{"id":82324,"date":"2024-09-26T08:11:44","date_gmt":"2024-09-26T01:11:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/?p=82324"},"modified":"2024-09-26T08:11:44","modified_gmt":"2024-09-26T01:11:44","slug":"if-you-have-these-bills-on-autopay-you-need-to-stop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/if-you-have-these-bills-on-autopay-you-need-to-stop\/","title":{"rendered":"If You Have These Bills on Autopay, You Need to Stop"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Although paying your bills on autopay is seemingly hassle-free, a few drawbacks may occur. Here are some that should always be handled manually and the possible outcome of not doing so.\n</p><h3>1. Paying for Cable\n</h3><p><img decoding='\"async\"' class='\"aligncenter\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/theheartysoul.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2024%5C/06%5C/hand-2773840_1280-edited.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"\"' title='\"\"'>\n</p><p>Paying for cable on autopay isn\u2019t ideal because the bill goes up more often than one might think, and being on autopay may make it difficult to track.\n</p><h3>2. Cell Phone Bills\n</h3><p>Unsurprisingly, cell phone plans have changing variables, including service fees and taxes. Therefore, cell phone bills might likely increase, particularly with the high use of data. As a result, this increases the risk of accidental overdrafts.\n</p><h3>3. Paying Your Bills for Entertainment\n</h3><p><img decoding='\"async\"' class='\"aligncenter\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/theheartysoul.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2024%5C/06%5C/ADMC-1024x698.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"Smart' tv with apps and a remote control. white background. title='\"\"'>\n</p><p>While some people still have a cable bill, many have one, if not all, streaming services. And let\u2019s face it, there are a lot of them. As such, paying your bills like Netflix or Disney streaming services on autopay makes it difficult to track which sites you\u2019re paying for.\n</p><h3>4. Utility Bills\n</h3><p><img decoding='\"async\"' class='\"aligncenter\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/theheartysoul.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2024%5C/06%5C/SwS-edited.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"Power' lines in a field of golden grass. sky and mountains the background. title='\"\"'>\n</p><p>Utility bills should also be paid manually as they fluctuate depending on variables like the seasons.\n</p><h3>5. Paying Your Bills for Subscriptions\n</h3><p><img decoding='\"async\"' class='\"aligncenter\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/theheartysoul.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2024%5C/06%5C/viarami-1024x732.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"A' green typewriter with the word on a piece of paper. black background. title='\"\"'>\n</p><p>Monthly subscriptions and free trials can be great for convenience. However, it\u2019s essential to ensure autopay or autorenewal isn\u2019t marked as this can cause unexpected or undesired packages to arrive, creating an excess of products. Moreover, subscriptions and free trials can become costly when customers are locked in for a yearly contract.\n</p><h3>Reasons for Not Paying Your Bills on Autopay\n</h3><p><img decoding='\"async\"' class='\"aligncenter\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/theheartysoul.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2024%5C/06%5C/TDW-edited.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"Credit' cards and a lock. blurred keyboard in the background. title='\"\"'>\n</p><p>Numerous reasons exist for why paying your bills on autopay isn\u2019t always a great idea. Firstly, closely monitoring your account activity can help you note and attempt to reverse any system error. Secondly, manually paying some of your bills can help minimize the risk of fraudulent activity because you can track how much each transaction should be, and how many there are. Lastly, it allows you to track monthly expenses and avoid accidental overdrafts.\n</p><h3>Upside of Paying your Bills on Autopay\n</h3><p><img decoding='\"async\"' class='\"aligncenter\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/theheartysoul.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2024%5C/06%5C/Shutterstock_1099395086.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"\"' title='\"\"'>\n</p><p>In contrast, there\u2019s a lot to love about paying your bills on autopay. For example, it\u2019s more convenient than remembering all the dates payments are due or referring to a calendar. Additionally, there\u2019s no worry about forgetting and paying a late fee. Lastly, it saves time because there\u2019s no need to spend time out of a busy day trying to pay your bills. Therefore, the best thing to do is find a way to \u201cresponsibly\u201d use autopay.\n</p><h3>Achieving a Balance\n</h3><p><img decoding='\"async\"' class='\"aligncenter\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/theheartysoul.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2024%5C/06%5C/shutterstock_2302384277.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"Personal' finance and young couple family money title='\"\"'>\n</p><p>The first thing to do is to find a balance between using autopay and tracking as much as possible without feeling overwhelmed when paying your bills responsibly. This means prioritizing the bills you must manually pay and allowing room for some autopay options. Secondly, signing up for autopay in multiple accounts is only a good idea if the cost is guaranteed to be the same each pay period. Thirdly, set up electronic alerts so you are notified by text or email of any charges or withdrawals that have been made.\n</p><p>Lastly, average your monthly expenses. If they\u2019re generally around the same amount each month, having a safety net is another great idea if it\u2019s possible. For example, if your monthly utilities add up to around $200 per month, always having at least $300 in there will prevent accidental overdrafts. Sadly, this suggestion may not be an option for families living paycheck to paycheck, but for those who have a little extra, this might be the thing that saves you from an unexpected overdraft.\n</p><h3>Always Double-Check\n</h3><p><img decoding='\"async\"' class='\"aligncenter\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/theheartysoul.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2024%5C/06%5C/shutterstock_2138397479.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"Advisor' using kpi dashboard on virtual screen.business finance data analytics graph.financial management technology. title='\"\"'>\n</p><p>Paying your bills on autopay can be more convenient. However, without frequent monitoring, things can become a hassle. From waiting on hold to get in touch with the bank to contacting every company associated with your account, making a mistake could be time-consuming and costly. As a result, the most important thing is to monitor your recent transactions, whether you\u2019re paying your bills manually or automatically. That way, you\u2019ll always know what\u2019s happening with your hard-earned money.\n</p><p>Sources: theheartysoul.\n</p><p>References:\n</p><ol>\n<li>\u201cHere\u2019s when you should \u2014 and shouldn\u2019t \u2014 use autopay for your bills.\u201d CBS. Megan Cerullo. August 24, 2023.\n</li><li>\u201cAutomatic Bill Payments: Pros and Cons.\u201d Nerd Wallet. Melissa Lambarena. September 28, 2018.\n</li><li>\u201cIf You Have These Bills on Autopay, Take Them Off Immediately.\u201d MSN. Lacey Muszynski.\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Although paying your bills on autopay is seemingly hassle-free, a few drawbacks may occur. Here are some that should always be handled manually and the possible outcome of not doing so. 1. Paying for Cable Paying for cable on autopay isn\u2019t ideal because the bill goes up more often than one might think, and being &hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":82325,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[670],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-82324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82324"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82324\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82326,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82324\/revisions\/82326"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}</p></li></ol>