I didn't need another thing to make my life harder, AKA paperless billing

[kbutton]

Tell me how you deal with it. No judging me for caring about my credit rating more than trees, please. 😉

I find it a lot easier to make mistakes and harder to corral what I need for things like my HSA. We do not pay everything with the card and reconcile, and I don't want to have to move all of my receipts in their vault every time DH's HR people decide to move the HSA to a new bank.

There are plenty of places I could suggest to help reduce paper waste in the universe, but I am convinced this one is meant to rack up late fees for the organizations who are billing me while simultaneously putting the post office out of business.

[itsheresomewhere]

There are some things good for paperless billing and some not.  Same with certain medical offices who are now paper free and will not issue a receipt, only email.   It emails get lost in the shuffle or just don’t come.  I need it for taxes. 

Edited July 7, 2023 by itsheresomewhere

[Bambam]

I hate paperless billing from the random doctor/medical place that we visit once or twice per 5 years. Just send me a paper bill. I had to call one place because they sent me an email about my bill, which I have not received, and when I called, the lady told me they would send out paper bills again in 3 weeks and just wait for that.  ??? I asked that she just print one and send it then, but that seemed to be beyond her ability. ??? 

If it is someone I deal with monthly (like utilities), I'm fine with it because I know approximately when to check because their bills always come at roughly the same time. 

[TexasProud]

1 minute ago, Bambam said:

I hate paperless billing from the random doctor/medical place that we visit once or twice per 5 years. Just send me a paper bill. I had to call one place because they sent me an email about my bill, which I have not received, and when I called, the lady told me they would send out paper bills again in 3 weeks and just wait for that.  ??? I asked that she just print one and send it then, but that seemed to be beyond her ability. ??? 

Because the office probably doesn't do the billing. My husband's office hired it out.  So maybe they have an automated process where they send out bills at the end of the month, but no other time. The secretary you reached may not know how to do it.  Everything was so incredibly specialized in his group, it bordered on ridiculous. (To me)

[athena1277]

I don’t like paperless billing.  My youngest DD’s dentist started sending a bill by text.  I really don’t like that.  I thought it was a scam at first and called them.

On the other hand, I am avoiding sending anymore checks by mail.  2 months ago I started getting “you didn’t pay your bill” notices from a credit card company.  I had paid it by mail.  Called the bank that issued the card and learned that they had an investigation ongoing because a bunch of people who sent checks around that time were all missing.  Not sure if it was a post office problem or something else.  Thankfully they didn’t charge a late fee since I called.

[kbutton]

28 minutes ago, Bambam said:

I hate paperless billing from the random doctor/medical place that we visit once or twice per 5 years. Just send me a paper bill. I had to call one place because they sent me an email about my bill, which I have not received, and when I called, the lady told me they would send out paper bills again in 3 weeks and just wait for that.  ??? I asked that she just print one and send it then, but that seemed to be beyond her ability. ??? 

If it is someone I deal with monthly (like utilities), I'm fine with it because I know approximately when to check because their bills always come at roughly the same time. 

On a side note, I was not getting regular bills for my PT appointments, and I knew it would come back to bite me. I asked the office about this, and they said something very nearly like, "They bill on a cycle known only to God." Lol! It's true. The billing people called me for something, or I called them--can't remember what--and they basically said that was correct.

[Ausmumof3]

I’m with you. We missed an annual insurance payment because they switched us to sending the invoice via email and had an incorrectly recorded email on file. I’m still not sure why we never got a follow up call or letter. We only found out when we had to make a claim. It took over six months but they eventually acknowledged it was their problem on their end and paid out. (Obv we should have kept a closer eye but we have so many random renewal dates it’s hard to).  It was so stressful. I’m pretty sure the once a year annual renewal notice isn’t that bad for the environment. I do get it with stuff like monthly bank statements etc.

[Arcadia]

58 minutes ago, kbutton said:

Tell me how you deal with it. No judging me for caring about my credit rating more than trees,

I missed a few small bills and they went into collections. So it is worse than just a hit to the credit score. Mine is set to paper and I can download the soft copy from my account. So if I forget to pay when I get the soft copy notification, I would usually remember when the paper bill comes later in the mail. 

[cintinative]

I hear you. 

My pet peeve is when Phreesia wants me to pay a bill I haven't seen yet.  um, nope.

Or when I log in to my chart and the bill I can view there has far less detail than the one they mail.  Sorry--not paying it without the information. 

Honestly I could write a whole thread of rants about medical billing.

But yes, I agree.  There are only a few things that I don't receive paper bills for. I have trust issues I guess. Too many past problems

[BusyMom5]

I got sent to collections by a company that sent me one text!  I thought it was a scam and never replied.  It was a link to a bill from a Dr who read an x-ray from a contracted company, not my Dr's office or hospital.  I think this type of medical billing should be illegal.  They must send a physical bill!  

[itsheresomewhere]

3 minutes ago, BusyMom5 said:

I got sent to collections by a company that sent me one text!  I thought it was a scam and never replied.  It was a link to a bill from a Dr who read an x-ray from a contracted company, not my Dr's office or hospital.  I think this type of medical billing should be illegal.  They must send a physical bill!  

Yes.  And sending me a random bill labeled bill with only a total and no idea what is for is not acceptable either. 

[annandatje]

I too HATE paperless billing and have requested that bills not be sent by text or email.  Today at orthopedist,  we received bill by TEXT before we got out of parking lot onto street!

Don’t get me started on lack of detail in invoice.

Edited July 8, 2023 by annandatje

[kbutton]

14 hours ago, Arcadia said:

I missed a few small bills and they went into collections. So it is worse than just a hit to the credit score. Mine is set to paper and I can download the soft copy from my account. So if I forget to pay when I get the soft copy notification, I would usually remember when the paper bill comes later in the mail. 

I think we're starting to get into territory where we can't request paper bills anymore. 

13 hours ago, BusyMom5 said:

I got sent to collections by a company that sent me one text!  I thought it was a scam and never replied.  It was a link to a bill from a Dr who read an x-ray from a contracted company, not my Dr's office or hospital.  I think this type of medical billing should be illegal.  They must send a physical bill!  

I got one that was like that once, but they did follow up with a paper bill eventually. It was startling. 

 

I really do want tips for how people remember to pay these bills and maybe what you do with receipts. I tend to print receipts even if I pay a paper bill online because it's just easier.

14 hours ago, cintinative said:

My pet peeve is when Phreesia wants me to pay a bill I haven't seen yet.  um, nope.

I don't know what that is. Is it a payment app of some kind?

[cintinative]

27 minutes ago, kbutton said:

 

I don't know what that is. Is it a payment app of some kind?

Phreesia is what a lot of my doctor's offices use for online check in. At the end of the check in process, it prompts you to pay any balance, but 99% of the time I don't have a bill in hand. So I always have to click pay in office (which I don't do).  One time I actually called the office about the amount it stated and they said I should have received a bill. I had not. So they sent me this weird output from their billing system via email that did not have the detail I was used to seeing. Four days later I got the bill in the mail.  

(erased rant about local physical therapy billing issue because it was off topic)

[Arcadia]

1 hour ago, kbutton said:

 

I really do want tips for how people remember to pay these bills and maybe what you do with receipts. 

When you note your appointment in your cellphone calendar app, make a note in your reminder/todo app to pay the bill. That way it is easy to see which bills haven’t been paid. My bills usually show up a few weeks after the appointment and sometimes longer. If its already a month, I would go into my healthcare account and check the billing section to see if the bill has been posted online and I missed getting an email notification.

I don’t print receipts but my husband would staple the receipts with the his bills.

[kbutton]

2 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

When you note your appointment in your cellphone calendar app, make a note in your reminder/todo app to pay the bill. That way it is easy to see which bills haven’t been paid. My bills usually show up a few weeks after the appointment and sometimes longer. If its already a month, I would go into my healthcare account and check the billing section to see if the bill has been posted online and I missed getting an email notification.

I don’t print receipts but my husband would staple the receipts with the his bills.

It's all bills, not just healthcare bills. The thread took a healthcare bill turn, but my DH just received his credit card bill online for the first time, and we have no idea if this is permanent or not and if we somehow accidentally opted in or not. Paperless billing for such a high stakes bill (late fees, interest) is shocking to me. Enough so to consider a different credit card company, except that this through our bank, and we appreciate the online banking features that come with this--we know payments are done quickly as transfers, etc., and our points can be used to make extra principal payments on our mortgage. 

Almost anything new we sign up for or are transferred to automatically put you on paperless billing/statements, and sometimes you can't switch to paper at all anymore.

I don't use apps for this stuff. I'm a paper calendar person, but this would be a good idea if I could stand online calendars. I gave electronic stuff a convincingly good try, but it's not helpful to me at all. I do set alarms, and I do use apps to make .pdf files I can send from my phone, etc. But nothing that keeps track of anything. If I think I'm going to need my calendar but it would be difficult to take it someplace, I snap a quick picture.

I'm quickly getting cynical that this creates less headache on the company's end when people don't have something to easily look at to contest charges or fees, etc. that are done in error. People don't want the hassle or just plain can't find mistakes, so companies get more money.

[Bootsie]

It is really frustrating when there is a text that you have a bill and you have to log into some app to see the bill.  But, you need to remember your username and password to log into the app and then to actually pay the bill you have to go into another area and use two-factor authentication--and then you get a code from your credit card company that must be entered...

[Arcadia]

9 minutes ago, kbutton said:

It's all bills, not just healthcare bills. The thread took a healthcare bill turn, but my DH just received his credit card bill online for the first time, and we have no idea if this is permanent or not and if we somehow accidentally opted in or not.

For credit card bills and utilities bills, I have a post it with all the dates the bills would be posted. For example for my case, BOA 25th, Costco, 22nd, Citibank 5th, Electricity 5th, Gas, 27th. So I would check the day after the bills are typically posted and pay. 

[frogger]

The medical bills are the worst though. I have seen medical bills come 6 months late for a proceedure. You also don't know who all will charge you for a proceedure. Usually you get at least three sometimes more. I had 2 anesthesiologist bills for a family members last proceedure. Sometimes you don't even know who was hired to help a surgeon. It is all so opaque. I don't know how to make a system for such craziness.

Things with regular due dates are easy to handle. 

[ScoutTN]

We have regular things for which the amount doesn’t vary (or not much) on auto draft. Goes the same day every month so I don’t forget. YNAB enters it automatically too. 
 

Medical we pay online, but get paper bills. 

[Hannah]

In my country the postal system is basically non-functional and all bills are sent via email.  Cheques have been phased out (I last wrote one about 20 years ago), so everything is electronic. 

What works for us is to have a separate email account for all bills. As soon as I receive the bill, I pay it and move the email to its designated folder. I also make a copy of the proof of payment from my banking app and send it to myself to go into the folder. That way I know exactly what's outstanding in the inbox and have records in the folders.

We also have automated payments for all fixed monthly amounts like insurance, school fees, etc.

Whatever is needed for tax purposes is also kept electronically.  I do make a regular backup of the mail folder.

Edited July 8, 2023 by Hannah

[kbutton]

3 hours ago, frogger said:

The medical bills are the worst though. I have seen medical bills come 6 months late for a proceedure. You also don't know who all will charge you for a proceedure. Usually you get at least three sometimes more. I had 2 anesthesiologist bills for a family members last proceedure. Sometimes you don't even know who was hired to help a surgeon. It is all so opaque. I don't know how to make a system for such craziness.

Things with regular due dates are easy to handle. 

We don’t have trouble tracking these so far, and because we have electronic medical records, they are honestly the easiest to pay online even though I prefer paper.

We pay the bills and reimburse ourselves from the HSA in ways that helps even out the cost at times of the year when we have more expenses. The problem is that we have more bills than what the HSA covers. I think people should be allowed to contribute more if they have certain conditions, etc.

3 minutes ago, Hannah said:

What works for us is to have a separate email account for all bills. As soon as I receive the bill, I pay it and move the email to its designated folder. I also make a copy of the proof of payment from my banking app and send it to myself to go into the folder. That way I know exactly what's outstanding in the inbox and have records in the folders.

Whatever is needed for tax purposes is also kept electronically.  I do make a regular backup of the mail folder.

I hate having multiple emails, but this is probably well worth considering and one of the cleanest ways to keep track of stuff.

3 hours ago, Arcadia said:

For credit card bills and utilities bills, I have a post it with all the dates the bills would be posted. For example for my case, BOA 25th, Costco, 22nd, Citibank 5th, Electricity 5th, Gas, 27th. So I would check the day after the bills are typically posted and pay. 

Oh, that’s a good thought. I made a bill paying system for someone that is very low tech and paper-based, but this would be compatible with that approach. I use something similar but haven’t ever need that level of structure. Combined with the dedicated email suggestion, I might be able to live with this.

Also, I was planning to have my YA help me pay bills with the same kind of system, so two birds, one stone. He is good with his money, but he doesn’t have bills in all of the adult categories yet, so a full-fledged system is overkill, and he likes to get a picture of what finances look like later on.

[Ananda]

For normal (monthly) bills, they just auto debit from our checking account, or charge to our credit card.  I briefly look at the email statements then archive them.  For more irregular bills like property tax & vehicle registration.  I put a "remember to pay" notice on my (online) calendar well in advance to ensure they get paid even if I happen to miss the notice.  I archive those "thank you for your payment" emails as well.  I agree that medical billing is a nightmare.  I don't have a good system for that.  I hate that you can receive bills months after the procedure.  

[Tenaj]

To add another twist onto the paperless billing mess, trying to help an elderly person with dementia who owns two condos and then suddenly becomes incapacitated in her ability to both read emails, comprehend any written communication (paper and email), and unable to process the information needed to even be aware of the bills that should be coming in.  I've been working on this for two years now and I think we finally have a handle on it.  It's been a year since she has had any overdue bills or cancellation notices but it has not been an easy task.   I'm keeping a list for our kids and my dh so that this kind of stuff doesn't fall through the cracks as I get older since I handle all of it.

[Kassia]

@TenajI hadn't thought of that.  

I hate paperless billing, too. I requested bills in the mail from my family doctor's billing office and they said they would change my preferences but never did.  

ETA reading your post reminded me that DH has a lot of paperless billing that I'm unaware of because I don't handle the finances.  If something happens to him first, this will definitely be an issue for me.  

Edited July 8, 2023 by Kassia

[bookbard]

1 hour ago, Hannah said:

In my country the postal system is basically non-functional and all bills are sent via email.  Cheques have been phased out (I last wrote one about 20 years ago), so everything is electronic. 

What works for us is to have a separate email account for all bills. As soon as I receive the bill, I pay it and move the email to its designated folder. I also make a copy of the proof of payment from my banking app and send it to myself to go into the folder. That way I know exactly what's outstanding in the inbox and have records in the folders.

We also have automated payments for all fixed monthly amounts like insurance, school fees, etc.

Whatever is needed for tax purposes is also kept electronically.  I do make a regular backup of the mail folder.

Edited 1 hour ago by Hannah

We are in Australia and cheques are being phased out here too. I last had a chequebook in my student days, 30 years ago. We have had paperless bills for quite a long time and I still don't really understand what the problem is - maybe because we don't have medical billing in the same way. I pay for the family electricity, phone/internet bills - they come as emails and I pay them via online banking as soon as they arrive. If I forget, I'd get a reminder email. I could check my bank account to make sure I'd paid. I can't see why that's harder than pieces of paper floating around?

[ScoutTN]

We use YNAB for budgeting, so the regular auto-draft things show up there automatically, on schedule. 

[Ellie]

I only have one bill that is paperless, because other times we've tried it's been fubar. So our  cell phone is set up to be auto-paid on our debit card, and we get a text telling us that the amount is being "withdrawn." Just not gonna do it with the others. They could put less verbiage in their bills, such that it doesn't require 3-5 pages when the pertinent info is on just one page.

[Ellie]

22 hours ago, cintinative said:

But yes, I agree.  There are only a few things that I don't receive paper bills for. I have trust issues I guess. Too many past problems

I'm with you on that.

I pay all my bills online through my bank; when I have entered all the amounts and confirmed that I want to pay them, I print the sheet that as the amounts, and I staple that to the paper bills, one nice, tidy pile. To me, it's easier to look through that if need be than to go through my email. I hadn't thought about having an email just for paying bills; I'll have to keep that in the back of my mind for future possible use.

[Pawz4me]

The only paper bills I can think of that we get are our property taxes (home, land, autos). We pretty much have everything else on auto pilot. Everything is either drafted from our bank account or charged to my credit card. We have auto payments set up twice a month that go toward that credit card. The two payments are enough to cover all the regular bills that we charge to it, plus a very good estimate of enough to cover our groceries, gas, meals out. As long as there's money in our bank account our bills take care of themselves. We do have to watch for any medical bills incurred in January and February. But both DH and I usually meet our max OOP by the end of February, so after that even medical bills aren't an issue.

We set up this system several years ago after DH's cancer diagnosis. We wanted everything on auto pilot in case he had a health crisis or passed away that I wouldn't have to worry about the bills until I had time and felt up to dealing with them. So far it's been a trouble free system.

Everything auto downloads to Quicken, so it's easy to see what's been paid. We do of course keep check on any miscellaneous credit card charges, and once a month or so we figure out exactly where the balance is on it and make an extra payment if needed to cover any unexpected things we've had during the month. But the two auto payments are enough that we never pay any interest. 

[Laura Corin]

13 hours ago, kbutton said:

It's all bills, not just healthcare bills. The thread took a healthcare bill turn, but my DH just received his credit card bill online for the first time, and we have no idea if this is permanent or not and if we somehow accidentally opted in or not. Paperless billing for such a high stakes bill (late fees, interest) is shocking to me. Enough so to consider a different credit card company, except that this through our bank, and we appreciate the online banking features that come with this--we know payments are done quickly as transfers, etc., and our points can be used to make extra principal payments on our mortgage. 

 

Would it work for you to set up an automatic payment of the minimum due on each bill so that you don't need to worry about late fees and credit risk? Then you could pay off the rest when you remembered to check.

Eta I last wrote a cheque in around 2013, for scout dues. They are rare in the UK. I can't remember the last time I saw someone use one.

Edited July 9, 2023 by Laura Corin

[KidsHappen]

On 7/7/2023 at 7:46 PM, cintinative said:

I hear you. 

My pet peeve is when Phreesia wants me to pay a bill I haven't seen yet.  um, nope.

Or when I log in to my chart and the bill I can view there has far less detail than the one they mail.  Sorry--not paying it without the information. 

Honestly I could write a whole thread of rants about medical billing.

But yes, I agree.  There are only a few things that I don't receive paper bills for. I have trust issues I guess. Too many past problems

I absolutely agree about Phreesia. We don't pay medical bills until we get the EOB. There have been too many times medical facilities have tried to charge us more than we were required to pay and it is almost impossible to get money back if you have overpaid.  

[Corraleno]

I get electronic bills for everything except property tax, car registration, and medical bills — and I wish they would do those by email as well, because I pay all my bills online and it's SO much easier for me to just open an email, click the payment link, and pay it right then and there. With paper bills, I bring the mail in, open the bill, set the bill on the kitchen table (and hope it doesn't get buried, knocked off, or accidentally thrown out), and then I try to remember to pay it whenever I have my laptop in the kitchen (or remember to take the bill to wherever my laptop is, and then remember to pay it before my laptop gets moved again). All utilities, credit cards, medical insurance, car insurance, and homeowners insurance are on autopay, so it's much harder for me to keep track of random paper bills, both before they're paid and after they're paid, when I have to file the paper somewhere. With email bills, I pay them as soon as I get them, and then move the email into the appropriately labeled folder (Medical, Taxes, Insurance, Utilities, etc). I think the last time I wrote a check was about 5 years ago when I misplaced the property tax bill and missed the deadline so I went to the office in person and paid with a check. 

[Myra]

Lately, I have been noticing that companies are passing the credit card company's surcharges onto to the customer.  To counter that fee, for example, my local car garage offers 3% discount if pay by check or cash rather than credit card.  3% makes a difference on a large bill for car repairs.  Even the dry cleaners offered cash/check discount the other day .... it all adds up.

[historically accurate]

20 hours ago, kbutton said:

It's all bills, not just healthcare bills. The thread took a healthcare bill turn, but my DH just received his credit card bill online for the first time, and we have no idea if this is permanent or not and if we somehow accidentally opted in or not. Paperless billing for such a high stakes bill (late fees, interest) is shocking to me. Enough so to consider a different credit card company, except that this through our bank, and we appreciate the online banking features that come with this--we know payments are done quickly as transfers, etc., and our points can be used to make extra principal payments on our mortgage. 

Almost anything new we sign up for or are transferred to automatically put you on paperless billing/statements, and sometimes you can't switch to paper at all anymore.

I don't use apps for this stuff. I'm a paper calendar person, but this would be a good idea if I could stand online calendars. I gave electronic stuff a convincingly good try, but it's not helpful to me at all. I do set alarms, and I do use apps to make .pdf files I can send from my phone, etc. But nothing that keeps track of anything. If I think I'm going to need my calendar but it would be difficult to take it someplace, I snap a quick picture.

I'm quickly getting cynical that this creates less headache on the company's end when people don't have something to easily look at to contest charges or fees, etc. that are done in error. People don't want the hassle or just plain can't find mistakes, so companies get more money.

Calendar posted near your computer with due dates noted may be a good idea. Or one of these with slips of paper (just something that says "Credit Card" or something) in the numbered slots. https://www.ebay.com/itm/364195839748?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=364195839748&targetid=1531876731998&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9021827&poi=&campaignid=19851828444&mkgroupid=145880009014&rlsatarget=pla-1531876731998&abcId=9307249&merchantid=6296724&gclid=Cj0KCQjwtamlBhD3ARIsAARoaEzEnJBZ1x7a9S_OCQ1ImsEsqPUo_WtkUkmFHbQa2toSZttz34spF2oaAl9WEALw_wcB

 

For receipts I use two spikes. I use one and then the other. By the time both are full, I can usually throw the receipts away due to the length of time it takes me to fill a spike on the other and start again. - https://www.amazon.com/Receipt-Holder-Restaurant-Spindle-HRLORKC/dp/B09XHNQ95N/ref=asc_df_B09XHNQ95N/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=647322432161&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16877803594645409609&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9021827&hvtargid=pla-1751508143186&psc=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwtamlBhD3ARIsAARoaEw31xSL8WbK9unt-jPoQsVWOR5svhsFlmwkPyGFNruwdIEXBn78_7UaAjRuEALw_wcB

 

 

[Arcadia]

7 hours ago, Corraleno said:

I get electronic bills for everything except property tax, car registration, and medical bills — and I wish they would do those by email as well, because I pay all my bills online

I can see and pay my property tax bill online even though they send everyone a paper bill. What I see online is just the total amount without the breakdown into property tax, bonds, measures.

We prefer to pay car registration bill through the DMV kiosk or at AAA, but we can see and pay online if we create an account at DMV for California. We just don’t wish to.

I get an email notification for my medical bill. I do have to login to my account to view the bill.

[kbutton]

10 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

Would it work for you to set up an automatic payment of the minimum due on each bill so that you don't need to worry about late fees and credit risk? Then you could pay off the rest when you remembered to check.

Eta I last wrote a cheque in around 2013, for scout dues. They are rare in the UK. I can't remember the last time I saw someone use one.

The only thing that we have minimums for are the credit cards. If I think we'll be out of town when a bill is going to be due, and it hasn't arrived yet, I will sometimes make a larger payment than it's likely to be just for convenience. 

Checks are still used around here. I don't pay my bills by check though. I pay through the bank, but I don't have it automated. Most of our bills fluctuate with the exception of cable. That comes off our credit card each month, and that's because I paid online one time when we busy, and they automatically enrolled me deceptively. 

3 hours ago, Myra said:

Lately, I have been noticing that companies are passing the credit card company's surcharges onto to the customer.  To counter that fee, for example, my local car garage offers 3% discount if pay by check or cash rather than credit card.  3% makes a difference on a large bill for car repairs.  Even the dry cleaners offered cash/check discount the other day .... it all adds up.

We have quite a few businesses that have always done this, but with inflation spiking, I bet some businesses are now doing it for the first time.

[vonfirmath]

On 7/7/2023 at 8:16 PM, BusyMom5 said:

I got sent to collections by a company that sent me one text!  I thought it was a scam and never replied.  It was a link to a bill from a Dr who read an x-ray from a contracted company, not my Dr's office or hospital.  I think this type of medical billing should be illegal.  They must send a physical bill!  

Agreed. I'd NEVER even click the link on such a thing. Text is my absolute LEAST favorite way to get information

[vonfirmath]

On 7/8/2023 at 11:56 AM, kbutton said:

It's all bills, not just healthcare bills. The thread took a healthcare bill turn, but my DH just received his credit card bill online for the first time, and we have no idea if this is permanent or not and if we somehow accidentally opted in or not. Paperless billing for such a high stakes bill (late fees, interest) is shocking to me. Enough so to consider a different credit card company, except that this through our bank, and we appreciate the online banking features that come with this--we know payments are done quickly as transfers, etc., and our points can be used to make extra principal payments on our mortgage. 

Almost anything new we sign up for or are transferred to automatically put you on paperless billing/statements, and sometimes you can't switch to paper at all anymore.

I don't use apps for this stuff. I'm a paper calendar person, but this would be a good idea if I could stand online calendars. I gave electronic stuff a convincingly good try, but it's not helpful to me at all. I do set alarms, and I do use apps to make .pdf files I can send from my phone, etc. But nothing that keeps track of anything. If I think I'm going to need my calendar but it would be difficult to take it someplace, I snap a quick picture.

I'm quickly getting cynical that this creates less headache on the company's end when people don't have something to easily look at to contest charges or fees, etc. that are done in error. People don't want the hassle or just plain can't find mistakes, so companies get more money.

Ah. I prefer utilities/credit cards to be paperless. I have a spreadsheet that has all my due dates on it and the "usual" amount for the bills.

Then I budget by paycheck.

With each paycheck, I go through paying bills upcoming. When I go to pay the credit card bill, I log on to the account and download the statement to make sure I set it to pay right.  The statements are stored by month in a folder on my computer.

 

Paper gets lost around here so I much prefer emails/account invoices.

ETA: Note I have a paper calendar for each month I mark what day is payday and the other dates. I use the spreadsheet as a "master" to fill out the paper calendar.  Then the paper calendar to make sure I'm covering what is needed before the neext paycheck comes.

 

Edited July 10, 2023 by vonfirmath

[KidsHappen]

I have two different banks and I don't think I have checks for either one. 

[BlsdMama]

I have all cards to autopay the minimum so that nothing can slip by and all utilities autopay.

[dsmith]

What's been driving me crazy is different doctors using different payment/health info portals. I have two elderly people living here, and their doctors all use different portals. I'm the one that has to handle this because the 2 elderly folks are not tech savvy at all. One of them can barely use the portable phone lol. We have most regular bills on autopay. If it's not on autopay I have reminders on my Apple watch to pay certain bills on certain days of the month. I also have them scheduled in my planner.