Send Payments

I wouldn't interpret it that way.

No.

Not exactly. It's for any financial institution that used to allow Bank Bill pay (which requires Direct Connect), but has now switched away from Direct Connect, such as BofA (the switch has typically been from Direct Connect to Express Web Connect+ - though Discover has switched from Direct Connect to plain Express Web Connect).

No.

For payments that occur at regular intervals and are for the same amount each interval (Rent, for example), it's just a one-time trip to the financial institution's web site to schedule a recurring billpay transaction.

For non-regular payments:

Some payees offer what are called "e-bills" (electronic bills). Those payees send an electronic bill to your bill payer, then you're informed of the upcoming bill date/amount. You can do nothing and the bill payer will pay automatically. Or you can go online and alter the payment amount. This method is especially useful for bills that vary in amount and/or interval.

For irregular payments to payees who do not offer e-bills, you can often have the payee automatically debit your bank account for each payment.

I've used all three; I spend very little time at the bill payer's web site for bill paying.

OK, understood. Thanks for the clarification.

I didn't know they were called e-bills, but I've paid bills that way.

Yes, unless they were e-bills and I didn't realize it, that's the way most of my bills are paid--utilities, credit cards, etc.

Same here. Almost never.

Two other things:

When I go to the Account List, in the Transaction Download column most accounts either say Yes (Direct Connect) or Yes (Express Web Connect). But Bank of America says Yes (Improve connection). Should I click on Improve Connection? What will it do if I click there?

In the Online Bill Pay column, Bank of America and a couple of other banks (one Direct Connect and the other Express Web Connect all say No (Set up Bill Manager). What is that? Should I do it? Is it hard to set up? Any disadvantages to doing it?

I would expect Express Web Connect accounts to say, "Yes, (Improve connection), if the financial institution offers Direct Connect or Express Web Connect+.

I would not. When I tried that in a test file, Quicken froze (I had to use Task Manager to "End Task").

As I understand it, at the end of the day, there will be NO "improved connection" for users whose Connection Method is Express Web Connect+. EWC+ will be at the top of the Connection Method food chain. Financial institutions offering Express Web Connect+ will no longer be supporting Direct Connect - and, in my opinion, the only Connection Method that could be considered an "improvement" over EWC+ would be Direct Connect. So I consider the "Improve connection" text on EWC+ accounts to be a mistake which Quicken will hopefully fix at some point.

But during the period of conversion to Express Web Connect+, Direct Connect will still be an allowed Connection Method for those who have not converted ... until such time as the deadline for conversion is enforced.

The current Quicken fidir.txt file shows BofA (for example) still allowing Direct Connect (*). My recollection is that today, October 10, 2022, is the deadline for converting from Direct Connect to Express Web Connect+. Until today, Direct Downloads from BofA worked as usual; but today (in a test file with BofA connected by Direct Connect), when I initiate a One Step Update in that file, I am presented with a dialog requiring me to "Sign In" to "Authorize" my BofA account(s). So today, the conversion requirement is being enforced.

I do not know when the fidir.txt file will be updated (by Quicken) to remove the Direct Connect capability. [My fidir.txt still shows Chase having Direct Connect available, though I believe their deadline to switch to EWC+ has passed. That same fidir.txt file shows Schwab no longer having Direct Connect available, and their deadline to switch to EWC+ has also passed. Something of an inconsistency there.]

[ (*) There is currently no way I know of to indicate EWC+ in the Quicken fidir.txt file.]

Personally, my tests of Bill Manager left me unsatisfied. Your experience my be different. "Set up Bill Manager" is a link; you should find some guidance by clicking on it.

Here are some articles on Bill Manager (they may cover some/all the same ground as the Quicken "Set up Bill Manager" link).

FYI: I believe that Quicken Premier (and above) users get Bill Manager for free, for at least some maximum number (12?) of checks/month. Users of lesser Quicken versions pay $9.95/month.

OK, thanks

Thanks. I'll look at these in a little while.

I use Premier, and12 check is more than I need,

OK, I went to that web site and followed the instruction to set up Bill Manager. I mostly want this to use for having payments sent by check from BofA to a couple of small companies I sometimes have to pay.

So I entered the exterminating company I use. The next payment will be the next time he comes, December 7. So I tried to set up that payment, but all that happened was that an entry was made in the BofA register. Essentially the entry is just a reminder to me.

Did I do something wrong? I there a way I can have the payment scheduled to be made by a check that BofA will mail?

If I can't do that, I think Bill Manager will probably be useless to me.

You said "Personally, my tests of Bill Manager left me unsatisfied." Can I ask what was unsatisfactory about it to you?

It has been a while since I tested Bill Manager, so I may not be able to help as much as I'd like.

But Bill Manager doesn't just setup reminders in your register; it communicates with a third-party provider to get your bills paid.

As I recall, the third party goes to the payee's server, determines what you owe and when; then, at the appropriate time, causes the payment to be made from the bank account you designated.

I think Bill Manager does more than what you've experienced, but I don't know that it works exactly as you are imagining.

I don't think anything is scheduled at your bank, I think it's scheduled with the third-party who will cause a payment to be made when it's needed.

I believe the place to monitor and manage Bill Manager payments in Quicken is on the Bills & Income tab.

Since it has been a while, I don't recall all the details, but it seemed a bit difficult to work with, and somewhat unreliable/inconsistent (plus I don't have all that many bills that are not already automated).

I would go through all the Quicken FAQ links I provided earlier; and give the Bills & Income tab a thorough going over. But I wouldn't beat my brains out trying to get satisfactory results; I don't think Bill Manager is ready to satisfy many Quicken customers, especially those who came from using Bank Billpay.

You may find the following Community discussion of interest:

Online Bills and Bill Reminders do not work together well.

Thanks very much.