Opinions wanted: Online bill pay vs. going to company websit

With my bank's online bill pay, I could schedule all the payments in advance and they were set to recur, so I only had to visit one site to authorize payment instead of multiple sites (remembering logins, and passwords, etc.) However, through my bank it wasn't actually free (even though it said it was) so I stopped using it because I didn't want to spend $5 a month just to pay a bill.
What I actually do now is use one credit card to pay all my bills (set to bill to it automatically so I can't forget) and then pay the credit card bill each month (so I'm never charged interest).

who is your bank?

I do both. I pay some bills through my bank and some at the company website. For bills that get electronically transferred from my bank it's not a big deal, those happen within about a day. I have other that take up to a week or so. Depending on when I make the payment, I might have to use the company to get it in on time. It's free for me either way so I just do what needs to be done. Both are acceptable, never had a probelem, and they are both free.

I pay my bills online through my bank. It's quick and easy.

Use a CREDIT UNION and save money all around

Hi,
In my opinion it's better to pay bills online through your bank. Make sure it is really free, some places do charge. I know your companies already have your info, but by paying through your bank, any new companies don't get your bank account info. Plus, it's a one stop shop that way. I pay all my bills that way too. The only thing to watch for is the delivery date of the payments. Some companies accept the electronic payments through the bank but for some, the bank has to cut a check and mail it. The nice thing is you can choose to pay each bill as often as you need, one time, monthly, etc. I pay mine one time each month, no guarantee there'll be enough money if an automatic payment came out each month. On occasion, you may still have to pay the companies directly if your payment will be late through the bank's bill payer. Bottom line, your money is much safer the less people that have your account info. I used to work at a credit union (the one I have always banked with) and I am a tough sell on anything. Also, if anything were to mess up or be late or something, all it should take is a call to your bank and they deal with the problem instead of you spending time on the phone with the company to fix the issue. Nice, right! Hope that wasn' t too much to read and was helpful.

Carly

Just allow an extra day or two before the payment is usually due. i don't know about over there but sometimes it can take a couple of days for the money to get through to the biller. but at the same time, even when you pay through the company it takes a couple of days for them to actually get the money from your account. Using a credit card with the company online is the only way to make sure that the money is 'there' the day that you pay it.

So it really comes down to how you manage your money. Personally, I use my bank for most of the reasons everyone has already stated.