I get a paper bill every month for all, save 1, of the pre-authorized payees. My long-distance bill is e-mailed to me--I then print it out. This saves me $1 a month. Cell-phone top-up of $10.50 a month is not paper invoiced--I just go on line to the provider and print out an account statement, IF and when necessary.
A LOT of people DO pay for that greatly overpriced service. And a lot more who USED to get it free and now finding that freeby eliminated. Just review the dozens of posts in this newsgroup from people who have started to get charged for the previously free service.
What about all your time EACH AND EVERY MONTH dicking around with Quicken Pay?
Been there, done that. We like a nearby physical branch and there aren't any.
Sharx3335 has written on 7/7/2011 7:20 PM:
What about trusting big bad banks?
snipped-for-privacy@nada.com has written on 7/7/2011 4:37 PM:
I don't have anything that said that and the phone rep in the software dept said "No".
John Pollard has written on 7/7/2011 5:35 PM:
Mea culpa.
Yeah, well...whatever it's called, I had it and didn't pay when my account was at Wachovia, and now Wells Fargo is charging me for it.
snipped-for-privacy@nada.com has written on 7/7/2011 4:59 PM:
Even smarter is to move to a PNC Bank account where the direct deposit of our Social Security checks satisfies their minimum and paying bills using Quicken is free!
I didn't say it was less painful than Quicken bill pay. I just said it was quick, easy, painless, and free. But, since you ask, it is $10.00 per month less painful.
You guys just don't get it!!! EVERY month, using your system, you have to pay each individual bill. Using MY system, once a payee is set up, NO MORE WORK--each and every month for years and years and years--all monthly payments are AUTOMATIC. My only involvement is scanning the bill to ensure its accuracy. 99.9999999999999999999% of the time it is accurate. I don't know why, except out of habit, why anyone wants to have to spend any more time on bill paying than is absolutely necessary.
Having to copy and paste EACH BILL EACH and EVERY MONTH, is
******NOT******* quick, easy, and painless. It is only "free" if you place absolutely NO value on your own time.
John is correct. Also, so-called "free" Bill pay, through Quicken or otherwise, will become rarer and rarer. Meanwhile, my method, I.e. Pre-authorized debiting by payee, remains free and simple.
What about how EVERY month, how you have to INDIVIDUALLY pay each bill? What about the value of YOUR TIME?
Sharx rolls eyes, realizing that he's probably talking with another aging left-wing hippy, who still distrusts "da man".
"Sharx3335" wrote in news:iv64r4$ujl$1 @speranza.aioe.org:
The automagic paying by letting the payee pull amounts due from checking or credit card is indeed a bit easier than issuing a Quicken or other payment, but the time consuming part of reconcilation is still checking the bills. I'm totally anal about that.
You and me both, Han. I check the entire bill, not just the dollar amounts, e.g. consumptions units on water, power, and gas to make sure that amount consumed is ballpark reasonable. Nothing anal about ensuring accuracy--that does need the human touch. On the other hand, the actual payment process is mechanical and need not be manually done.
Cy Burnot wrote: :: Andrew has written on 7/7/2011 5:30 PM: ::: Cy Burnot wrote: ::::: Cy Burnot has written on 7/3/2011 7:09 PM: :::::: I paid nothing when my account was at Wachovia! Is there a magic :::::: number to call or a magic phrase that will cancel that charge? :::::: :::::: Thanks. ::::: ::::: Did a little research. I have a "Consumer Disclosure" brochure ::::: dated 2/5/11. ::::: ::::: It describes the Wells Fargo Crown Classic account and says "This ::::: product is no longer available." (page 36) ::::: ::::: So I'm moving to PNC Bank. Their "Performance Checking" account ::::: pays ::::: 0.01% interest!! And the use of Quicken is free. ::::: ::::: Thanks for all the suggestions and support. ::: ::: You've been burned by a bank once, why try another one? (The ::: magic word is 'credit union'). :: :: Been there, done that. We like a nearby physical branch and there :: aren't any.
OK Cy - works for me. Obviously, I don't know where you live, but in the somewhat recent past, Credit Unions have been given a wider latitude for membership in terms of geographical terms, not just in employment relationships, etc. that were in effect for many years. So the nearby CU branch that you might have may indeed be available to you now. But I accept your comment; I too like seeing/using a bricks and mortar FI.
NJ,USA. The nearest credit union of any kind that Google can find is about 10 miles away in an army base, and you have to notify them 24 hours in advance to get access to the base to get to the CU office! :-)
Sharx3335 has written on 7/8/2011 1:35 AM:
"Da man"? Haven't you been reading the newspapers over the past few years?
I work cheap. :) Really, I'm retired. I have the time, and the effort is minimal.
This morning, I paid my electric bill. It took about one minute. I had to verify the amount, and I had the security of knowing that it was correct before the money was spent. My electric bill was almost $300.00. (It has been about 115F here for the month.) The one minute that I spent on paying it is insignificant compared to everything else involved.
Two days ago, I made two payments, and my monthly donations. That took about two minutes. This is what I'm comfortable with. So, it comes down to about 15 minutes per month. And, as I said, I work cheap.
For those companies that let me pay by credit card, I do that. But, I don't normally use a debit card, or let someone take money from my checking account. Credit cards offer protections that are not always available through debit transactions.
BeanSmart website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.