Do you Autopay your Monthly Bills?

[JBTX]

Almost Everything is on autopay and has been for almost 30 years. Most bills paid with credit card autopay, and credit cards auto drafted from banks. I don’t recall ever having a problem - except when BOA inexplicably froze my bank account and I had to scramble around to pay from different accounts.

 

[mystang52]

I use autopay for everything except credit cards. A while back I changed all of my cards to have a closing date on or about the 28th, and the autopays I have all process on the 3rd of each month. Our pensions all post on the 1st of the month. Wife and I have a romantic date on the 1st of each month where we record all of the income and payments. Like all of our romantic interludes, this can last as long as 5 minutes

 

[FLSUnFIRE]

I generally do not like auto-debits from companies but my CC are all automatically pulled from my checking account. The only non-CC entities I allow auto-debit are the electric company and USAA. I push my payment for water/sewer to the City via my CU's free bill pay service as paying by check is the only payment option without fees. Any other recurring bill I have set up to automatically charge the most beneficial rewards card.

 

[DrRoy]

+1 on autopay for everything I can. Never had a problem.

+2

 

[thod]

Almost everything is electronic, but not all are automated (infrequent ones have a manual component). They are either CC or pull from bank account.

I have left one bill (the City water/garbage bill) where I still write a check every month. Just to make sure I will still remember how. I do not mail it though. There is a payment drop box that is right on one of our regular routes, so we just drop it in.

 

[Luvtoride]

I use autopay for everything except credit cards. A while back I changed all of my cards to have a closing date on or about the 28th, and the autopays I have all process on the 3rd of each month. Our pensions all post on the 1st of the month. Wife and I have a romantic date on the 1st of each month where we record all of the income and payments. Like all of our romantic interludes, this can last as long as 5 minutes

I love that!!
Does anyone remember the early days of “pay by phone” banking? Over 30 years ago, you dialed into a phone number of your bank and set up payments with a touch tone phone using pre assigned payee codes. Was rudimentary but was a step in the development of online banking we have today.

 

[jazz4cash]

I love that!!
Does anyone remember the early days of “pay by phone” banking? Over 30 years ago, you dialed into a phone number of your bank and set up payments with a touch tone phone using pre assigned payee codes. Was rudimentary but was a step in the development of online banking we have today.

Yes!! My BIL recently reminded me that he had never seen anyone use bank by phone until he accompanied me on a business trip. That was in the ‘90’s? Long distance phone calls were expensive , especially from a hotel. I called into some kind of service and then called the bank. I had a list of payments and merchant codes. BIL worked at a bank and had been warned by a colleague that the process was glitchy and executed manually on the bank’s end so he avoided it. I was also an early adopter of ATMs.

 

[scrabbler1]

When my then-86-year-old dad got unexpectedly injured back in 2017 and didn't return home for 3 weeks (hospital and rehab), I had to scramble to make sure all his bills got paid. He mailed paper checks for all of them. I set up autopay for most of them in case something happened to him again. And it did in 2021 although this 3-week hospital stay and rehab were planned in advance, so the far fewer paper checks he had to mail out got done before he went to the hospital.

He was still mailing his credit card payment every month even though he has a local bank branch nearby. After a check got lost in the mail for 2 months, incurring late fees and interest charges I was able to, with some difficulty, reverse, I showed him how to pay this bill by phone (the credit card and checking account are with the same bank). He has no interest in online banking.

A few other bills, none monthly, I handle for him on line using his credit card. He still mails a few checks for mostly non-monthly bills. One of them is to his landscaper who accepts only checks.

 

[Kings over Queens]

I have a new responsibility in retirement where I now am paying the utility bills.
Presently I am paying house bills monthly on-line. I am wondering if should I set up autopay for most of bills? Do you trust the bank and or credit card pay method on-line?

Yes. Of the 4 or 5 only one requires a manual payment (quarterly). It's just easier and I'm looking for simplification.

 

[CO-guy]

Most things are on autopay, but I still review credit card statements online monthly to sort expenses and pay them (in full) manually.

 

[pacergal]

Almost all bills are either direct debit/ACH "pull", or I electronically "push". I write checks rarely, for charities and taxes. I reconcile the checking acct around the first of the month for the bills and review it weekly. As many of the utility bills as possible are on a "average pay", so they are the same 11 months out of the year, with the 12th one either larger or a credit.

The one thing I have not gotten around to yet, is have bills paid via credit card rather than checking. That may be get done this year. Or not, we have never had a problem with the checking acct.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Not all, I like to set up "Auto Push" Payments with my CU. For all the Re-occurring payments, I set up 12 payments at the beginning of the year. Medicare Part G, D, Car Lease, HOA etc., so I am in control. I pay utilities Manually every month via my CU's BillPay. For those that give me a discount to AutoPay, I do AutoPay. I prefer to "Push" money to my creditors rather than have them "Pull". It is very hard to stop them when you want.

 

[Aerides]

I autopay everything I absolutely can. Been doing it for as long as I can remember with no issues.

But I know it's saved me:
I've never forgotten or had to call and get a fee waived because I was a day late.
Even just 5 minutes a month adds up!

Like others, for variable stuff like CC's I review them enough anyway, to catch an issue. Besides, even if you pay it, that doesn't waive your right to dispute and that headache is the same process, auto-pay or not.

 

[Dreamer]

+1 on autopay for everything I can. Never had a problem.

+2

 

[gauss]

I do now, but whenever I think I am going to need to sever my relationship with a biller, I will turn off the autopay a few months beforehand.

This seems to be the best of both worlds to me.

-gauss

 

[teej1985]

I generally do not like auto-debits from companies but my CC are all automatically pulled from my checking account. The only non-CC entities I allow auto-debit are the electric company and USAA. I push my payment for water/sewer to the City via my CU's free bill pay service as paying by check is the only payment option without fees. Any other recurring bill I have set up to automatically charge the most beneficial rewards card.

I've always used credit card auto-pay to pay for USAA. Free cashback!

 

[RonBoyd]

I autopay every thing I can. In fact, I get very irritated when it is not offered. As with State Farm Insurance Co. (4 policies) whom I have complained to for years -- However, I notice that the statement I received last week seems to now offer that option.

 

[ivinsfan]

I let the company or entity bill a credit card wherever possible so as to maximize credit card spending incentives. Some places will not me let use credit cards so, so I let them debit from my checking account -- gas company, city water, T-Mobile cell phone, etc.

Most everything is on autopay for my simplicity and has been for years. I let them initiate payment so that I don't have to.

HOWEVER, I do manually pay all my credit cards every month rather than let them pull from my bank. I prefer to double check things on the cards first. But I do pay them all by initiating payment from my bank online account.

This has been my routine for many, many years.

Do you mind if I ask about the CCs. You can check your charges virtually in real time. I have an CC app on my phone that texts me every time a charge is processed. If you're concerned about fraud that's far superior. Since CCs have the most downside (cost) to a forgotten or late payment, that's the one I have on autopay.

 

[RE2Boys]

I very seldom write any checks, usually just one for landscaper to trim my 12 foot shrubs and pay local trade folks and auto mechanic (he hates credit card payments).


ISP and streaming service automatic to credit card. Insurance is via direct debit from checking. All other bills paid through bank bill pay that I must initiate.

 

[rk911]

We auto-pay all our monthly bills including credit card payments thru ACH debit and have been doing this for many, many years. We started doing this when we were vacationing in our motorhome. A bill would c9me, my BIL would open it, call us and we'd write a check and mail it. ACH debit changed all that. Very convenient and only a single issue in all those years and that was a utility company thay failed to ping my bank for payment. We also have all routine income...SS and pensions, auto-deposited.

 

[statsman]

I review all bills before paying them - and "push" rather than authorize a "pull." Most bills (other than taxes) are on my credit card(s).

Pretty much the same here. The medical insurance premiums are on auto-pay, as is Sling TV (I think that's the case for most fee-based streaming services). Most everything else is a push payment/bill pay/check. Utilities, credit cards, HOA fees, landscape services, ...

 

[PaunchyPirate]

Do you mind if I ask about the CCs. You can check your charges virtually in real time. I have an CC app on my phone that texts me every time a charge is processed. If you're concerned about fraud that's far superior. Since CCs have the most downside (cost) to a forgotten or late payment, that's the one I have on autopay.

I check my credit card transactions daily in a couple ways. I see them download into Quicken. I sign into my online account for the card every morning that I am home (it's part of my morning routine). I also have instant alerts for all purchases set up to go to my phone.

I'm not overly concerned with fraud, because of how often I see my account details. I've had fraud hit me on several occasions. It happens. You deal with it.

I prefer to click on a button to pay my credit card bills so that I can choose when I want to pay it. They are often in the multiple thousands of dollars. 99% of the time, I pay the card bill within a day or 2 of when it closes for the month. I just like to put the balance back to zero rather than have it linger there for 2-3 weeks after the statement closes. Also, sometimes, I move money around and into my checking account as part of my cash flow management. I just like one final check that there is enough cash in the account to cover the credit card bill.

It's just part of my financial routine and it works for me.

 

[stephenson]

We use a credit card to pay whenever possible - but refuse fees so don't use for some things like real estate taxes, HOA fees, etc. As noted, this can amount to significant cash back or travel points - and, serves as an interface to check charges.

We monitor cc charges via text and email (both of us JIC one misses something), then review each cycle.

Everything else is via direct payment out, or by allowing pulls to ensure everything stays paid off.

 

[Toast]

I have autopay for anything possible. No issues, unless I have messed something up.

Exactly my experience.

 

[yakers]

yes, autopay all monthly bills, use separate credit card for these payments