Online Bill Pay: Electronic vs Paper

Chances are, you have a system in place for paying your bills.  This system may include receiving your bills in the mail, managing your bills online, or some combination of the two.  So if you’ve gotten used to paying bills via the good old fashioned U.S. Postal Service, what would be the benefits of paying your bills online?  Is this something you should even consider?  And if so, how do you get started.

Top 5 Reasons to consider Online Bill Pay Instead of Paper

1. Timeliness
   We’ve all heard the term “snail mail”, implying that when you mail a check by mail it will slowly get to its intended recipient.  And while definitions of slow may vary, paying your bills online is going to save you time.  From Online Bill Pay, some bills are paid same-dayand most are delivered within 2 days. Unless your bill is being mailed to the next city over, there’s a good chance your electronic bill payment will beat it.
    
2. The Environment
   Paper bills, envelopes, checks.  These are all made from trees.  Reducing your use of paper will help you “stay green” and support the environment.  If doing your part in environmental sustainability is important to you, then you will feel a sense of accomplishment when you switch from paper to Online Bill Pay.  To the environmentally conscious, every little bit helps.
    
3. Convenience
   You’re at a friend’s house on a Saturday evening when you suddenly remember you never paid the water bill.  No problem.  With the Union Bank Mobile Banking app you can log on to your account anytime, anywhere and pay the bill right from your phone.  Pay bills when and where it is convenient for you.  No more post-its all over the house to remind you.  No more waiting for the mailman.  Get it done on your schedule.
    
4. Minimize Clutter
   Piles of bills can be overwhelming.  If you don’t stay organized, piles can easily get out of hand and clutter can be stressful, not to mention difficult to manage which bills got paid.  Switching to Online Bill Pay, and setting up eBills, will help you de-clutter your life.  It’s similar to transitioning from your daily planning book to using your calendar on your phone.  Once you make the switch, it will become second-nature to you and you’ll thank yourself for clearing up the stacks of paper in the office.
    
5. Financial Record
   Paying your bills from Online or Mobile Banking allows you to have an electronic record of bills you’ve recently paid.  If you are doing monthly planning, or even just have a question about how much you paid for electricity last month, you can log on and check your payment history.  Using Bill Pay allows you to look up the details of any bills you’ve paid on the platform, make sure you paid every bill for the month, and confirm payment accuracy any time you need to, right from the comfort of your home.

How do I get started?

Ready to say good-bye to paper and make the switch to electronic bill payments?  If this sounds like something you might want to try, then know that getting started is straightforward and easy. 

1. Start by logging on to Online Banking or the Mobile Banking app and selecting Bill Pay. 
2. To add a new biller, click “Add new payee” in the top right corner and fill in the requested information. 
3. From here you can schedule recurring or one-time payments.