Paying Bills From the RV Road
Fulltime RVer or RVing snowbird, there’s a problem that all of us run into: Paying those dratted bills. If you’re on the road, sometimes mail just has a hard time catching up with you in a timely way. How can you keep up with the accounts?
Many RVers take advantage of automatic bill payment systems. A lot of utility companies offer these programs; you simply allow them to dip your bank account each month for the amount owed. The company sends a paper statement (or in some instances an e-mail notice) to keep you on track. If a regular biller doesn’t have automatic deduction you’ll find that many banks and credit unions have a similar service. Sometimes the function can be automated; at times you’ll need to call, or utilize the internet to make the payment.
Another approach some have found helpful with credit cards is to use the credit card company’s automated phone system to call in advance of the due date, and use the company’s telephone computer system to get the pertinent details on how much is owing. Then by simply cutting a paper check and getting it in the mail, the bill is handled. And if you really get caught behind the eight-ball and don’t have time for a check to hit the company, most will let you pay over the phone–of course you can be sure in most cases you’ll be stuck with a hefty “convenience fee” but sadly, it’s often better than being late with a payment.
What about paying bills with you checking account debit card? Some worry about debit card safety, and it’s true, if your account is compromised your checking account (or whatever account the card is tied to) could be cleared out. That’s the dark side. On the other hand, provided you report the loss of your debit card, or your awareness of a loss within two days, you can be “out” no more than $50. If you don’t notice the loss immediately, you must report a loss within 60 days of your bank statement where that loss shows up, or you could be out the whole amount. As a personal note, we’ve used debit cards to pay some of our bills and on some internet purchases for some time with no problem. Of course, there’s always the first time.
Finally, another method of handling bill paying is a bit dicier: If you’ve got a reliable and willing person who’ll receive (or get) your mail and bills, then cut checks in time to make the bills, then you can put your problems to rest. It’s a big burden, so it seems few RVers use this method.
photo: *_Abhi_* on flickr.com
