What is the easiest way to pay bills?
Streamline the payment process
To effectively manage bills, stay organized using tools like calendars, spreadsheets, and payment reminders to track due dates, and establish habits like a regular bill-paying day each month and auto-pay options when possible.
- Create a budget. Planning = peace. ...
- Evaluate expense versus experience. Know what feels better than paying bills on time? ...
- Get alerts and apps. ...
- Align due dates with payday. ...
- Spread out large expenses. ...
- Automate. ...
- Choose the right account. ...
- Get to the root of stress.
Managing money
Some people choose to pay bills automatically, deducted from their accounts. This helps make sure they're paid on time. Talk about the pros and cons of other ways to pay bills, like paying in person, paying by mail with a check, and making payments by phone or online.
You should also use your checking account to pay bills in the following situations: Your provider charges a fee for paying by credit card. In most cases, you'll pay more in credit card convenience fees than you'll gain in card rewards and perks for using a credit card.
ACH payments are quick, secure, and convenient. They also have lower debt and credit risk, and they make it easier to manage your money. Unfortunately, there are no perks involved with paying bills via ACH, and you may incur bank fees.
Streamlining your bill pay isn't only smart—it saves you money, too. Paying a bunch of bills on different days of the month not only takes a lot of time, but it also adds stress to your life and sometimes leads to late payments and fees.
Those will become part of your budget. The 50-30-20 rule recommends putting 50% of your money toward needs, 30% toward wants, and 20% toward savings. The savings category also includes money you will need to realize your future goals. Let's take a closer look at each category.
1. The zero-based budget. The concept of a zero-based budgeting method is simple: Income minus expenses equals zero. This budgeting method is best for people who have a set income each month or can reasonably estimate their monthly income.
In the “Pay Yourself First” method, the first “bill” you pay every month is to your savings account. Transfer a pre-determined amount into savings at the beginning of the month. After you pay yourself, you should pay your bills, then use the rest however you please.
Is it good to pay bills with a credit card?
Like most transactions, paying bills with the card can help you earn rewards. Protect your money: Credit cards generally offer better fraud and purchase protection than debit cards and aren't connected to your personal cash. Improve your credit scores: Using a credit card can improve your credit scores.
Credit Cards and Unsecured Debts
Less important than necessities, insurance and work expenses is paying off unsecured debts. Unlike other more pressing bills, credit cards and similar debts can be deprioritized since they may not significantly impact your everyday life.
- Stop Taking on New Debt. ...
- Determine How Much You Owe. ...
- Create a Budget. ...
- Pay off the Smallest Debts First. ...
- Tackle Larger Debts. ...
- Look for Ways to Earn Extra Money. ...
- Boost Your Credit Scores. ...
- Explore Debt Consolidation and Debt Relief Options.
Take steps to reduce your debt. Consider consolidating high-interest debts, negotiating with creditors, or seeking debt relief programs. Seek professional advice: If you're feeling overwhelmed, seek advice from a financial advisor. They can help you create a plan to get your finances back on track.
Usually, food, housing, utilities, transportation and medical care take priority. Keep up on your mortgage or rent payment unless you plan to move to less expensive housing. This will help you avoid losing your house or getting evicted.
Take care of basic needs first.
Housing and electricity are essential to your health and safety. So is health insurance. If you own a home, your mortgage is considered a secured loan — meaning your house is collateral and the bank can repossess it if you become too delinquent in your payments.
Payment practices:
While websites account for the largest chunk of usage for the majority of bills, with the remaining percentage (over 50%) split between other platforms, including bank bill pay, phone payments, mail-in payments, and even in-person payments.
Depending on the type of bill and the merchant, you may be able to use a credit card to pay bills. Mortgages, rent and car loans typically can't be paid with a credit card. You may need to pay a convenience fee if you pay some bills, like utility bills, with a credit card.
Here are some cons of debit cards: They have limited fraud protection. According to the Federal Trade Commission, if your debit card is stolen and you notify your bank within two days, you could be responsible for up to $50 of any fraudulent charges.
Paying with a credit card not only provides you with an extra layer of security compared to a debit card, but rewards you with cash-back, redeemable points or travel miles. Some credit cards also have welcome bonuses in addition to other ongoing perks.
What is the most trusted payment method?
- Stripe: Best overall payment gateway.
- Adyen: Best omnichannel option.
- Helcim: Best interchange-plus pricing for businesses of all sizes.
- PayPal Payflow: Best for payment processor integrations.
- Square: Best if you also have a storefront.
Cards are still the most-used payment method, with American Express, Mastercard, Visa as large global card schemes. Even though they're recognized globally, other payment methods like online banking, direct debit, digital wallets, or Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) are more common elsewhere.
These include online purchases, phone-initiated payments, recurring payments, online invoice payments, and card-on-file payments. The least secure of these—and the least secure of all payment methods—are phone-initiated payments.
Make a bill-paying date with yourself
Choose a time when you sit down and pay your bills, whether it's once a month, twice a month or more. If you sit down only once a month to make payments, be sure to do it so you are paying bills on time or ahead of time.
50% of your net income should go towards living expenses and essentials (Needs), 20% of your net income should go towards debt reduction and savings (Debt Reduction and Savings), and 30% of your net income should go towards discretionary spending (Wants).
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