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Finding Success with Online Bill Paying

By Elizabeth Wasserman

No one likes to pay bills, really. Not only is there a reluctance to part with hard-earned cash, but the sheer mechanics can be a headache. Organizing bills, keeping track of due dates, writing out the checks, balancing the checkbook, addressing the envelopes, and -- oh, yes -- remembering to drop by the post office to buy stamps.

However, you can bypass all these steps by simply paying your bills online. With a few mouse clicks, you can pay your utility company, mortgage bank, credit-card company, and so on. And this trend has more than caught on: Nearly 40 million American households are expected to use online banking services this year, according to the Online Banking Report. And when you pay your bills online through your bank's web site, your payments only take a day or two to "post" --compared to the up to five days it can take if you mail a paper check to cover your bills.

So, if online banking is so great, why are some of us still reluctant to try it? The reports about identity theft are enough to give qualms even to the technological elite. Dory Devlin, a mom and blogger at Yahoo Tech (tech.yahoo.com/blogs/devlin), put off banking online for a long time because she wasn't certain it was safe and thought it would be a hassle to get started.

"When I finally did jump in, it took only a few minutes to set up an online ID and password and start paying bills online," she says. "Now that I do, I wouldn't go back. It takes only minutes to pay our bills, transfer funds, and research checks paid and other account information."
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