After being stung more than once with "double Dipping" We would never (never is a long time and if cash becomes redundant what can we do) :( we would never give any other person on earth permission to go into our account with our hard earned money and take it without us signing BEFORE they did it and seeing the exact amount coming out.



This is us and many do use Direct Debit but it's a definite no no for us.

It is easy; but so are take away meals but arn't home cooked much nicer?

Our money is ours and we owe nobody a cent.....Great feeling.

BevG, I worked in Credit Unions for most of my life and I can tell you that this method of payment is quite safe, PROVIDED you exercise some simple safeguards. Whenever paying on the internet, only do so with reputable companies that you KNOW. Check the bottom right hand corner of your screen for a "padlock" icon - if it is in the "locked" position, it is a secure site. BEWARE if the lock is in the "open" position.

When you pay this way, always check your account to verify that you have been only debited once and then that it was for the correct amount. If there is a discrepancy, contact your Credit Union IMMEDIATELY as they can reverse a disputed entry and let you sort it out with the merchant.

OK - so paying my energy bill, my Telstra account should be OK? Just learning this new fangled technology. Don't have much, want to keep the little I have.

Bev I have been using the bank account I have to pay my bills online--using my debt card--I DO NOT EVER allow them to have access to my account I just pay it myself ising their bank account BSB and their Account--you can set it to pay on a special date--if you are not going to be around on the date it is to be paid--just remember that if they are in a differnt bank--it might take about 3 days for the money to clear form your to theirs--I have had NO trouble at all--can also pay via credit card BUT some places do charge a fee to do this. You are able to check your account on line anytime as well and make sure that all is well.

No-one has mentioned Bpay - but that is the simplest of all - you merely log on to your own bank account online, and pay direct from there. You can pay many things with Bpay, including phone, electricity etc - and it is done by yourself, from your account, so you know exactly what is being done.

With any organisations that do not use Bpay I use my Visa debit card for one-off payments. This is not direct debit but a single payment of a singl bill. It is very safe and I do it all the time. Go to your bank and get them to explain it all to you.

Yes thats the way I do it see the above post--I also pay either Bpay via a debt card or straight from my account--I have just got my Land rates in today and have set it up to pay them a few days before it is due so that it will be paid ontime.

Bev, have been paying bills online now for about 12 months, and have had no problems.

Good advice above re checking security.

Thank you everyone - I'll proceed with caution.

I have paid my bills from my bank account on line, have never had any problems with it,,, and you know right away how much you have left in the bank,

Seniors should realise just how much money they can save using internet banking. I access my internet bank account almost daily. By using Direct Debit and BPay, not only are great savings made, but also travelling costs to shops and offices are cut, and, with the price of fuel and the increased motor vehicle registration charges, that in itself is a money saver.

As an instance, I just recently organised my vehicle comprehensive insurance online, and saved almost $100 by doing so. I believe that by arranging airfares online, there is a saving of at least $30, plus one can also select one's seat and check in, saving aggravation at the crowded terminal. We are not too old to learn!

I use telephone banking as this is more secure I feel even though the internet is said to be secure - your details are on your computer and if you haven't got the right security you can be hacked quite easily.



Your passwords and bank account details are all in your computer ready for the hacker to get that is where the insecurity comes in.





Using your banks telephone banking system you can access your account, pay credit cards - use B Pay.



All for no fee with my bank anyway NAB on retirement account.



Check with yours on fee free accounts - I pay nothing except for cheque book stamp duty years back which I haven't had to use for so long it is growing whiskers!



I pay every single bill without leaving the house this way. And secure as no one is hacking into my phone line but still I do not trust the internet banking as you may forget to log off and as I said still have passwords and account details in your data base which is open to be hacked.



Never carry cash except small change for parking and under $10 as many do not like to take credit cards for this. I also use a debit card on my account to get the cash via EPHOS when buying groceries instead of usual credit card - saves on ATM fee.



I also can check my accounts daily if necessary - but as I keep a running cash reconciliation account for forward planning - I find it is not necessary.

But can check transactions on account, credit cards, and balances with a phone call if needed.



so you have another choice which is as easy to use as long as you have a telephone line.

I used to do it by phone but now do it online as it doesn't even cost a phone call--I also have the seniors account and pay No fees at all

Make sure you have the very best updated anti virus and anti spyware and anti malware possible then and change your passwords so that you don't use the same on any two sites and make sure strong passwords.

ie at least 8 letters and numbers and never use 123 or other strings as these are easy to crack.



They also say not to use a password manager too.



Me I like to use one and so the 30c it costs for a 13 call once a month to pay off my credit cards and B Pays etc and check account is worth it to me for security and peace of mind.



Firefox stores all my passwords and automatically fills them in and that is worth it to me and as they cant find out any banking details - well not an interesting person for the hackers I guess.



Also protected I hope but I have suffered attacks in the past due to not having the right protection so makes me wary.

My computer doesn't store the passwords--and I have checked and miine are quite strong too