Being able to pay your bills on time consistently is essential. It’s an important skill to learn that every business owner should prioritize. Unfortunately, it’s also a tough thing to get used to. Not paying your bills on time can lead to late or delayed payments. What’s worse is that it can also leave you in debt, which will affect your credit score. As a result, having a bad credit rating can stop you from buying assets for your company later.
We want nothing but the best for our business. However, that also includes knowing your financial obligations and being able to set your accounts on time. That’s why in this article, we’re going to look at the different ways you can pay your bills, as well as the best bill paying strategy. That way, you can avoid the struggle of keeping up with your bills and be able to pay on time.
Best Ways to Pay Bills
Sure, parting ways with your hard-earned money can be tough. But paying bills is crucial to keeping your business running. Fortunately, there are numerous ways you can pay your bills. Here are some of the best options that you can take:
Direct Debit
When you pay through ‘direct debit,’ you are paying via debit or credit card that you can link to where you are paying your bill. By doing so, you can guarantee that you’re paying on time and avoid late payments. When setting up a direct debit payment account, you should consider creating a separate bank account for bills payment. Another bank account will be for other transactions, while another will be for your personal expenses.
Pay Online or Via Phone Banking
If you’re used to baking online or by using your phone, you’ll be happy to know that you can also pay your bills through that method. It’s the quickest and easiest way to pay your bills without having to do too much. The best part is that you’re in full control of what you pay and when you want to pay it. The challenge for this is remembering to pay your bills whenever it comes around.
By Post
In some cases, you can send a check for the bill amount to the address provided by the business. However, you should be aware that it can potentially take five days to a full week for this method to process the check and them receiving the money from your account. So, if you’re at the tail end of your billing period, it’s best to use other methods instead. Only consider this option if you plan to pay on time or earlier.
Post Office
A less popular yet still viable option for paying your bills on time is via cash or card to your local Post Office. Yes, it’s quite a primitive method for paying bills. Plus, there are even instances where you will need to pay a fee for using this service. However, some payments do require you to use Post Office. Only consider this option if it’s mandatory. If not, there’s really no reason for you to consider Post Office bill payment at all.
Payment Meter
If you’re looking to pay up your gas or electricity, you can opt for payment meters. It’s done using prepaid by topping up a credit card or key, which then goes into your electricity or gas meter. This method is one of the most expensive ways to pay your bills. The worst part is that when you run out of credit, you’re also out of energy. That means you need to keep monitoring your credits on top of monitoring your billing dates.
How to Pay Bills on Time
Managing your bills and paying them on time can be difficult. But it can be remedied. The last thing you would want to happen is getting all of your late payments piled up. We wouldn’t want that to happen to you. That’s why we compiled a few effective tips from the MoneyAdviceService to make sure you stay on top of your finances and pay your bills one time.
Get Organized
Start managing your bills by compiling them in a single folder. That way, you will know where to find your bills when you need to pay for them. If most of your bills are digital, put them inside a file on your computer. That way, you will know where to find them when you’re ready to pay. While you’re at it, make sure you keep track of when your bills need to be paid. That way, you won’t have to deal with debt or delayed payment.
Choose the Best Payment Method for You
We just discussed the best payment methods for paying bills. Now, what you need to do is determine which among those options work best. Once you do, stick to that method every time you need to pay bills. In my experience, direct debit is usually the most convenient way to pay my bills. So, it might work for you. If not, you can always try the other methods mentioned.
Check and Monitor Your Bills Regularly
What this means is that you should always keep a close eye on all of your bills. That way, you won’t miss any important payments. You will also spot any mistakes and determine if your bills have increased or reduced. Choose a specific day each month for paying one of your bills or all of them. Use the calendar app on your phone to make sure you won’t forget important payment dates. You can also check payments on your bank statements as well.
Don’t Let Your Bills Go Out of Control
Simply put, you shouldn’t let your bills get on top of you. If you’re having a hard time paying your bills, don’t ignore the problem and expect it to go away. It will only get worse if you do. Instead, do some more research and find ways to deal with billing problems like arrears or debt.
Make Sure You’re Not Paying More
Make sure you’re not wasting money by paying too much. You can read various guides on how to save money on your business bills. That way, you can cut hundreds to thousands of dollars off your monthly bills.
Which Bill Should You Pay First?
When paying bills, priority is always an essential thing. You need to determine which bill needs to be settled right away and which can be paid on a later date. You can get on top of your bills through proper prioritization and make the necessary payments on time.
For instance, I usually pay off my electricity first since it’s the first bill that I receive every month, and it’s also the most important one. My internet connection is second since having an online connection is crucial to any business.
For the least priority payments, I’d go for leisure like my Netflix or Spotify subscription. Basically, if you’re running a business, then paying off the bills directly affecting your operations is of topmost priority. That way, your business won’t be affected and will continue to make you money today and for the foreseeable future.
Prioritization will depend on each person. Some prioritize one particular bill while others prefer settling another. Make sure that as early as right now, you should determine which bills you should prioritize more. You can do so by listing all of your bills and proceed to assess them one by one.
Switch To Recurring Billing
Once you master the art of paying bills, you need to incorporate the same to your customers if you want to get paid on time. One of the best ways to improve your customers’ payment timing is switching to a recurring billing strategy.
Recurring billing is a common billing process for subscription-based businesses. However, it has found its way in numerous other industries as the business landscape adapts to the consumers’ growing reliance on digital payments.
Gone are the days where customers pull out cash from their wallets to pay for goods or services that they get. Nowadays, people prefer paying online via credit or debit card. It’s easier and more secure. However, it isn’t exactly convenient.
Before, online payment consisted of people constantly entering their payment information whenever they wanted to purchase something. Not only is it inconvenient, but it’s also very frustrating for consumers. Fortunately, recurring billing can fix all of these woes.
Why Switch to Recurring Billing?
The benefits of recurring billing are vast. From improving your cash flow to making invoicing and payment processes easier, recurring billing can help you in many ways. This article will explore the many benefits that recurring billing has to offer businesses, both big and small. We will also talk about why it is essential for business owners to make the switch from traditional invoices and payments methods over to recurring billing software today!
With recurring billing, your customers won’t have to keep entering their payment information every time they pay you. Instead, the recurring billing software automatically sends invoices every month. Your customers will receive your invoice via email, depending on the recurring billing software you use. They can then click a button to pay instantly online with their card or bank account of choice.
Recurring billing ensures that businesses are paid in full each time an invoice is sent out for convenience and increased cash flow. This also helps you avoid late fees and the hassle of chasing down customers who don’t pay on time.
Recurring billing is especially helpful if your business has recurring payment plans or subscription services for clients. It allows you to automate payments and invoicing so they are sent out automatically each month, making life easier for you and your customers.
Benefits of Using ReliaBills Recurring Billing Software
Once you start using ReliaBills, you will find that recurring billing is an easy way to make your payment process faster and more efficient. Here are some of the benefits of our recurring billing software:
- Better, More Reliable Cash Flow – The most important benefit that recurring billing offers businesses is improved cash flow. Using recurring invoices via ReliaBills ensures that all customers pay on time every time.
- No More Late or Unpaid Invoices – With ReliaBills, you never have to worry about sending out late invoices or having customers pay past due balances on their accounts. As long as they are set up automatically and adequately recurring, all of your invoices will be paid promptly every time!
- Automated Payment Processing – ReliaBills automates your payment process so that all of your invoices are paid without any manual effort on your part.
- Customer Retention – our recurring billing software helps retain customers by making the entire invoice and payment process easier for them to understand and ensuring their accounts remain in good standing with timely payments every time!
If you want to give ReliaBills a try, make sure you head to our website to learn more about our invoicing and recurring billing software. For pricing options, click here.
Wrapping Up
So, as you can see, having a good strategy for paying your bills is crucial. However, not everyone has it. Some don’t even know how important paying bills are. If you want to improve your business and take it to new heights, consider doing the little things that make the most impact, like paying your bills on time.
For information about ReliaBills and its offers, create an account today.