Infinity Review - 2/5/06 MOAGC2

Marsha,

I used to use Quicken because it was free but at some point they began
charging $9.95 a month but the bank still did it for nothing.

As in Jo-Ann's case my bank was Fleet which became Bank of America and the
only checks I write are my rent and when I need spending money. Everything
else is either paid by the bank or by my credit card.
--
DG in Cherry Hill, NJ

(* _ *)

"Marsha L" wrote in message
...
I don't remember the last time I wrote a check... they gave me a dozen or
so when I opened my account two years ago... I think I have eight left?
maybe they only gave me ten? I NEVER write checks.

In NJ the banks were set up so that I could use MS Money or Quicken, enter
things on my computer and then upload it. Unfortunately it isn't that way
here. I can download for free, but would be charged to upload. So I have a
new system... once a week I download whatever's cleared, and then pay
whatever will be coming up. If I'm going to be away, it's easy, I just
tell the bank when to pay whatever it is and it's all taken care of.

I can have ANYTHING paid this way, as long as I have a mailing address to
send it to.

Marsha/NV

"Marsha" wrote in message
...

We use the auto deduct from the checking account for 99% of our bills.
Still have to write a check for garbage collection and water every three
months, and taxes twice a year. Postage costs have been drastically
reduced, though :-)

Marsha/Ohio

On 19 Feb 2006 06:01:08 -0800, wrote:

BTW, Marsha, I used to do bill paying online through my bank. But when
I got a late fee on my Macy's card and questioned it, they said they
are allowed 10 business days to make a bill payment. When I heard
that, I cancelled online bill paying and went back to the old fashioned
way.

Yep, my bank says it could be five BUSINESS days, so I don't use them.
When I get a bill in the mail, I pay it right away at their individual
website. Some of them credit right away (AMEX, I think).

--
Face your fears.
Live your dreams.

By the way, Jo-Ann, Bank of America no longer deducts the money when they
pay a bill, they now leave the money in your account until the payee
receives it.

Since I never have stamps, I didn't realize that the price of one went up.
:-(
--
DG in Cherry Hill, NJ

wrote in message
ups.com...
Marsha, I had the online bill paying set up through my bank (at the
time it was Fleet, which is now Bank of America). Anyway, I didn't
pick a set date for paying certain bills, because the due date
fluctuated. But with my Macy's bill, let's say I received the bill
Jan. 1 and the bill was due Jan. 20. I notified the bank on Jan. 10 to
go ahead and pay the bill as of that date (I'm estimating the dates,
because I don't recall the exact dates). Anyway, I got a $15 late
charge from Macy's saying they received the payment late. In my mind,
I felt that if I gave the bank authority to pay it on Jan. 10, it
shouldn't have arrived later than Jan. 20. It did and the bank said
they have 10 days leeway. That leeway put me into the late payment
status. I cancelled online bill paying after that. However, I do pay
certain things online but at that particular vendor's website. For
instance, I go directly to Allstate and pay online for my car
insurance. Same thing with my VISA. But that payment is credited to
my account within 24 hours.

Hope that makes sense.

Jo-Ann

Jo-Ann,

I think I understand what you're saying, I just don't think I understand
your bankG.

The last name that my bank had while I was in NJ was Wachovia (it had been
through several up until that point). They gave me MS Money (or Quicken) to
use on my computer and there wasn't any charge for banking using it. When a
bill would come in, I would enter it on my computer onto a page that looked
just like the register you probably have for your checking account. When I
was ready I'd upload it to the bank and like "magic" it would be paid
whenever I said to pay it. So if I received a bill on Jan 1 that was due on
Jan 20, I'd enter it right away so I could put the bill away, but the bank
wouldn't pay it until whatever date I gave them, probably the 18th or 19th.

It's slightly different here because I'd have to pay to upload. So I enter
things into Money when I get them and then once a week enter them in my
current bank's bill pay on line. That way there aren't any fees. I'm only
going to the one website and only doing it once a week. During that same
visit I download whatever has cleared, so I KNOW what's going on.

BTW, I learned that I had to check due dates... sometimes they change for no
apparent reason... and my current bank won't send things out with pay dates
on weekends or holidays (even if it's the due date) so I have to watch for
that.

Chances are that if your bank has changed names since that happened, other
things have changed too!

Marsha

wrote in message
ups.com...
Marsha, I had the online bill paying set up through my bank (at the
time it was Fleet, which is now Bank of America). Anyway, I didn't
pick a set date for paying certain bills, because the due date
fluctuated. But with my Macy's bill, let's say I received the bill
Jan. 1 and the bill was due Jan. 20. I notified the bank on Jan. 10 to
go ahead and pay the bill as of that date (I'm estimating the dates,
because I don't recall the exact dates). Anyway, I got a $15 late
charge from Macy's saying they received the payment late. In my mind,
I felt that if I gave the bank authority to pay it on Jan. 10, it
shouldn't have arrived later than Jan. 20. It did and the bank said
they have 10 days leeway. That leeway put me into the late payment
status. I cancelled online bill paying after that. However, I do pay
certain things online but at that particular vendor's website. For
instance, I go directly to Allstate and pay online for my car
insurance. Same thing with my VISA. But that payment is credited to
my account within 24 hours.

Hope that makes sense.

Jo-Ann

Dick... you might want to look at what I just wrote to Jo-Ann because it
might apply to you... if I wanted to upload my transactions to my present
bank, I too would be charged, so I enter them individually. It was a bit of
a pain at first, but I got used to it.

Marsha

"Dick G." dickdotgoldhaber@gmaildotcom wrote in message
...
Marsha,

I used to use Quicken because it was free but at some point they began
charging $9.95 a month but the bank still did it for nothing.

As in Jo-Ann's case my bank was Fleet which became Bank of America and the
only checks I write are my rent and when I need spending money.
Everything else is either paid by the bank or by my credit card.
--
DG in Cherry Hill, NJ

(* _ *)