Smart Spending

By Tamiko

November 17, 2008 8:15 AM | Link to this

I’ve been online banking for 5yrs now and can have it no other way. It’s so convient and I haven’t had ANY issues. I also have my daughter’s account linked to mine so when she need money 4 college, I just log in, hit transfer funds, and she has her money as fast as I can press submit!! Absolutely lovet it!!

By mechi

November 17, 2008 8:27 AM | Link to this

I’ve also been online banking for about 5yrs and LOVE IT!!! Aside from it being convenient and fast, it helps me keep track of my spending better.

By mystery poster

November 17, 2008 8:29 AM | Link to this

Me, too. I absolutely LOVE it. A big plus for me, no balancing my statement any more. Since I know exactly what is coming out of my account and can check it online, I don’t need to balance my statement once a month.

By Karen

November 17, 2008 8:46 AM | Link to this

Love to bank online. I have been banking online for a LONG time - over 5 years. I think I was one of the first in line to give it a shot.

By GaNative

November 17, 2008 8:50 AM | Link to this

Online banking is absolutely the best. Along with direct deposit, I very rarely have to stand in line at the bank. No bill collector can say they didn’t get the check or that it arrived late. I can instantly send money to my college kids too. Also at tax time, I just print off all the last year’s statements or down load them and I now do my taxes in way less time than it used to take me.

By Allyana

November 17, 2008 8:51 AM | Link to this

There’s no other way to go, really! When my husband became disabled ten years ago, I inherited all that “stuff”…..writing checks, keeping balances. I simply HATED doing the banking. Fortunately about a year later, on-line banking came into existence. Now it takes me all of 3 minutes a month, no postage…it’s far better than sliced bread ever was!

By Bob

November 17, 2008 8:53 AM | Link to this

I too love On-line banking but careful here. I have a relative that had her laptop stolen and she had her banking information stored……ya know like log in and password info. Once the thief who stole the laptop discovered this he/she wreaked a little havoc on my cousin’s life. Nothing serious, bank account and credit card info. was canceled, however just the inconvenience having to cancel everything was frustrating to her!

By GaNative

November 17, 2008 8:55 AM | Link to this

One more nice thing about online banking is I don’t have to balance the check book. Who writes checks anyway? Those days are over. I do everything online. I love the fact that I can make a purchase with my debit card online. And as soon as the transaction is made, I can see it on my bank account, then whomever I made the purchase from sends me an email notifying me that it has been shipped, and I can track the shipment online from UPS or Fedex. I love it all.

By you guessed it

November 17, 2008 8:56 AM | Link to this

i have been online banking for years. i cant remember the last time i mailed a bill off. and i really have no need to go into the bank either. my checks automatically deposited and i transfer money in a few clicks between banks. i can go in and check my account balances, pick the amount and date of payment—and all in less time it takes to write a check and lick an envelope. and the best part is i know its paid on time. i dont have to hope it gets processed and posted by the due date. so that means no late payments, fees, and lates on my credit score. from the mortgage, the credit cards, and the kids school lunch account, you name it—the payments just a point and click away.

By GaNative

November 17, 2008 8:58 AM | Link to this

Bob, no one should ever have their userid and password automatically stored on their accounts. That way if the laptop is stolen, the thief has no clue how to get in. A fifth grader can get into your account if all they have to do is go to the website and you have it automatically stored.

By AJ

November 17, 2008 9:31 AM | Link to this

I have been doing on line banking for about 5 years and will pay my bills no other way. The only time I go to the post office is at christmas time to send out cards. At .42 cents a pop who can afford not to bank on line. My parents in their 60s will not do it, they don’t trust the system but I am trying to win them over.

By Chris

November 17, 2008 9:33 AM | Link to this

I love online banking—it so easy to track my debits and bill payments. I especially like the option to get online bills—no more papers with entire account numbers to shred. My utilities and credit cards feed right into my online account and I can see everything in one place. The only thing I still write a check for is rent but even that has an online option—I’m just waiting for the online “convenience” fee to go away.

By you guessed it

November 17, 2008 9:49 AM | Link to this

i would have to say the only draw back to online banking is remembering all the different user names and passwords. some require a number, others capital and lower case letters, etc. but having them stored in the computer isnt the smartest way to go. you might as well take a sharpie and write your pin # on the back of your atm card—-LOL. i have mine on a “master password” list hidden in the house—if i can remember where it put it 1/2 the time. so what is one to do? a small price to pay id say.

By Mike

November 17, 2008 10:16 AM | Link to this

I have used online banking for 7 years. I have 2 accounts. One with my bank and one with my credit union. I only use Firefox for my browser and Ccleaner to clear all Internet tracks. Please use virus and malware programs too. I have never had problems and the paperless transaction trail keeps you up to date to the day. When I use my debit card the transaction shows up by the time I get home. I even write online checks to my credit union account to have money in 2 places in case something does go wrong. Passwords for banks should be the most important so safe guard them more than your yahoo messenger password

By vincent Davis

November 17, 2008 10:18 AM | Link to this

one reason the usps is cutting routes and hours worked… online banking is great, quick and safe…

By bob

November 17, 2008 10:41 AM | Link to this

thanks GaNative, I kinda figured that out when computers where born, its my relative that I’ve had to convince not to store sensitive information on the hard drive, even if you do own the computer.

By GaNative

November 17, 2008 10:52 AM | Link to this

LOL, sorry Bob, I wasn’t calling you stupid and I didn’t mean to offend you. I’m a techie, I’ve been in the computer field since 1972. I have friends and relatives that bring their laptop to me when they have forgotten their password and can’t get into the system. It takes me less than 3 minutes to break the password.

By DJ

November 17, 2008 11:04 AM | Link to this

Online banking is the best! So convenient and easy. I don’t have to balance a checkbook. I can’t wait for the day that checks our obsolete… or at least banks start charging customers to write checks. For those of you that still write checks… get with the program. Stop writing those damn checks; you’re p** off the people behind you in line at the grocery store. Use the check-card that is in your wallet the bank gave you!!!

By swamprat

November 17, 2008 11:05 AM | Link to this

To AJ: I am 72 years old and have been doing online banking ever since it came into existance at my bank. Using checks to make payments creates chances that the check could be stolen or lost if sent by mail, plus, as others have mentioned, a 42 cents stamp and an envelope. Plus, a late fee and other fees that occur by the time you find out that your check is stolen or lost. Paying with a credit card you eliminate monthly credit card payments, interests rates, chances that your credit card company can increase your interest rates or even cancel your credit card. I have even gone a step further and use ONLY a Debit Card instead of a credit card, which eliminates all of the reasons above when owning a credit card. I haven’t had a credit card since 1974 and NEVER will during my life time. Every morning I check my account information such as balance, outstanding payments (which are usually zero) and when I leave during the day to go shopping, I know exaactly how much money I have to spend. Everything is so simple and cost effective and can totally eliminate embarrassing situations when shopping. Debit cards are accepted world wide if they are Visa or Mastercard with no fees involved unless you use an ATM. I work for a Networking Marketing Business and they actually pay us with a Debit Card which is provided by the company when you join. It can be used in every country in the world and makes traveling a breeze and you always know how much money you have in your account. AJ, maybe this help to convince you parents to join the web world to make their payments on line and feel safer about their money by doing so. Happy safe banking.

By Thomas

November 17, 2008 11:27 AM | Link to this

The only time I go to a brick and morter is when I have a deposit that exceeds $1500.00. Otherwise, I do everything online.

By deidre_NC

November 17, 2008 12:10 PM | Link to this

i love online banking..been doing it as soon as various places i send money to started accepting it. my only bth is that 2 of my credit cards charge a fee to pay online..i think this is the stupidest thing i have ever heard of. it is so much cheaper and easier for businesses to let you pay online. why in the heck do they charge????? i keep saying i am gonna send the payment by check but always forget so i end up paying online and paying the fee grrr…makes me mad at me!! lol..but i do all money transactions online that i possibly can. i love it

By GaNative

November 17, 2008 12:16 PM | Link to this

There is a way to circumvent paying someone that charges a fee to pay them online. The way to prevent that is do not go to the payee’s site to pay the bill. Pay the bill straight out of your online bank account which if they don’t accept an ach will require you to setup the account info with a mailing address that your bank will mail them a paper check. When you bank mails a paper check they tell you how many days it will take before it gets there, normally no more than 4 days, and the money does not come out of your account until that day. You still have control over your money and you avoid paying stupid fees.

By Lissa

November 17, 2008 12:31 PM | Link to this

I love online banking! I’ve been doing it for 6 or 7 years now. Before we married this year, my husband had still been writing checks for all the bills and always seemed to be out of stamps. I took over all the finances and now everything is online and running smooth!

By mr. cheapskatin'

November 18, 2008 11:57 AM | Link to this

Whoa, lots of online banking fans out there. Good to hear from ya. I forgot to mention in the blog another blessing to paying bills online: No check-ordering fees from my bank. If I recall, my last batch cost me $15. I’ve been riding out the current supply for a few years now. Carry on.

By scgirl

November 20, 2008 10:14 AM | Link to this

I love on line banking. I use 3 accounts—only one locally. The date the vendor receives the payment can be very different from the date paid you’re looking at. Also, there’s not a great way to track when the checks clear on all banks.

Combined with a program like go to my pc, you can access your desktop anywhere anytime and pay easily while traveling.

BOA charges $3.00 to transfer out of bank; ING nothing.

By Quint

November 21, 2008 7:15 PM | Link to this

I have been using online banking for the last 2003 or so. I love the online bill pay! I can’t stand mailing out checks and hunting down the billing stubs. I have almost all of my billers online, so ii is easy to pay all of my bills on payday despite the half dozen inconvenient due dates. I was scared to pay my utility bill online thru my bank, but I quickly embraced it after successfully sending a test payment from my account. I refuse to pay a fee to a third party merchant just so I can pay my bills! Before online banking, I would have called the biller and paid with my checking account or credit card, but the fees some companies charge have gotten out of control!