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Post by brownrexx on Mar 16, 2019 8:57:05 GMT -5
How do you pay your monthly bills?
Write a check? Credit card? Automatic deduction from bank account? Drive around and pay cash?
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Post by brownrexx on Mar 16, 2019 9:04:07 GMT -5
I was at the Verizon store yesterday and an older couple waited in line and paid their bill with cash.
I never do that but I according to news reports I am old fashioned by still writing and mailing checks.
I do use an automatic payment by my Discover card for my cable TV and internet but I send checks for everything else. I just don't like to have my bank account hooked up to any companies and it's not that many checks to write each month.
I do use my credit card for grocery shopping, buying gas and online shopping though. I only write checks for monthly bills.
I like using the credit card and having only one bill to pay but I don't feel comfortable giving my bank account numbers to anyone.
I even have my Pay-Pal account hooked up to my Discover card even though they keep asking for my bank account numbers. Not a chance that is going to happen.
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Post by octave1 on Mar 16, 2019 9:38:57 GMT -5
Bills = Checks. For everything else there is a Visa.
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lisaann
Junior Member
Posts: 76
Joined: June 2016
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Post by lisaann on Mar 16, 2019 9:43:33 GMT -5
brownrexx, Yep Rexx, I still just pay with cash. Waving at you!
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Post by spike on Mar 16, 2019 9:57:10 GMT -5
I have a couple I write a check and mail but the rest I call and have the money taken out of my account.
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Post by september on Mar 16, 2019 9:59:54 GMT -5
I pay most of my bills online, a few like electric, combined telephone, internet and cable package from our phone company, and lawn mower payments come directly out of the bank account so we don't need to remember to pay them.. I still pay local grocery and some box stores here by check most of the time so I can keep my checking account somewhat active. Which reminds me, I need to reorder checks, I use so few that I'm down to about 3 left. I did not give Paypal my bank info either.
I only use my home desktop computer for payments, would not use my cell phone or my laptop that I take when traveling in case they were lost or stolen.
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Post by mgulfcoastguy on Mar 16, 2019 10:12:02 GMT -5
Cable is the only automatic payment because they make it too difficult to do otherwise. I pay a lot of bills in person using a debit card. That way I get a receipt. An exception is the City water and garbage bill, they only take checks, in fact it is the only paper check that I write in a given month. Stores are usually debit card. Eating out is usually cash. Car and credit card are one time bank withdrawals by phone. Even medical is usually by debit card.
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Post by spike on Mar 16, 2019 10:30:20 GMT -5
I had a friend going through some money issues. He would toss all his bill into a big paper bag and shake. He would reach in one at a time and pay whatever bill he pull out until he ran out of money. He would then throw the rest of the bills and the bag away!
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Post by paulf on Mar 16, 2019 10:47:41 GMT -5
Mostly automatic deduction. A couple of bills still must be paid by check since they do not have the capability of automatic withdrawal. We use a lot more plastic than we used to. More debit card than credit. Even the credit card payments are automatically deducted from our bank account each month. I used to take a couple of hours to pay bills, now about 15 minutes to deduct from the checkbook all the automatics.
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whistech
Pro Member
Posts: 300
Joined: April 2013
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Post by whistech on Mar 16, 2019 21:27:16 GMT -5
I pay all my bills online. I used to use a debit card for all store purchases until someone, somehow got my card number and charged clothes and a new computer to it in California. Got that mess straightened out with the help of my bank and since then I use a credit card to make all store purchases. It may be the same everywhere, but in Texas you are only responsible for up to $50.00 of non authorized credit card charges, if reported to the card issuer within a reasonable amount of time. (My understanding is reasonable amount of time is 30 to 45 days).
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Post by farmerjack41 on Mar 16, 2019 21:52:14 GMT -5
Probably 95% is done on line. Most buying is done with credit card, paying that off monthly. Have enough rewards points to obtain Home Depot gift cards. Four to five times a year can get $100 cards.
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Post by coppice on Mar 17, 2019 1:33:54 GMT -5
A combination of 1 & 4 (check or cash)
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Post by daylilydude on Mar 17, 2019 7:02:40 GMT -5
Debit card or cash depending on who/where...
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Mar 17, 2019 8:26:21 GMT -5
Banking in the U.S. is so different from Canada. Most places won't accept cheques here because they it's so easy to defraud. I think the last time I wrote a cheque was for a downpayment on a house about 10 years ago. Debit card or Credit card are the norm although my husband just has to have some cash in his pocket or he goes into a head spin.
Bill payments of any kind online show an immediate receipt to bank account or email. Even many Retail stores here no longer issue paper receipts but instead send to the Customer's email.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Mar 17, 2019 17:21:50 GMT -5
Between the automatic payments I have set up with my credit union's free bill pay service and the automatic payments I have set up through my credit card, most of my bills get paid each month without any action on my part. The bills I pay manually are mostly bills that only get paid once or twice a year, like property taxes and car insurance. Even then, I pay them through the credit union's bill pay service so I don't have to write and mail a paper check - or worry about it getting lost in the mail. I am phasing out as many of these manual payments as soon as I can. Not only does it save me a lot of time each month, I don't have to worry about forgetting to pay a bill. So, mostly I monitor to make sure all of the bills actually get paid and maintain my financial records. I don't actually do much bill paying. About the only times we ever write checks any more are for haircuts (my stylist doesn't take credit or debit cards), school stuff, and charitable donations. So we go quite a few years between check orders any more. I haven't carried a checkbook with me in years, except when I go to the hairdresser. Most of my purchases I make with a credit card, which I pay off each month. I don't carry much cash. And yes, by law (it's federal law, I think) if you notify your credit card company of unauthorized purchases or a lost/stolen card within 48 hours of becoming aware of the problem, you are only liable for $50 in unauthorized purchases. However, with a debit card, you are liable for ALL unauthorized purchases that were made before you notified the card issuer. Eeek! Having said that, many banks have policies to limit your liability as long as you notify them promptly. Both my credit union and my credit card issuers have a $0 liability policy if I notify them right away. Whew! ______________________ bluelacedredhead, utilities and credit card companies usually accept checks as bill payments. Also, supermarkets, department stores, and mass retailers usually do still accept checks for purchases. However, most of these stores are owned by large companies that can afford to pay for an "electronic check verification" service - or operate their own check verification service. ("Check verification service" is a misnomer - what check verification services actually do is contact your bank's computer and instantly withdraw the purchase amount from your bank account. If they can't contact your bank's computer, of if the bank's computer says there are not sufficient funds, your check is rejected.) Many small and/or locally-owned stores in the U.S. don't accept checks, because small companies usually can't afford check verification services. However, some small businesses risk taking checks even without a check verification service. Otherwise they would turn away too many potential customers. This is especially true of businesses that serve a more mature customer base; age 50+ adults often prefer checks to using a credit card or debit card. However, with the increasing number of businesses that don't take checks - especially in urban areas - more and more older adults are deciding that they need a debit card, whether they want it or not. My sons are typical of the younger generation; they don't even want paper checks (or paper statements) when they open a bank account. They get a debit card and view their statements online. So, paper checks are definitely going the way of the dinosaur in the U.S., too. But it will be a while yet. There are even a few card-only (cash not accepted) businesses as well. But some cities are moving to outlaw "no cash" businesses because they discriminate against poor people who may be less likely to have a bank account.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Mar 17, 2019 17:23:40 GMT -5
Oh, and some businesses are sending email receipts, too. But they are not nearly as common as paper receipts. And Home Depot for some reason insists on printing me a paper receipt every time, even when I ask for an email receipt. Why would I need both?
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Post by mgulfcoastguy on Mar 17, 2019 17:29:11 GMT -5
Since cash says on it “Legal tender for all debts public and private “ I don’t see how they can legally reject cash.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Mar 17, 2019 17:55:35 GMT -5
I had the same thought, mgulfcoastguy. I haven't seen anyone try a "no cash" store around here. I just read about them in news stories discussing cities planning to outlaw them. But come to think of it, those no-checkout Amazon prototype stores would have to be no-cash stores by their very nature.
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Post by brownrexx on Mar 18, 2019 12:17:25 GMT -5
Debit cards are definitely not as safe as credit cards and I quit using mine years ago. I have had my credit cards hacked twice and both times Visa and Discover did not even make me pay the $50.
I have alarms set on my credit cards so that if they are used without the card being physically present then I get an e-mail. My Visa hard was hacked and used for about 2 weeks before I discovered the ability to place alarms on my accounts but after that I caught the Discover charges, the day that they were put on the card and I called in. Discover immediately froze my account and the big purchase to Expedia that was tried didn't go through.
A debit card is hooked to your bank account and you don't have the same protections against fraud. Thieves can empty your bank account before you even know that they got your number. Even if your bank covers your losses, your money may be tied up for weeks or more until it is all sorted out and it can impact your ability to pay bills.
I do not carry a balance on my credit cards. I pay them in full monthly. Just using credit cards does not make me spend more that I should.
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