Forgot to pay a bill? Overslept and missed your payment deadline? We’ve all been there! Chances are you’ve experienced the dreaded late fee. And if you’re like most people, you want to avoid them at all costs. And the best way to do that is to put your bills on autopay billing.
That’s one way to make sure you never miss a payment again. This payment strategy is where bills are automatically paid from your bank account each month. It’s a simple way to ensure you never forget a due date and avoid late fees.
But before you put every bill on autopay, there are some bills that you should never put on autopay billing. This article will discuss the ten bills you should avoid putting on autopay billing.
What is AutoPay Billing?
AutoPay is a payment method that automatically pays bills from your bank account each month. This is a simple way to ensure you never forget a due date and avoid late fees.
Bills You Should Never Put on AutoPay
While autopay is a great way to streamline your personal finances, it isn’t the right choice for every expense. Here are ten bills you should always think twice before putting on Autopay billing:
Cell Phone Bill
Your cellphone bill is one bill you should never put on autopay. Cell Phone plans and usage can vary greatly from month to month, so it’s important to review your bill each month to ensure you’re not being overcharged. If you put your cell phone bill on autopay, you may not catch errors or overcharges until it’s too late.
Credit Card Bill
Paying your credit card bill in full each month is best to avoid interest charges. If you can’t pay your bill in full, make sure you’re at least making the minimum payment. Putting your credit card bill on autopay is risky because your credit card balance fluctuates from month to month. If you have a large credit card balance for one month and you’re only making the minimum payment, you could end up paying interest charges.
Utility Bills
Utility bills, such as your electricity and gas bills are also changing every month. If you put your utility bills on autopay, you could overpay or underpay for your service. It’s always best to review your utility bills each month and pay the exact amount due. Also, some utility companies offer budget billing, which is a great way to even out your payments and avoid big fluctuations.
Cable Services
At this point, you might have realized the pattern for bills that you should avoid putting to AutoPay—and that is bills with monthly charges that can fluctuate. The same is true for your cable service. Cable companies often offer promotional rates for new customers that can jump significantly after the promotional period. If you put your cable bill on autopay, you could end up overpaying for your service. It’s best to review your cable bill each month and contact your provider if you see any unexpected charges.
Gym Membership
You’ve committed to getting into shape, so you signed up for a gym membership to motivate you to go to the gym regularly. That’s great! But before you put your gym membership on autopay, make sure you’re actually going to the gym. Chances are, you might be getting billed for a gym membership you’re not using.
If you put your gym membership on autopay, make sure to cancel it if you stop going to the gym. But if you do go to the gym regularly and are making the most out of your membership fee, then AutoPay is a great option, for that matter.
Subscriptions
We all have our favorite magazines and websites that we love to read, but before putting your subscriptions on autopay, make sure you’re still reading them. It’s easy to forget about subscriptions, especially if they’re automatically paid for each month. If you’re not reading a magazine or using a website, you’re probably better off canceling the subscription.
Streaming Video Services
Streaming services like Netflix, YouTube Premium, and Hulu are convenient because you can watch whatever content you want. While it’s okay to place streaming video subscriptions into AutoPay, you should also assess your situation before signing up for these services.
For instance, if you already have a cable subscription, chances are some of these shows and movies are also available through your cable provider. In this case, you might be paying for content you’re not even watching, or—if you also subscribe to streaming services—you might be paying double for the same content.
Be mindful of how often you use these services and whether or not you’re actually watching them before committing to a monthly fee.
Music Streaming
Another similar service to streaming video is music streaming. Services like Spotify, Pandora, and Apple Music are great because you can listen to any music you want. But before you put your music streaming service on autopay, make sure you’re still using it. It’s easy to forget about these subscriptions, especially if they’re automatically paid for each month. So if you find yourself not listening to music as often, you might be better off canceling the subscription.
Beauty Boxes
Several beauty brands have embraced the subscription craze and now offer monthly beauty boxes. For a set fee, you’ll receive a box of curated makeup, skincare, and hair care products. These boxes can be a great way to discover new products that suit your skincare preferences. But before you add it to AutoPay billing, you need to ask yourself one question: “how many of these beauty products am I actually using?”
If you find that most of the products end up in a drawer somewhere, it might be better to cancel the subscription. Make sure you’re actually using the products before you put the subscription on autopay.
Clothing Boxes
Like beauty boxes, clothing subscription boxes will send you a curated selection of clothes each month. These boxes can be a great way to discover new styles that you love. But as with beauty boxes, you need to make sure you’re actually using the clothes before you put the subscription on autopay. It’s easy to forget about clothing subscriptions, especially if they’re automatically paid for each month. So if you find yourself not wearing the clothes, you might be better off canceling the subscription.
Why Try ReliaBills?
When it comes to running a business, AutoPay is your best friend. If you want to retain as many customers while earning a steady cash flow, it’s important to make sure your customers always subscribe to your products or services. One way of doing that is through recurring billing—which is something that ReliaBills can help you with.
ReliaBills is an invoicing and recurring billing system that helps businesses automate their payment processing strategy. Our platform lets you automate your payment processing, which means you have the option to charge your customers on a daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly basis.
Not only is ReliaBills convenient and easy to use, but it’s also very affordable. With our premium plan (ReliaBills PLUS) starting at just $24.95 per month, you can’t go wrong with choosing ReliaBills as your invoicing and recurring billing solution. At just under $25 per month, you’re already getting a two-in-one package that solves both your invoicing and recurring billing needs.
If you’re looking for a way to streamline your payment processing, look no further than ReliaBills! We can help you automate your billing so that you can focus on what’s important: running your business.
If you want to learn more about ReliaBills, please visit our website at www.reliabills.com. But if you’re ready to start recurring billing, create your ReliaBills account now and upgrade it to the PLUS version. It’s an investment that your business won’t regret!
Wrapping Up
Is AutoPay safe? It certainly is! But while it has become an essential component of our daily lives, there are certain bills that you just can’t put on AutoPay without thorough assessment and consideration. This is because some bills may change in amount each month, or there might be a need for more personal interaction.
We hope this article gave light on the importance of making sound decisions regarding what bills you put on AutoPay. And if you find that recurring billing is something your business needs, please don’t hesitate to try out ReliaBills.
