Paying bills

[Cartoondude135]

As for living alone, a one-bedroom apartment in Vancouver proper is $2000 / month.

Just to be clear, I'm not a renter or renting out to anyone (tenants). I want to own the apartment/condo unit. So how do I pay for the utility bills if I don't know where the pay office or person to pay is?

 

[Crossbreed]

So how do I pay for the utility bills if I don't know where the pay office or person to pay is?

1. If they have a local office, you can make payments there.
2. Otherwise, they will have a mailing address to which you can send a check.
3. Calling their billing department with a debit* or credit card number or (not recommended) a checking account number.**
   
4. If you have a bank or credit union account, you can tell them to send a payment through on-line banking.
5. The worst option is that you can give them your debit or credit card or checking account information and let them bill it every month. (But there are safer ways to do that.)

*Most checking accounts include debit cards that work where credit cards do.
**It is easier to change a compromised debit or credit card than it is to change a checking account number.

 

[MROSS]

I wanted to bring-up an overlooked part of paying bills - that is how bill-paying tranasctions are conducted. For example, online bill paying (via one's bank) is common, yet paying bills (via paper bills recevied by mail) by phone, and bank-card are also common.

I'm aware of people running into problems with online bill-paying -that is, the online bill-paying difficulties resulted in much irritation, and "jumping through hoops"- via contacting one's bank to point-out, and terminate any further use of online bill-paying services, and contacting each place e.g. power, water, gas, companies to convert to paper bills sent via mail. Such tasks prove tiring especially on the assumptions that more and more tasks are conducted online, and conducted less and less with old-school paper bills.

I had never signed-up for online billing services -- as I long knew that the commercials seemed too good to be true regarding convenience of use!

 

[autism-and-autotune]

I have autism myself, but where do you work? Does it pay well? And are you living alone or with a parent or tenants, or renting, or paying house bills yourself? Because I'm laid off for 2 years from Regional Recycling and mom doesn't want me to get anymore stuff for my already cramped room. So since I'm 26, I might as well move to a different house but with as small internet, cable, water, and heat bills, etc. as possible. But I need to know how to pay house bills and if you have anything like insurance to back it up. - For people with autism that is. I live in Vancouver BC and I've been residing here for 26 years since the day I was born. Because parents can't live forever, so I need to know how to pay house bills myself and if I have enough backup programs like government autism funds, a person to swing by your dwelling and pay the bills for you (like some sort of support worker), or something like that to support it.

It's hard--I completely understand where you're coming from. While it's just myself and my fiance, I'm the only one who can work but it's so difficult. We're on SNAP and hopefully heating assistance (again). House-funding assistance can't be met til we get behind in some bills, but...can't they verify by my small income that maybe I'd want to nip it in the bud?

I'm sorry to hear things are rough for you.

 

[Jeff T]

I know not of your abilities and such. Perhaps you can inquire about jobs in your local, provincial, or federal government? Or a job in an industry with strong union backing? Some jobs are more difficult to be fired from.
As for paying the bills- as you write, more and more people seem to be using autopay from a financial account for continuing expenses. This is great if you have other pressing issues in your life that might be distracting. I'm old-school and pay by check, so the hazards of autopay I haven't experienced. I don't think any payment scheme is 100% error-free.
You have free healthcare, yes? That is one advantage for you!

 

[Crossbreed]

I wanted to bring-up an overlooked part of paying bills - that is how bill-paying tranasctions are conducted. For example, online bill paying (via one's bank) is common, yet paying bills (via paper bills recevied by mail) by phone, and bank-card are also common.

I'm aware of people running into problems with online bill-paying -that is, the online bill-paying difficulties resulted in much irritation, and "jumping through hoops"- via contacting one's bank to point-out, and terminate any further use of online bill-paying services, and contacting each place e.g. power, water, gas, companies to convert to paper bills sent via mail. Such tasks prove tiring especially on the assumptions that more and more tasks are conducted online, and conducted less and less with old-school paper bills.

I had never signed-up for online billing services -- as I long knew that the commercials seemed too good to be true regarding convenience of use!

On-line Bill Pay is only a problem if you authorize the company to make withdrawals from your account. It is a convenience when you can send your payments on your own terms.

Two of my billers only accept "pull" payments, so I give them access to an account that has no other money in it except the agreed-upon payment amounts.

 

[MROSS]

The convenience of online bill paying can possibly become anything but.... convenient.

I wanted to bring-up an overlooked part of paying bills - that is how bill-paying transactions are conducted. For example, online bill paying (via one's bank) is common, yet paying bills (via paper bills received by mail) by phone, and bank-card are also common.

 

[Judge]

Giving multiple vendors your checking account number and bank's routing number is one thing. Giving them direct access to withdraw funds straight from a bank account ?

No thanks. I'll continue paying my bills the old fashioned way, thankyouverymuch.

Convenience isn't as precious as peace-of-mind. Certainly worth the cost of a postage stamp.

 

[Crossbreed]

Giving multiple vendors your checking account number and bank's routing number is one thing. Giving them direct access to withdraw funds straight from a bank account ?

When you issue payments at-will, they do not have access to your account information. It is the same as writing typing a check and letting the bank mail it for you. EFTs are a quicker version of the same process.

 

[Judge]

When you issue payments at-will, they do not have access to your account information. It is the same as writing typing a check and letting the bank mail it for you. EFTs are a quicker version of the same process.

This means nothing to me. Looking any of it up in whole or in part yielded no results. Perhaps you could explain in a better way?

The only clear advantage I see in electronic payment is an end to lost billing or payments. Something I'd had to deal with only once in my life...where I had to pay more to stop payment than the value of the check itself. Though it's also no secret that mail service can vary from one Post Office to another.

 

[Crossbreed]

One method of on-line Bill Pay is to agree let the vendor make withdrawals from your account on a whim. That is bad.

The preferred method is to list your vendor's [payment addresses] at the bank and you tell the bank when to send out a check and for how much. Originally (and for less-capable vendors), the bank would print out a check and mail it to them.
Now, they have EFT [electronic fund transfers] which is similar to sending one-time payments on a debit card.
The vendor cannot initiate a withdrawal in either case.

 

[Crossbreed]

The only clear advantage I see in electronic payment is an end to lost billing or payments.

They clear your register faster, too.
I have a dedicated checking account just for snail mail payments so the rest of my accounts are always current; not waiting for paper checks to clear.

 

[Judge]

They clear your register faster, too.
I have a dedicated checking account just for snail mail payments so the rest of my accounts are always current; not waiting for paper checks to clear.

I think I found what I was looking for, and from a the right source.

Are EFT Payments Safe? - Experian

Learn about what EFT payments are and why they're generally safer than paper checks, plus steps you can take to keep electronic fund transfers secure.

www.experian.com

About the only source it might be advantageous to me personally would involve a single vendor over a very minor monthly charge.

 

[MROSS]

Any experiences paying bills (via paper bills received by mail) by phone, and bank-card?

 

[Crossbreed]

Any experiences paying bills (via paper bills received by mail) by phone, and bank-card?

Yes, back in the day, but I am going paperless wherever possible.

 

[kenaij]

I have a slightly below average payed job, my wife does aswell. I work fulltime and my wife works 24 hours a week. Paying bills has never been a problem for me since I have an affinity for numbers and actually like to keep the finances under control. Also my father (autistic) has taught me well.
But if you are not good with numbers (like my wife) doing finances and paying bills can be a nightmare.

 

[MROSS]

Paying bills by phone, and bank-card offers both the reliability of old-school methods of bill paying, and the convenience of present-day technology

Bills can be sent and received both by paper bills received by mail, and bills sent by email.

I'm not sure about yet the other methods of bill paying discussed in this thread. Paying bills by phone, and bank-card seems to be the best option.

 

[Suzanne]

Hi there

I used to work here and there, but now, I am waiting on a verdict for adult disability, as work is too much for me, since it is not just work, but socialising too.

I am married and thus, live with my husband.

We have direct debits and so, bills are paid that way. However, if we did not have direct debits, I would pay as soon as a bill arrived, as I have experience from childhood of the opposite and hated it.

I see that a bill paid on time is a bill that does not need to be worried about.

 

[Suzanne]

But if you are not good with numbers (like my wife) doing finances and paying bills can be a nightmare.

Funny, because I am terrible with math and yet, I am the one in charge of our finances and have a natural aptitude for it.

 

[Judge]

Funny, because I am terrible with math and yet, I am the one in charge of our finances and have a natural aptitude for it.

That's how I felt about math most of my life, and yet still ended up primarily in finance. Go figure.

Not sure whether my engineer father would have been proud, or just burst out laughing. I always recall how every Sunday he'd do the family books....scrupulously balancing expenditures versus available funds. Taught me as well to keep records that would make the Third Reich blush.