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Staying on top of all your monthly bills takes more than just having enough money in your bank account. You also need the organizational skills so everything is paid on time.
No one wants to get hit with a late fee — or worse, have their service turned off or cancelled — because they forgot to pay a bill on time.
One way to keep up with multiple bill payments is to enlist help from a bill pay service and let it do all the hard work for you.
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What Are Bill Pay Services?
It’s pretty self explanatory: They’re automated online services that facilitate paying your bills via website or app.
The money, of course, is still coming from your account. However, you give the service permission to pull funds from your checking account and send it to your landlord, mortgage company, utility company or other service provider on or ahead of the bill’s due date.
You provide the bill pay company with your bank account information and all the information for the account you want paid, and it will ensure the bill is paid on your behalf — like your own person bill paying secretary.
You set it up once and don’t have to worry about remembering multiple due dates anymore.
What Are the Pros and Cons of a Bill Pay Service?
Bill paying services can be a great tool, but that doesn’t mean they’re for everybody. Here are some of the benefits and disadvantages of using a service to automatically pay your bills.
Pros
- Keeps all your monthly payments organized in one place
- Removes the hassle of having to remember multiple due dates
- Saves time
- Helps you avoid paying late fees or getting your service cut off
Cons
- You’re giving a third party access to your bank account and/or service account(s)
- Some bill pay services cost money
- If you set it and forget it but don’t have enough money in your account, you’ll encounter overdraft fees
5 Bill Pay Services to Help You Budget
Key Features
- View bills as a list or on a calendar
- Works with over 11,000 service providers
- Sends reminders about due dates
Prism is a useful app that allows users to see their income, account balances and monthly bills all in one place — and schedule same-day or future bill payments. It eliminates the need to log into multiple websites to pay your bills throughout the month.
Prism
Cost
Free
Available as an app
Yes
Quicken Bill Manager
Best for Quicken users
Key Features
- Pays bills digitally or by paper check
- Can check the status of sent bills
- Access to other Quicken features
You need a Quicken account to use Quicken Bill Manager, but if you have Quicken Premier or Quicken Home and Business, this service comes free. Use Quicken Bill Manager to not only send electronic payments but to pay your landlord or gardener who only accepts physical checks.
Quicken Bill Manager
Cost
Free with some Quicken accounts or $9.95 a month
Available as an app
Yes
MyCheckFree
Best for desktop users
Key Features
- Works with hundreds of service providers
- Sends email reminders for upcoming bills
- Guarantees bills will be paid
MyCheckFree lets users receive and pay all their bills on one platform at no monthly cost. This service is only available for website use, but it’s a good option for desktop users who don’t mind the simple interface. Users must schedule payments a few days before the bill’s due date to ensure on-time payment, but if you’re hit with a late fee, the company will cover the cost up to $50.
MyCheckFree
Cost
Free, but fees may apply for same-day payments
Available as an app
No
Paytrust
Best for those overwhelmed with paper bills
Key Features
- Processes electronic or paper bills
- Sends alerts about upcoming bills
- Give you reports of your bill payments
Paytrust consolidates all your bills in one place — even the ones you don’t have online accounts for. Just redirect your paper bills to Paytrust and reduce the clutter in your mailbox. You can set up one-time or recurring payments, and sync multiple bank accounts. You can even add personal comments to your bill payments for record keeping purposes.
Paytrust
Cost
First month free, then $9.95 a month after
Available as an app
No
Silver Bills
Best for seniors
Key Features
- Developed to serve senior citizens
- Can use without logging into a computer
- Access to a dedicated account manager
You don’t have to be tech savvy to use this service. While SilverBills does offer an online portal, you could set everything up by phone, if desired. SilverBills processes both electronic and paper bills. The company assigns each customer to a dedicated account manager who reviews all incoming bills to spot any discrepancies.
Silver Bills
Cost
$10-$99 a month
Available as an app
No
4 Alternative Bill Payment Options
There are additional ways you can schedule an automatic bill payment without enrolling in a service. You may already be familiar with these options.
Your Bank or Credit Union
Many financial institutions allow their customers to set up automatic bill payments at no extra cost. When you log into your online banking platform, look for information about setting up online bill pay.
Setting up bill pay through your bank is a favorable option, because you don’t have to give your bank account information out to another company. You just provide your bank or credit union with your service account information, like the account number, the amount to pay and the due date or frequency of payments.
Your Credit Card Company
Major credit cards also have free automatic bill payment. If your credit card gives you points or cash back on transactions, it can be really beneficial to pay bills through your credit card.
Similar to setting up bill pay with your bank or credit union, you’ll provide your credit card company with the necessary information to schedule upcoming bill payments. One thing to be aware of is that your service provider might charge an extra fee to process credit card payments.
Make sure you factor that into your decision to use this option.
Also, know that if you’re using your credit card to pay bills, you’re taking on more debt. Paying your credit card bill in full each month will keep you from negatively impacting your credit score.
Prepaid Debit or Credit Cards
If you have a prepaid debit or credit card in your name, you may be able to set up automatic bill payments.
This will be similar to paying through your financial institution or credit card, except you have to be more cognizant that you have enough money loaded onto your prepaid card to cover all your upcoming bill payments.
Also, be aware that some prepaid cards may charge you a monthly fee.
Your Service Provider
Another popular option to pay bills is to set up auto payments directly through your service provider.
You’ll give your service provider — like Netflix, your student loan servicer or the electric company — your bank information, debit card number or credit card number, and you’ll authorize them to pull money to cover your bill by the due date.
Some service providers may even provide a discount to you if you enroll in their automatic bill pay services.
However, it’s important to stay on top of your bills and not just set it and forget it. If your bill runs super high one month or you’re mistakenly charged extra fees, your service provider will pull that money from your account. If you don’t have enough funds in your account to cover it, you’ll overdraft.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve got several bill payments with due dates spread out throughout the month and find it challenging to keep up with it all, using a bill pay service can improve your financial life.
There are several options to get the job done. You could opt for a company such as Prism, Quicken Bill Pay, MyCheckFree, Paytrust or SilverBills — or just set up auto payments through your bank, credit card, prepaid card or service provider.
Whatever route you choose, enjoy the assurance of knowing your monthly bills are covered. No more stressing about late payments.
Nicole Dow is a senior writer for The Penny Hoarder.
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