20thStDad Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Let's list them all for a typical household....Cable or SatelliteLandline PhoneCell phone(Supposedly the average household has 12.75 credit cards...let's say half have a balance any given month)Credit Card 1Credit Card 2Credit Card 3Credit Card 4Credit Card 5Credit Card 6WaterGasElectricityMortgage (auto-draft)Car Payment (auto-draft)Home Insurance (all-in-one)Car InsuranceThat's a whole bunch of logins and passwords to have to remember.7 for us. Due at different times of the month, so it's 1-2 per week. Reminders on my calendar make it simple. The bill pay option for my bank seemed more annoying because there was a monthly fee and I had to type in the information for each bill. Or, just click on the email I get from each bill company, login, press pay, move on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memebag Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 7 for us. Due at different times of the month, so it's 1-2 per week. Reminders on my calendar make it simple. The bill pay option for my bank seemed more annoying because there was a monthly fee and I had to type in the information for each bill. Or, just click on the email I get from each bill company, login, press pay, move on.Get a new bank.I don't let utilities and such stop sending me paper. That's the paper trail that really counts. I get about 11 or 12 monthly bills and pay them as soon as they arrive.Another factor: I'd much rather my bank know where my money might go than my pool guy and my gas company and all the rest know where all of my money comes from. There's no telling who's looking at your "private" billing info at any of those places. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Let's list them all for a typical household....Cable or SatelliteLandline PhoneCell phone(Supposedly the average household has 12.75 credit cards...let's say half have a balance any given month)Credit Card 1Credit Card 2Credit Card 3Credit Card 4Credit Card 5Credit Card 6WaterGasElectricityMortgageCar PaymentHome InsuranceCar InsuranceThat's a whole bunch of logins and passwords to have to remember.All I've got isCredit Card 1Credit Card 2CableInternetMy cell phone I can pay by pressing *PAY. No passwords to remember. Insurance is automatically deducted on the 15th by the insurance company.I don't have trouble remembering four logins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Another factor: I'd much rather my bank know where my money might go than my pool guy and my gas company and all the rest know where all of my money comes from. There's no telling who's looking at your "private" billing info at any of those places.Scare tactic FAIL.If they can look up your "private" billing info, they can look to see your direct deposit info coming in from your bank. At most companies that you describe it's all going to be one system.How about this for a scare tactic: By doing everything through your bank you've put your money into one central point of failure. If the bank's web site is down, then you're screwed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houstonmacbro Posted January 2, 2009 Author Share Posted January 2, 2009 Let's list them all for a typical household....Cable or SatelliteLandline PhoneCell phone(Supposedly the average household has 12.75 credit cards...let's say half have a balance any given month)Credit Card 1Credit Card 2Credit Card 3Credit Card 4Credit Card 5Credit Card 6WaterGasElectricityMortgageCar PaymentHome InsuranceCar InsuranceThat's a whole bunch of logins and passwords to have to remember.Agreed. But I don't have nearly that many credit card bills. I pity the folks that do... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memebag Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Scare tactic FAIL.If they can look up your "private" billing info, they can look to see your direct deposit info coming in from your bank. At most companies that you describe it's all going to be one system.What "direct deposit" info comes from my bank? The payee just sees a check, paper or electronic. I don't store any banking info or card numbers on the payee system.This isn't a "scare tactic". It's a bit of personal experience I'm sharing with the group. I've worked on a lot of "secure" customer data systems, and none of them were that secure."FAIL" accusation FAIL. How about this for a scare tactic: By doing everything through your bank you've put your money into one central point of failure. If the bank's web site is down, then you're screwed.I would be if I didn't have checks, I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20thStDad Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 Get a new bank.Ok so I checked and there's no monthly fee. That must have been 5 years ago when I was with Wells Fargo. I was able to add 4 payees, not too bad. But I still think I'll pay from the vendor sites, mainly. Depends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 All I've got isCredit Card 1Credit Card 2CableInternetMy cell phone I can pay by pressing *PAY. No passwords to remember. Insurance is automatically deducted on the 15th by the insurance company.I don't have trouble remembering four logins.The problem is that there are logonids and passwords for more than just bills. Just about every online activity requires them. To make matters worse a lot of accounts make you change the password regularly. Since password rules are different in different applications it is impossible to use a single password consistently. It's probably not the best solution, but on my home and work computers I keep a spreadsheet of all my passwords and logonids. Usually it needs updating 3 or 4 times/month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 The problem is that there are logonids and passwords for more than just bills. Just about every online activity requires them. To make matters worse a lot of accounts make you change the password regularly. Since password rules are different in different applications it is impossible to use a single password consistently. It's probably not the best solution, but on my home and work computers I keep a spreadsheet of all my passwords and logonids. Usually it needs updating 3 or 4 times/month.There are a bunch of different programs that will encrypt, remember, and manage your passwords for you. I've seen some recently for the iPhone so you can have them with you everywhere you go (public terminal, etc...)Some people make their passwords based on the site they're visiting. For example, if they're on HAIF they might use the password ABChaif123, and on another web site xyzXENOMAX789 (high letters and numbers for m-z web sites, low letters and numbers for a-l sites). It's an easy to remember method for maintaining unique passwords on different web sites.As for sites that require you to change you password regularly... I HATE those. When I change it should be up to me. The only time I've actually come across this was on a Windows 2000 machine. All I did was change my password, then as soon as I got logged in changed it back to what I had before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 Let's list them all for a typical household....Cable or SatelliteLandline PhoneCell phone(Supposedly the average household has 12.75 credit cards...let's say half have a balance any given month)Credit Card 1Credit Card 2Credit Card 3Credit Card 4Credit Card 5Credit Card 6WaterGasElectricityMortgageCar PaymentHome InsuranceCar InsuranceThat's a whole bunch of logins and passwords to have to remember.That is alot. I guess I really like Austin's way now. They lump the gas, water, and electric together. I own both my cars, so no payments there. Got a mortgage, got insurance, and just one, yes ONE credit card. Let's see.City of Austin: Water, Gas, ElectricMortgageInsuranceCredit CardTime Warner: Internet, Cable, PhoneThat ain't so bad, but I don't want to remember that many passwords either. I guess I'll just keep going to HEB to pay most of it in one spot. Mortgage I pay online and Insurance over the phone. Credit card is paid over the phone as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 That ain't so bad, but I don't want to remember that many passwords either. I guess I'll just keep going to HEB to pay most of it in one spot. Mortgage I pay online and Insurance over the phone. Credit card is paid over the phone as well.That jogged an old memory for me -- I used to pay my bills at the grocery store, too. I can't remember where, though. Maybe Wisconsin. I loved the convenience of it.In Japan you can pay virtually ANY bill at 7-Eleven. Anything from your car to your insurance to credit cards to gas and electric. Sometimes even your rent. It's nice. You plonk down your pile of bills and the guy behind the register scans all the barcodes and tells you what the total is. You hand him some money or tap your octopus card and you're on your way -- bills paid! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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