Online Quick Pay Alternatives

pgdco

Since we have moved from the old bill-pay to the new quick-pay, I find 90% of my on-line bills are now check-pay. Are there any alternatives to using quick-pay that can be used with quicken?

UKR

If your bank (the one that runs your checking account) recently required you to reauthorize your checking account and/or your bank has changed from "Direct Connect" to either "Express Web Connect" or "Express Web Connect+" you can no longer use Online Bill Pay direct to the bank or Quicken Bill Manager's Quick Pay function. The bank no longer supports this function through Quicken.

You have these alternatives (in no particular order of preference):

1. Use Quicken Bill Manager's Check Pay making sure to submit payment early enough (at least 3 weeks before due date) to allow time for delivery and processing.
2. Logon to the bank's website and schedule your bill pay payments to be executed by the bank. In parallel to that, in Quicken use a regular Scheduled Reminder to record your payment. Repeat every time another payment is due.
3. Bypass Bill Manager. Logon to the biller's website once and set up their Autopay, APS, Direct debit, etc. service to make the current payment and all future payments on Due Date directly from your checking account. In parallel to that, in Quicken use a regular Scheduled Reminder to record your payments before they come due.
4. Write (or print with Quicken) a paper check and mail it to the biller, making sure to mail payment early enough (at least 10 days before due date) to allow time for delivery and processing.

I've been using a variation of method #3 for decades, since before the Internet and dial-up were even introduced. It's easy to get used to this process. And I have yet to miss a single payment.