JustCurious
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2006
- Messages
- 1,396
For those who travel or are away from home for an extended period of time, how do you pay your bills while you are away? (I am referring to the regular monthly bills at home, as well as any bills or expenses that you incur while travelling, such as hotel, food, transportation, etc) Obviously if you are away from home for less than 30 days, you can still keep up with the regular monthly bills at home by making sure they are paid up before you leave, and the next month's bills will not become due until you get back. But, if you are gone for several months, how do you pay the monthly bills, like electricity, telephone, water, cable, credit cards, insurance, homeowner's dues, mortgage, yard maintenance, etc.? Obviously I know that you can use online billpay and electronic banking from anywhere with a computer and an internet connection. I also know that regular monthly bills that are the same amount every month (like a mortgage payment or the cable bill) can be set up to be paid automatically every month using online billpayment offered by most banks and credit unions.
How do you handle bills that vary every month, like electricity or water? Are you concerned about accessing your financial accounts from public computers to make bill payments? Do you take a laptop with you? Do you prepay your credit card before you leave so that you don't expect to have a bill before you get back? How many credit cards do you take? How do you access cash? Do you take precautions in case you lose your wallet or purse? Are there special concerns when you are in a foreign country? If you take large amounts of cash with you, how do you secure it? Do you purchase foreign currency before leaving the country? Do you use travellers checks?
How do you handle bills that vary every month, like electricity or water? Are you concerned about accessing your financial accounts from public computers to make bill payments? Do you take a laptop with you? Do you prepay your credit card before you leave so that you don't expect to have a bill before you get back? How many credit cards do you take? How do you access cash? Do you take precautions in case you lose your wallet or purse? Are there special concerns when you are in a foreign country? If you take large amounts of cash with you, how do you secure it? Do you purchase foreign currency before leaving the country? Do you use travellers checks?