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BANG FOR THE BITE
If 10,000 Biters pay one bill online instead of by mail, we’ll save the weight of 831 bags of Tootsie Pops in paper.
COCKTAIL FACT
Engineering students at Purdue University created a licking machine that averaged 364 licks to reach the center of a Tootsie Pop. We, obviously, prefer to bite.
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home › tip library › Online Bill Pay
How many licks does it take to pay your bills?
The Bite
Too many. Why lick any envelopes at all when there’s direct bill pay? You’ll save hassle, trees, and energy. Plus, the cash you’ll save on stamps will buy you a few well-deserved Tootsie Pops.The Benefits
- It’s usually free. There’s no charge for 80% of U.S. online bill-pay services. Online banking saves banks money, so most banks bundle free auto bill pay with other services.
- Convenience. Never miss another payment, and let your tongue rest easy.
- More trees and water. If all U.S. households viewed and paid bills electronically, we’d save 18.5 million trees and 15.8 billion gallons of water per year.
- More cash. Save up to $148 per year on stamps.
- Safety. A recent study found people who bank online can reduce their chances of identity theft by 10% (and risk fewer paper cuts).
Personally Speaking
Along with annoying car alarms and global warming, late fees rank high on our list of upsetting things, but one of the easiest to avoid. Now we just need to figure out a way to auto-pay those auto parking tickets we keep getting...Wanna Try?
- Ask Your Bank - most major banks have free bill pay services.
- MyCheckFree - easy, free bill pay in case your bank doesn’t provide the service.
- Paytrust - this service costs, but unlike most free services, it lets you pay any bill and keeps your records for eight years ($13/month).
Aug 06,2007
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All editorial suggestions in this tip are the result of testing and a preference for the tip topic. No advertiser has paid to have its company referenced in the tip. For more information, please read our Editorial Policy.
Scented Letters
The first time I saw Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the thing that most charmed me about Holly Golightly (besides her love for Cat) was her mailbox. It contained no bills, no catalogs, just perfume, lipstick, and a mirror.
Of course I’ve long wished to do the same. Getting off junk mail lists got me halfway there, and with online bill pay (just one more left to set up!) I’m even closer to making my way. The invitations, postcards, and letters will just have to squeeze in between the bottles.
-Jenifer Morgan…off to Sing Sing…
Of course I’ve long wished to do the same. Getting off junk mail lists got me halfway there, and with online bill pay (just one more left to set up!) I’m even closer to making my way. The invitations, postcards, and letters will just have to squeeze in between the bottles.
-Jenifer Morgan…off to Sing Sing…
Biter Comments...
While I am diligent about being a good Biter and helping make the world a better place, I would have to disagree with the statements of Today's Bite. Online banking transactions, internet scams and fraudulent hackers accounted for over 50% of the identity fraud last year, whereas mail fraud was less than 9% according to the FDIC. With a locked mailbox, you can reduce the risk of mail fraud exponentially. It's much harder to reduce that risk when you're online with unscrupulous hackers.
In an effort to be eco friendly and still keep my info offline as much as possible, I shred all my personal information from my mail and recycle it. That shredded paper also is great for stuffing packages instead of styrofoam.
I have also joined GreenDimes to reduce my junk mail. And I've told all the charities I support to stop sending me unsolicited materials, like calendars, notepads, labels, etc.
In my mind, saving myself from spending thousands of dollars over identity fraud online helps keep me free to fight for good causes!
Well I have been using Bank of America's online billpay for about 5 years now. I don't have my information in any other databases than it would have been otherwise. I also don't receive a single paper bill in the mail. Everything is paid through them. It is not an automatic deduction, rather I spend about 3 minutes at the beginning of every month paying the bills. Not only are my utilities covered but everything else. They will even print and mail a check if the payee doesn't accept electronic payments. I also have a record of every single transaction for the last 5 years plus my statements are available online (no paper there either) and they notify me by email and cellphone every time my debit card is used.
Since I don't have personal information sent to me in the form of bills. I don't worry about identity theft because I have insurance through the bank to cover that. My wife and I had money stolen from our account before we started using online billpay (on our honeymoon), where someone stole a credit card receipt from a restaurant. The bank replaced the money the next morning. My wife has also been the victim of identity theft where a co-worker stole her employment records. Done properly online, it is the most secure way to pay bills. The fact that we only write 2 or 3 checks a year is comforting. Everything else is paid for electronically with all the protections provided.
Yes, online banking is not free even with Bank of America and many errors are made that cause many headaches!!
I think everyone has a different opinion when it cames to their personal records and a different method on how they chose to keep those records. I would not do online banking and also have many opinions on how these companies and such throw social security card #'s around which according to the privacy act in our constitution were never meant to be identity numbers!! Amazing how many people from different companies feel they have a right to ask for them including schools who are too lazy to make up their own number method in computer system other than ssn... This is why identity theft is so easy!!! People are not informed of their rights and feel they have to divulge this highly sensitive number out to anyone who asks for it including job application forms!!
The only kind of payment I've ever done for my bills is through online banking - less hassle and near-instant approval to let you know your payment went through. A LOT less arguing with annoying pay collectors that way, too. Not to mention how easy it is to make payments when away from my home on vacation!
If you are careful, educate yourself a little in internet security (which you should do anyway), and make sure to use secure sites (and as an extra bonus, invest in a little insurance) then you can enjoy online banking without worry. Hackers will go for the easiest, least educated targets. Just take a little time to learn how to protect yourself online and keep the list of sites you drop your information into at a minimum and you will be just fine.
There are quite a few misconceptions about Social Security numbers. There is no law in the United States that says an individual's Social Security number cannot be used as identification. There actually never has been. What the law says is that you cannot be denied Federal or State services if you choose not to supply this number unless the law specifically requires the social security number for the dispersment of the services (e.g. Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, AFDC, SSI and most other welfare programs require it by law). It is required to obtain employment in this country as well.
The entire purpose of the number is for identification purposes. The actual little paper card could not be used as identification if it was issued before 1972. In 1972, they removed that line of text.
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_154.html
It is up to you to keep this number safe. However the people stealing identities don't need your social security number or your information out of a database. Most fraud is done with generated credit card numbers or actually stolen when you use the card at an offline location. The best thing you can do is work with your bank to block those transactions and use services like Mastercard Securecode and Verified by Visa.
As far as online billpay charges, Bank of America has never charged me a dime outside my normal checking account fees. There may be a fee with free checking but as an independent consultant without direct deposit, I don't qualify for such programs. Of course each bank is different so shop around.
In 1930 Social Security was initially set up and the American people were sincerely assured the number would never be used for anything other than Social Security. That promise was broken and it has now become a de facto identification number and the kind of thing that you find in totalitarian, authoritarian societies. Kindergarten through Universities and colleges are not allowed to give out personal data on students and the students are protected with the Privacy act of 1974 (Buckley Amendment). They are not allowed to use your SSN as a student identification number, of course it is up to you to be aware of this!! SSN are are all over the internet and are being used to create new identities for opening accounts. Be cautious with all numbers including credit cards and don't just give your SSN to any establishment that asks for it. Assume nothing, and know your rights as an American Citizen!!
Thank you for great facts about social security number
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: Braizyn | August 06, 2007 at 06:56 AM