Do you have credit card autopay?

[Chris Blount]

I don't have it because I like taking a hands on approach to paying my bills every month through my online banking. I don't trust Dish with my money.

[John Corn]

No, I don't use CC autopay, however I do use online banking.

Just recently my bank is now offering online bill pay for free, now Im thinking about using that. It used to be 5.95 a month.
Anybody ever had problems with online bill pay, it sure seems convenient.

[AllieVi]

My experiences with automated payment systems have been very favorable. I now use this technique with every recurring bill that I receive. I started out a good many years ago with free CitiBank online banking (computer access to pay bills), but soon realized that it was much simpler using an autopay arrangement.

Many advantages exist:

- the bill always gets paid on or near the due date
- the bill gets paid even if the mail system fails to deliver it
- it's paid even when you're away (vacation, etc.)

I have arranged for direct-debit of most bills from my checking account. For those companies that offer no such arrangement, I charge to a credit card. The balance on that card is autopayed from my checking account.

For most bills, I simply review the information to make sure I see no errors, and then file them. I haven't found that I have to dispute any bills.

DISH is the first company I've seen, though, that has chosen not to alert its customers about the amount of the upcoming bill by not sending one or even an e-mail. Forcing me to check their site for the information is not a good alternative.

I originally had fears of losing control of my finances, but then realized that I'm going to pay the bills one way or the other, so why not the easy way?

Some people have had bad experiences, but I believe they are part of a very small minority.

[Rick_EE]

I put everything I can on CC. Dish, cable, cell phone, etc. It reduces bill paying time and the CC companies are better at disputing charges than banks. I have never had a problem with any company that I do this with. I also never carry a balance on my CC.

I frankly can't imagine not having it.

[RAD]

I've set up everything that I can to either auto pay from a credit card or my checking account. That way I don't need to worry about forgetting to pay a bill, what to do if I'm on vacation and save the cost of stamps. I like Dish's way of doing it much better then DirecTV. Dish doesn't process the charge until the due date, DirecTV (at least three years ago when I had them) processed the charge when they printed the bill, so you were hit with the charge before even knowing what it was going to be.

[ibglowin]

I use it, I like it, never had any problems. I put as many bills as I can on my AMEX card each month. I end up getting at least (2) free round trip vouchers a year on SoWest Air so not only does it save me from having to remember to pay a bunch of bills, it pays me back so to speak.

[Big D]

I pay EVERYTHING via auto pay, either via my CC or electronically from my checking account and have been doing so for years without a single issue. I actually write about 1 check every month or two. I find this very convenient and would never go back to the old way of paying bills. Don't get me wrong, I still receive all my statements and check them carefully, I just don't have to worry about making a payment, it is always done for me. One good thing about such arrangements, the payments are always taken out of your accounts on the very last day they are due before being late, meaning most payments are delays by a couple of weeks. If you mail payments, you need to pay earlier.

Of course there is something to be said for helping out the USPS with those 37 cent stamps if you pay by mail.

[Tomsoundman]

I'm with Big D, more auto payments the better... If something comes thru your checking account you didn't authorize, call the bank and tell them to return it. It is that easy.

[TNGTony]

I've been on autopay since the second Dish offered it. I look at my bill every month and if everything is okay, I throw it away. If not, I call Dish and talk it over. By the time Dish charges my credit card, everything is okay. Never a problem.

But there is one thing that the most chronic complainers of autopay systems (no matter what company we're talking about) have in common. Not looking at the statements until AFTER they have been charged incorrectly. Getting money back from ANYONE is a lot more difficult than fixing it before hand.

See ya
Tony

[Karl Foster]

I'm not on autopay. I use online banking through my credit union and pay that way. I like having the flexibility to pay early or one the due date as I see fit. Just my opinion.

[dbronstein]

Originally posted by TNGTony
But there is one thing that the most chronic complainers of autopay systems (no matter what company we're talking about) have in common. Not looking at the statements until AFTER they have been charged incorrectly. Getting money back from ANYONE is a lot more difficult than fixing it before hand.

See ya
Tony

A lot of companies don't send the statements until they charge you, so you get them after you've already been charged. And some companies don't send statements at all. So blaming people who have been charged incorrectly for not looking at their statements is not fair.

Dennis

[Steve Mehs]

We're only on it because of the PVR commitment from last summer. After the 1 year is up, we'll probably keep it.

[TNGTony]

I understand and I won't do auto pay with these companies either. Dish, though sends out a paper statement at least a week to two weeks before they charge it off. And many companies that don't send out paper statements send an e-mail or at the very least have a way you can check your account well in advance.

I am not saying mistakes don't happen. But they are not as common as some may think. Again to avoid serious problems one should NEVER use a debit card or direct withdrawls from their bank accounts on these autopay accounts.

See ya
Tony

[dbronstein]

Tony, I agree. I was just pointing out that you don't always have the option to dispute a charge before it goes through.

Dennis