I remember when I first entered the adult world paying my bills online was super easy.
These days, I feel like half the time I log onto some doctors office or mechanics website to pay a bill the site is like “yeahhhh, idk why but I’m just not going to accept your credit card. Also the button to the ‘finalize payment’ screen is grayed out even though you filled out everything.”
And they you email tech support and they’re like “idk delete your cookies I guess? That didn’t work? Guess you gotta mail us a money order.”
i avoid payment portals whenever i can. my credit union has an online bill pay using ACH services and sometimes its a little clunky to find the biller but i eventually find them all and get them added. usually everything is available on any paper bill (account number, address, etc)
it bypasses all the bullshit convenience fee nonsense and keeps me from allowing like a dozen screwball companies to have access to my financial info.
and i keep that bank account with those billers specifically at a low balance. it is only for paying known bills and won’t overdraft.
my family acts like im paranoid, a nerd, and a cheapskate, but all those convenience fees add up. and fuck the risk. i also like having all my payment records in a single transaction list.