But they are just some of life’s necessary evils.
While I can’t give you a pain-free experience when paying your bills, I can help you make the actual mechanisms of paying bills a breeze and sometimes, that’s half the battle.
In this wonderful word of technology, we have great tools available to us but in most cases, they are categorically under used! Below, we’ll discuss some tools in the toolbox of bill paying that you can use to make the process easier.
We’ll also address their pros and cons so you can decide which are right for you. Having a system, no matter what you choose, is the most important thing you can do to make your life easier.
Tool #1- Auto Pay.
Pros
Set it once and forget it! Often the vendor itself will have an auto-pay option on their website.
You simply enter the amount you want to pay, your routing and bank information, and date of debit, and you’re set up.
Your bills will be automatically debited each month.
Cons
If you run into some cash flow issues, you have to be sure to go in and change or cancel the debit date within the allotted period they allow you to change it, OR you will overdraft your bank account.
If you have irregular pay dates, this may not be a good option for you.
Hints: You can set your payment within the grace period even if it is after the due date without needing to request a payment date change. It’s usually 10 days, but don’t assume!
Make sure you check that you’re not accruing late fees or bad pay history by over-staying your grace date. Also, if you need to, vendors typically allow one due date change per account history, so if you know the due date won’t work for you, change the date. But choose wisely- typically you get only one shot!
Tool #2- Online Bill Pay.
Pros
This system is typically offered through your bank, although some vendors offer the one-time pay option as well on their websites.
Done right, you can spend an hour or so once a month, and set up the dates that you want the vendors to debit your account for that month’s bills.
This is a great system for those with irregular pay dates because you have more control and insight into your budget and cash flow for that month!
Cons
You have to invest time monthly to set up these payments.
Tool #3 – Banking Apps.
Pros
This is basically the mobile version of #2, but many people don’t remember to use the apps for their bank. You can do all the things on your app that you can do on their website in most cases, but they are more user-friendly.
The mobile banking app is convenient because you can utilize it while on-the-go (think lengthy medical appointments waiting room times, and dead times at the soccer field, etc.) so if you’re a multi-tasker, this is a great tool!
Cons
If you lose your phone or it’s stolen, you run the security risk of someone having access to your banking info. These days though, our phones are an extension of our wallets and we all know to treat it as such!
Just be sure to include security measures as you would for any other information you don’t want shared with a thief. (password protection, lost phone locator apps, and etc.)
With a little planning each month, your bill paying nightmares can be a dream! Don’t delay! Get a system in place today.
