In the latest edition of Money Doctor 2016 there are four Tips for the Top – innovative, competitive or leading edge products or services that deserve special mention and have my endorsement as something that will sit well in your armoury to better manage your money. Over four weeks, I will highlight one each week. For this second week and in no particular order is An Post‘s BillPay and their online mybills.ie :
One of the key principles behind managing finances is to match your income with your outgoings as best you can.
It’s no wonder that one of the most popular services provided by An Post is Bill Payment. I can certainly see why people like it. Available in over 1,100 Post Offices, over 900 PostPoint outlets and online at www.mybills.ie , An Post’s Bill Payment facilities allow you to take control of your bills, paying what you can when it suits you.
Looking at the features of Bill Payment you can see why so many people are choosing to pay their bills with An Post.
- Easy to use – Online or offline, Bill Payment is easy to use. Simply bring your bill to the Post Office and they will take care of everything else. They will scan the bill’s barcode and ask you how much you’d like to pay on the day. You can pay this amount by cash, debit card or cheque and they’re open 6 days a week and at hours to suit your schedule. Or you can use An Post’s online service mybills.ie, where you can pay your bills by debit card online. Pay one or multiple bills with just one click!
- Pay what you like, when you like – Why tackle a €200 heating bill when you can pay it in instalments over 3-4 weeks? Bill Payment allows you to avoid the disruption caused to your finances by having to pay large utility bills in one go. And with low minimum payment amounts you can stay in control of what you pay.
- No handling charges – An Post don’t charge you any fees for using Bill Payment, leaving you with more cash to spend how you choose.
- Range of bills you can pay – From utilities to retail to county council charges, the range of bills you can pay at the Post Office or on mybills.ie means it’s a one stop shop to paying bills and managing your finances.
- Detailed receipt – Each time you pay a bill you’re issued with a detailed receipt for your transaction. This helps to you manage your records and stay on top of what bills you’ve paid.
- One payment, many bills – You can pay all your bills in one transaction. Using a single cheque or debit card to pay for multiple bills at the Post Office meaning you cut down on the third-party costs associated with using these payment methods.
- Local Property Tax and Water Charges now contribute to the financial burden of household bills. Why not avail of An Post’s Bill Payment service to manage these bills in a way that suits you. Again, you can part-pay these bills at your Local Post Office, spreading the cost over a period of time that suits your budget.
- Pre-Pay your bills – for bills where you have seasonal spikes such as heating and electricity it’s a good idea to work out the annual average that you pay and spread it out over the year. By pre-paying the average amount over the summer, you’ll have the credit during the winter to help alleviate the sting of some of those bigger seasonal bills.
If you choose to use the online service at mybills.ie you’ll be able to avail of many other free features.
You can schedule payments to coincide with when you are due to be paid. And unlike direct debits, scheduled payments can be cancelled or postponed at any time.
If you register with mybills.ie you’ll have access to your payment history to see what you’ve paid and when. You can even use some analytic tools to see how your bill payments have changed over time.
Next time you have a bill to pay think An Post for Bill Payment. Either online at mybills.ie or offline at the Post Office, you can take control of your bills, save time and money and with the peace of mind that you’re in good hands with An Post.
For queries, email at customersupport@mybills.ie or phone LoCall 1890 61 71 71 ( Lines are open from 9am to 5:30pm, Monday to Friday )
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