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I try and pay bills online, but because my boyfriend and I split everything 50-50, we sometimes have to go to the bank to do transfers from one account to another.
I don't mind going to the bank. It's nice to talk to a person and have them ask your questions that the website or telephone service can't.

I do my bills online and use a savings account at ING, a strictly online bank. They have a jillion firewalls and passwords so I feel it's pretty secure. Furthermore, getting someone on the phone only take about 2 minutes. Plus, since the operating cost of only being online keeps overhead low, I get a nice 4% interest (or 4.5%, can't recall at the moment FSR). Pretty swanky, and due to all the passwords to get in, it's not as easy for me to get at the money and it stays a bit safer and out of my own reach. =)

I have online checking and direct deposit. I do absolutely EVERYTHING online. Even rent checks (ING mails a bank check for me, FOR FREE!).
I still have a standard checking account as a backup/proxy for special circumstances, but I find myself using it less and less.

I used to never understand why people would have multiple accounts and multiple banks, but I finally get it. Diversifying finally makes sense to me, and online banking makes it SO easy to do. I love it. :)

I use USAA. I *love*, love, love, love their website. It's easy and elegant and efficient and transparent and everything a banking website should be.

I can transfer from my account to another USAA account (no matter who owns it) instantly and free. I can scan in most checks to deposit them, or (if they're particularly large) send them in via prepaid UPS deposit envelopes that process super-fast. I have free online billpay. They automatically debit my homeowner's insurance. My car loan with them was a dream. I just wish they also had my mortage!

And their customer service? INCREDIBLE. A phone call accomplishes anything you want quickly and pleasantly, without the slightest hassle.

The one caveat is that I don't use them for investments because I prefer Vanguard's index funds. But I do keep cash in their savings accounts, which pay pretty decent interest.

If you qualify (you need a military connection or a family member who's already a member), use them. I can't say enough good things about them.

online - best thing I ever did.

I do everything online except for deposits. And I write my own check for apartment rent.

I've been banking online for years - and all my credit cards have online access. Having online access has made it much easier for me to monitor my spending and pay my bills on time - sometimes twice a month - which has helped me improve my credit score.

Ditto on USAA, especially on scanning in my checks. I love being able to check all of my stuff on one website. I have USAA for Checkings, Savings, Credit Card I never use, Auto Loan, Auto Insurance, Renters Insurance. Makes it really easy going to one page and paying all of my bills in about two minutes. If only they offered a cell phone.

Nice shelf.

I like to avoid as much physical mail as possible since most of it will just end up being shredded anyway, so I bank online and pay most of my bills online. I still have to write about four checks a month, but doing the majority of my financial tasks online has saved a lot of paper and shredding time.

Of course! It really simplifies things. Checks, envelopes, and stamps are for suckas (just kidding). I do still mail in the rent check, but everything else is automatically deducted with the push of a button--no scanning required.
I bank with Wachovia, which I was always pleased with. But they just got bought, so I think I may switch to USAA for checking (since I thankfully have the option--agree they are superb with insurance and credit card, as they caught my stolen number being used immediately) unless Citigroup somehow impresses me.

I do nearly all of my banking online. I write checks for charitable donations--to document the donation in case the non-profit is slow in sending acknowledgments.

I live round the corner from my bank. I don't trust them not to mess up. My address is on my cheque books and its wrong. I have direct payments for utilities but that's as far as it goes and after this last few days I'm thinking of keeping my money under the mattress.

Another ditto on all the wonderful things said about USAA. In addition to everything already stated, I love that they don't charge atm fees and they also reimburse those $2-$3 charges that most atm owners charge you to get money out.

If you have the ability to join USAA, do it. They are the best!

Everything is online. All (except one) of my bills are direct debit/automatic monthly CC charge/autopay from the bank. My apartment company now does direct debit for rent, too. I don't even have to remember to pay the bills, I just make sure the amounts I expected to went thru.

Love the online bill pay. Not only does it keep all my financial info available at any moment, my bank even has a function where it allows me to classify each payment, sort them out and get each category's total for a given period of time. Makes budget tracking a breeze!

ooh i totally heart USAA. car loan, renter's insurance, checking, savings, credit card..used them when i lived overseas as well.. they are the best. i've been with them since i was 16 and have only had one bad experience (and it wasn't that bad). they are the best of the best!

i only use online to pay everything. mobile bill, gas, electric, credit cards, loans, car insurance. you name it, i pay it online. couldn't live without it!:)

Online banking changed my life!

I don't think I could live without online banking/bill paying. I've been doing it for a few years now, just got my mom to start doing it a little bit, but she still prefers the old fashioned way. Remember the days you had to go to the bank or ATM to check your balance? Man I love technology.

I would not even know how to pay a bill in a bank, because I have done it online ever since I got my first bank account (I'm 23). I also never have cash, and I totally disagree that it's less painful to just swipe a card than to pay with "real money". If i do have some cash, it just disappears, while I'm pretty cheap with my card =)

Where are these shelves from?

Pft, online banking saved my butt, literally. Because my mother cosigned on her kids bank accounts as teens, we're all connected through one login (if need be). So I transfer my rent to her, automatically, I pay her HELOC when she needs it, and I could do a temporary transfer from my brother to myself to avoid a rare overdraft! Then the next day, transfered it back.

I have so much stuff set up on auto-deduct and bill-pay that I don't think I could change banks... I do have an ING though, as my backup reserve checking/savings/CD.

The only time I write a check is at the doctor's office, and now they take debit cards! The only time I use cash is a rare occasion I need a vending machine soda - maybe twice a year? Digital finance is awesome!!

Love it. LOVE it! I bank with a credit union; I can pay my bills though their online bill payer which lets you write checks (or make automatic payments for most larger companies) without giving your account information to the billers. You can also write personal checks though it, which is how I pay my rent and the handful of other checks I need to write. I don't think they have a scan-a-check option, but I do bank by mail to deposit my checks with postage-paid deposit envelopes. Usually they show up in my account in about 4 days. Love it!

The biggest shock for me about moving to the US from Finland was how ancient the banking system was. Sorry if someone gets offended, but:

-2 cards, one for the atm and the other for paying stuff in store (Compared to one card with a microchip that works everywhere)

-Online payments takes sooooo loooong... 4 days for the payment to get to the recipient? That's crazy! (Compared to payments appearing within minutes or the next day to the recipient)

-Safety. Just a username and a password. Scary. (Compared to a username, password and safety codes you need to type from a card you get from the bank, each time using a different code.)

-Even if you get some bills online, they still send the paper one.

-Most things you still have to use checks. (Haven't done that since the 80's).

And people who don't have computers/internet? They can use a machine, that looks like an ATM, found in every bank and shopping malls.

I'm sorry for this post. Sometimes just bugs me how stuff over here seems so old-fashioned.

Cheque? What the heck is a cheque!?!

XD

I have not been to the US, I was surprised there even was a question about using the internet for paying bills etc. Even if I still get my bills as paper (some of them at least) I can´t imagine paying them another way than online, only really old people who can not use computers pay them by mail or on the bank office. And the poor security you talk about seems scary, I agree.

Lilli K, whatever unheard of corner of the states you landed, I'm glad it is unheard of. And whatever bank you use cannot be a standard for other very good banks. Debit cards can be used for purchase and ATM (and many other credit cards as well). Many banks have same-day payment. Many banks have multiple logins as well. Go online and turn off the paper bill option. Go online and turn on automatic payments. Life, very simple sometimes.

I'm surprised by all the USAA fans in here. Not because they're bad (far from it), but because I've always thought that it catered to a very limited community. Everything is easy with them: paying bills, deposits (check-scanning), withdrawals (no fees), investing, insurance, credit cards, breathing, eating, breeding. If you ask them to marry you, I'm pretty sure they will. Or they'll find a more suitable candidate. And the customer service is really good. Never a non-caring-sounding person. I asked if I qualify for a loan, and they were actually eager to give me one. Not just a loan mind you, but a very low interest one as well. And they even suggested a short timeline for me to be able to pay things off. The only problem with them is sometimes they get over-eager with the promotionals. You tell them a problem, and they give you three million ways and programs to solve it. You need to be in the mood for a good long chat when you call them. Otherwise, a really good bank that is sensitive to their customer base and sincerely want to make their customer's day better.