Why I Don't Use Automatic Bill Pay

I read this sad blog about a 70-year old man in Lancashire, England, whose death went undiscovered for 2 years, while his expenses were continuously paid by his bank’s automatic bill pay service.

As a single gal, I often worry about how, if I was wrongly accused of a crime, I would have no witnesses or alibi while I'm home alone. (I think about this every time I watch Law and Order re-runs.) Now I’ve got this to worry about!


Fortunately, this would never happen to me since I haven’t subscribed to an automatic bill pay system. I haven't done so because I like the control of deciding when I pay my bills. Ha ha ha. The real reason why I pay my bills manually is because I want to make sure I have enough money in my checking account before I pay my bills.

But even if I had a significant cushion in my checking account, I doubt I’d subscribe to an automatic bill pay system. I’ve read anecdotal tales about how some vendors continue to withdraw funds for cancelled accounts and how others withdrew erroneous amounts (usually in the payee’s favor). Victims complain about how they were forced to spend enormous time and effort to rectify these “errors”.

Aside from these nightmare stories, I worry more that automatic bill pay would cause me to become complacent. Would I continue to review my spending as carefully? Would I check my bills as carefully for errors? I may never know.

I guess the most important lesson to learn from the deceased 70-year old man is that I should never become a recluse and remain connected with my friends and family. I would be extremely sad if my death was discovered only because I didn’t pay my rent and utilities on time.

Anyhow, it's TGIF! Have a great weekend everyone!