bill pay: a handy tool for simplifying your finances
7 easy-to-follow perks that will free you up for better things
Every year, the average American spends more than 100 hours paying bills, organizing finances, and double-checking account balances. Yet 30% of people surveyed in late 2022 said they did not regularly pay all their bills on time, an oversight that could ding their credit ratings.1, 2
We get it. A lot of us would rather go to the park or meet a friend for coffee than pay bills. That’s why Bill Pay is ready to take it on.
Bill Pay is our streamlined digital platform that sends payments straight from your chosen First Financial account to whomever you choose – the gas company, your insurance provider, or even a friend. If you owe someone a payment, Bill Pay can handle it, from the palm of your handheld device or computer.
Consider it a household chore taskmaster.
7 consumer-friendly advantages of Bill Pay
An estimated 42% of Americans’ average annual take-home pay – or nearly $29,500 – is spent on household bills that need to be managed, research shows.3 So it’s likely that if you itemized all the sources to whom you send money to each month, the list would be longer than expected.
Here’s how Bill Pay masters that task, with seven benefits.
1. Bill Pay is "tech-challenged" proof.
We’ve designed Bill Pay to be super easy by providing step-by-step instructions. A simple menu prompts you to enter information about your payees and your chosen payment method for each (such as direct deposit), and you’re off to the races. You don’t need to notify anyone. Bill Pay will send alerts to recipients about your payment by email or text – your choice.
2. It requires only one "open sesame."
With Bill Pay, you won’t need a secret list of usernames and passwords for each payee. It asks for just one login ID and password to give you access to every recipient you enter. We do recommend you use a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols in your ID-password mix, and the American Bankers Association advises changing passwords periodically.4
3. It's safer than the "same-old."
Bill Pay’s technology ensures all user information is heavily encrypted, protecting your account from potential hackers. Mailing checks or entering details into a third-party platform, on the other hand, might put your financial information at risk. However, if electronic payment is not available to the payee, Bill Pay can take care of sending checks for you, too, safely.
4. It has a really good memory.
Users of Bill Pay only have to enter the companies or people they send recurring payments to once, and it will remember them. Just schedule the due dates for your gym, video streaming, and utilities payments and Bill Pay will keep them on its calendar. Have limited-time recurring bills, such as for lawn mowing? Simply set up a start and end date.
5. It can also do a "one-and-done."
From a home repair to a vet bill, irregular expenses also can be scheduled through Bill Pay, as well. Just enter the name of the payee and a secure payment will be sent in real time. And Bill Pay will remember those payees, just in case. (Electronic processing can take a few days, so Bill Pay provides the estimated delivery date on your screen.)
6. It's family-friendly.
Bill Pay can seamlessly transfer money from your bank account and make direct deposits to family members, friends, and others who don’t send bills. Think of the buying opportunities this opens up when you’re short on cash. It can pay the baby sitter, enable you to buy Girl Scout cookies from a neighbor, or contribute to a local charity.
7. It's free.
That’s right, Bill Pay is free. When you use it, you are reducing the number of checks and stamps you have to buy, as well as fees you might incur if you used a third-party payment platform. This can add up to hundreds of dollars a year that you can instead spend on a spa day or special meal. Even if you do send a check through Bill Pay, it’s on us.
Bill Pay: It's safe, simple, and it's on the house
For those still unsure about sending money through an app or digitally, think of Bill Pay as this era’s ATM machine – a convenient, alternate solution to a routine need. It will not replace our services, branches, or First Financial Community locations. If you want to visit one of our more than 135 banking centers in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois, we encourage you to do so.
Ready to enroll? Bill Pay’s new online site can be reached here. We've also loaded a quick video on how to use it. Still have questions? Our personal bankers are here to answer them. You can reach a First Financial Bank team member online, here. Or give us a call at 877.322.9530.
