Online Banking

Who said going paperless was a trend? Online banking is certainly becoming the norm and more major banks are using paperless billing and online banking as the standard and not the option. You will not have to learn a whole lot when transferring to online banking and it certainly is not out to change your banking habits. It uses today's technology to save you time - no more line waiting - while allowing you the traditional aspects of face-to-face teller banking. It is literally the way of the future, before long tellers may be outdated.

Benefits of Banking Online

Have you ever needed to check your balance on the whim or make a quick transfer from your savings to checking, only to realize its past five, or even worse, Sunday. We've all been in that situation and the solution was never clear until online banking gave us the opportunity to view our balances and make those last minute transactions. Accessing your brick and mortar bank online connects you directly into your checking or saving account and allows you to make changes in real time. For example, if you need to transfer some funds from your savings or checking account into someone else's bank account, you can accomplish this in a few minutes without the hassle of driving somewhere.

Many banks also make it easier for you to pay bills and alert you when something goes awry. There is nothing easier than setting up your checking account for automatic payment of electric, gas, and cable bills - while also keeping an eye for unusual fraudulent charges.

If you are the Earth friendly type - and we all should be - then you would be happy to know that online banking saves over two hundred pounds of paper per user.

Setting Up Online Bill Pay

Getting with the future of banking is quite simple. Your institution should have a website for you to visit where they can walk you through the easy steps of opening an online banking account. You will need your account number and other personal information. You will then make an online username and password to log in and in a few moments, you will be up and running. If you are not internet savvy, consider walking into your branch office and having them set one up for you.

Putting it All in Motion

Now that you have an online account, we can start by registering the account with which to pay your bills online. You will need the actual paper bills from your gas/electric and cable company. Note the account number on your paper bill and input it into the appropriate box on your payment scheduler. You will have the option of recurring payments or manual payments, along with the desired amount. This will save you the hassle of sending in checks or paying over the phone; a few keystrokes do all the work for you.

Security

Many people are afraid to switch to online banking because of the supposed risks of hackers. Let me be honest with you, if hackers are targeting you for a specific reason, they are going to get whatever information they want - regardless if you have online banking. In fact, it may be easier to steal your information with paper billing because most do not take the proper precautions to shred all their bills. Online banking is extremely secure and most institutions have teams to work solely on the security of their customers.