Topic: Online bill paying is the best thing ever.

[ScaryTooth]

Pretty much. I go to my account, hit "pay bill" select the bill I want to pay, enter the amount I want to pay, hit submit payment, done!

On the downside, my actual checkbook hasn't really been balanced in the last month or so. I've just gotten lazy with it.

[JacksRag(e)]

Mmmhm, it's convenient.  But you gotta be careful with where it goes and everything, too.  We've had a lot of headaches too when the payment goes to the wrong place for whatevr reason.  Like recently, AT&T changed its billing name because of the merger and so forth.  That was a pain when we found out our payment was late.  That and sometimes little mistakes crop up.  Still, it's much more convenient than sending in a check every month. 

[Quemaqua]

I wouldn't trust that shit as far as I could throw it.  I don't even trust direct deposit (did once, and had numerous bad experiences).  Fuck anybody else touching my money as far as I'm concerned.  I don't feel safe about it in the least.

[scottws]

Lol you sound pretty paranoid.

[PyroMenace]

Well I guess its really a question of who to trust, the internets or the postal service... yea, good luck.

[Ghandi]

Crafty Mexicans and their glass candy....

[Cobra951]

Pretty much. I go to my account, hit "pay bill" select the bill I want to pay, enter the amount I want to pay, hit submit payment, done!

On the downside, my actual checkbook hasn't really been balanced in the last month or so. I've just gotten lazy with it.

I've done this for close to 3 years now.  You tie a checking account number to each of the creditors, then you sit down once a month and let your fingers do the clicking.  I'd never make it an automatic thing.  Authorizing withdrawals every month without your say-so is a bad idea.

As for the checkbook, I use an Excel sheet, very simple one.  It's a column of figures with the sign inverted.  The rows are the record data for the transaction (who, why, when . . .).  Deposits are negative and payments are positive.  That makes the deposits stand out, and saves on having to enter a zillion negative signs.  And yes, the account balance (sum) shows as negative.  Otherwise, I'm in trouble.  I'm usually accurate to the penny when I check this against the bank account, also online.  I've saved enough on stamps to see a few movies at the theater, I have no doubt.

[ScaryTooth]

Yeah, I do it manually. I don't have anything automatic set up. I like to keep track of my money, and I'm pretty good with it. I've just gotten lazy over the last couple months or so while using it.

[Quemaqua]

Lol you sound pretty paranoid.

I sound paranoid because I don't trust the concept of other people moving my money around in cyberspace?  I'll make online transactions with credit, because that's not real money, but it stops there.  Granted, the end result is the same either way since this doesn't change the fundamental facts about what the American dollar has become (numbers in a computer, backed by nothing), but in no way do I want to take steps even further away from that.

[Cobra951]

Do you realize how paper checks often work now?  When the creditor receives your check, they'll issue a withdrawal request from the account on the bottom of the check electronically.  They get the money transferred before your check ever gets to the bank.  All you'd be doing by going online is saving trees and postage. 

[Ghandi]

I let my imaginary wife handle the bills.

[Quemaqua]

Do you realize how paper checks often work now?  When the creditor receives your check, they'll issue a withdrawal request from the account on the bottom of the check electronically.  They get the money transferred before your check ever gets to the bank.  All you'd be doing by going online is saving trees and postage. 

It's the principle of the thing.  I hate it all and I can't stand being close to it. 

[TheOtherBelmont]

I pay bills online whenever I can, unfortunately the only bill I can do that with is the cable/phone bill, but since I work for the cable company, I just pay it when I go to work.  I don't let my bank do any bills for me though even though I can.  I get direct deposit as well, so nice getting my money at midnight and not having to go and deposit my check.  When I was in Phoenix, I could pay all my bills online except for my rent, which was nice, theres even some apartments that let you pay the rent online too, I wish ours did that since the jackasses recently lost our October rent payment when we physically handed it to them.

[nickclone]

It's the principle of the thing.  I hate it all and I can't stand being close to it. 

Haha! I don't think there is a lot we can agree on is there? I'm all for direct deposit (despite that SNL sketch), but I would never, ever pay my bills online, especially if it were automatic.

[scottws]

I pay bills online whenever I can, unfortunately the only bill I can do that with is the cable/phone bill, but since I work for the cable company, I just pay it when I go to work.  I don't let my bank do any bills for me though even though I can.  I get direct deposit as well, so nice getting my money at midnight and not having to go and deposit my check.  When I was in Phoenix, I could pay all my bills online except for my rent, which was nice, theres even some apartments that let you pay the rent online too, I wish ours did that since the jackasses recently lost our October rent payment when we physically handed it to them.

Right, people who don't trust direct deposit baffle me.  Hmmm get my money at midnight automatically Thursday night or get my check, take it to the bank to deposit it after work on Friday, and get the money maybe Tuesday?

I've had problems with direct deposit before, but the problem was just that I got a regular check instead of direct deposit a couple of times.

[Cobra951]

The only reason I balked at that was that the agreement authorized the employer to reach into my checking account and take out money, if they decided that a mistake had been made.  What's a mistake, a whole paycheck after we have a falling out maybe?  That wasn't spelled out in the agreement.

[Quemaqua]

Well, you can say that other problems with direct deposit don't exist all you like, but I've experienced them on multiple occasions.  I'm not saying it's likely, but I've never had a regular deposit get fucked up when taking a check to the teller, and on 3 occasions I had problems with direct deposit (two different employers): depositing money into the wrong account, not depositing it at all, and not depositing it on time.  And none of it was ever my fault, which I know because I had copies of the paperwork, so it wasn't like I did something stupid and mucked it up.  Somebody else did, and that's the whole point - I don't trust anybody else to do anything right.  After those experiences, I don't understand why it would seem baffling that I'd want to avoid having anything to do with it.  In fact, it would be baffling to be stupid enough to try it again, especially since I already know that the payroll department at my job is filled with subhuman fuckwits.