Paying Bills Online

Are you still writing checks and attaching stamps to envelopes each month? Interested in paying online but worried that it might be too hard or too vulnerable to theft? Online bill paying is both easy as well as secure. To top it off, it's much faster than paying bills the old-fashioned way and is usually free. Save time and money by paying your bills online.

Most banks offer online bill paying for small fees if not for free. All that's needed is internet access and a web browser. Depending on the bank and their system, you can also use online bill paying in conjunction with popular banking software such as Microsoft Money or Intuit Quicken however these programs aren't generally required.

The best part of paying bills online is that many of your fixed monthly bills can be automated. For example, if you know that your homeowner's association dues are $50 a month due on the 1^st of the month, you can schedule payments one time and let the online bill paying system automatically make the payment each month. You'll never miss another payment or be late again.

When you first start paying bills online, you will need to enter each bill into the system making your first time more time-consuming than they will be in the future. Once all of your payees are entered, in the future, you will just choose them from the list, enter the amount due and the due date and that's it. It really only takes a few keystrokes to pay your bills each month!

While you're at it, don't forget to set yourself up as a payee and "pay" yourself regularly by setting up regular transfers to your savings account or retirement account. This simple strategy will assist you in building up your savings on a steady, regular basis.