Paying Bills - Long Trips?

[TravlinOn]

Spring fever's got to me too, and I am planning some longer trips (for us) this Spring and Summer.

What are the best ways that you all have found to keep up with paying monthly bills while away from home for a while?

[Tampajohn]

We are currently 3 months out on a 4 1/2 month trip. We have used banking on the internet. A lot of the bills are set up on automatic payment, water, electric, all charge cards. Only one we have to pay is yard service. Insurance has been kind of tricky since we have some rental properties. Mail has been difficult. We had it forwarded to our daughters in Los Angeles. But after 3 months they quit forwarding it. I called the post office yesterday and they said they would not forward it anymore. 6 weeks before we get home and they are going to hold it. Suppose to only hold it for 4 weeks they said. Who knows where our mail will be when we get home. I did call the insurance agent to make sure no insurance is due on the rentals til we get home. We have 3 of them. Kind of difficult keeping up with them while on the road. Next year we plan only to be gone for 3 months at any one time.

[tentcamper]

we use online checking and set up auto payment. We have gone to the budget plan for the utilities so we can load the monthly payment and auto schedule the payments.

But we still get other bills that need to be opened and paid. We have almost every payee loaded in our online checking. But we still need to know when we get a bill and what amount to pay. So we have one of our kids go through the mail and let us know if there is any bill and from whom and the amount. Then we just go online and select the payee and enter the date and amount.

All of our reoccurring bills like the main credit cards, I have setup to make a $100 payment every month so that at a minimum payment is covered. I receive the bill and I change the amount to pay it in full. But this way I covered just in case I miss the payment.

[moaboy]

On line helps but it is also useful to have the account and telephone numbers of each utility etc. as well as your aprox due dates. If need be one can call them and find out the exact amount do, then send or generate a check. Most places have some web capability at least for info if not payment. No doubt it all can be a bit of a hassle but well worth the freedom.
Good luck.

[commodor47]

I have created accounts with the few creditors we have. That makes it easy to check for and print out the online statements and mail in the payment. If you can manage it, bring along a small printer during your extended travels. Having quick access to a printer sure makes things easier.

Dick

[CampAllDay]

More and more companies/banks save $$ by 'going green.' If you opt-in for paperless transactions, they'll email bill notifications rather than mailing the bill.

[scrubjaysnest]

We have set up automatic payments, EFT's, with e-mail statements.
Credit cards are monitored on line as we travel. Mail is picked up by a neighbor with first class forwarded when we e-mail or text them a location.
We leave them money for postage. Meds will be forwarded by them using flat rate boxes. We also give them the going rate for forwarded mail plus a gift card when we get back. Hard working couple with 4 children can always use extra funds. They also will handle the yard work.

The hardest part is checking those credit cards weekly. Worst case is find a library with internet access using are laptop.

[TravlinOn]

Thanks! Some excellent ideas. I'm envious of that neighbor who provides both mail and yard services!

The key item looks to be the use of the internet for making payments, and I guess I will have to make more use of that option. I do fear, however, putting my financial access information online with so many computer smart crooks out there.

I like the idea of the printer. Which one is both portable and works?

[tentcamper]

On line helps but it is also useful to have the account and telephone numbers of each utility etc. as well as your aprox due dates. If need be one can call them and find out the exact amount do, then send or generate a check. Most places have some web capability at least for info if not payment. No doubt it all can be a bit of a hassle but well worth the freedom.
Good luck.


My online checking account I have to load all that info about the payee. I have at times gone online to the account info to get their phone when traveling. Also, it shows the date of the last payment. So for re-occurring bills you have a good idea when it's due.

With my account the date I select, is the date the bank will either mail out the check or pay it across the fed-net. It shows how the payment will be made either electronically or by mail. Electronically the payee will receive it the next banking day after the date I select, via mail in less then 5 days. Either way I add 3 days just to be on the safe side.

But I do have one of the kids checking the mail at lease once a week. I get a lot of bills because I also run a small business. I see at least 30 bills a month and it works for me. I almost never use a paper checks, except those payee's that I will only make one payment in my life. I'm still running off of checks I ordered back in the early 2000's

[tentcamper]

Thanks! Some excellent ideas. I'm envious of that neighbor who provides both mail and yard services!

When my MIL come and spends the winter at our house. She does not trust USPS mail forwarding. We leave with the neighbor some pre-stamped priority mail envelopes. We do thin because you can get a week or two of mail in the envelop. Now we addressed them. But in your case you would need to have the neighbor address.

I did read years ago where full-timers do something where they have there mail forwarded to the post master C/O themselves at a nearby post office and then pick up the mail in person. It might be worth having a conversion with your post office to see what your options are? You can setup and change your mail forwarding info online.

The key item looks to be the use of the internet for making payments, and I guess I will have to make more use of that option. I do fear, however, putting my financial access information online with so many computer smart crooks out there.

I like the idea of the printer. Which one is both portable and works?

Just because you are not using your banking account online. A crook in theory could still setup your account with most banks, if they have enough of your info. I say this because I have seen some bank that you setup your account online.

I'm sure it's done, but I have never heard of any one that had there online account hacked. But, almost everyone I know has had there credit cards hacked.

I have been using online banking for 15+ years never had a problem. If you use a public or someone other then your computer. Make sure you log off and you don't select the option to save your password. You can monitor all payments past and future dated one and cancel payments before they are made and/or before they are cashed. Every time I finish setingup payments I check my schedules transactions to make sure it got setup

When you first start using it: send a check for $1 to yourself. This help in understand the system and testing how you set it up. I still confirm with new payee's via phone that they received the first check. Just in case I make a error when setting it up.

[Logman]

I had a wonderful and expensive dinner while camping in Yosemite Valley with family and friends several years ago, and when the big bill came my Credit Card was refused. Even though I have an excellent credit rating Citibank saw the Calif charges and decided my card had been stolen. I'm from the East and I had neglected to tell them I would be traveling. Be sure you tell your CC card company you will be traveling and using the card. Logman

[Bailey'sMom]

I had a wonderful and expensive dinner while camping in Yosemite Valley with family and friends several years ago, and when the big bill came my Credit Card was refused. Even though I have an excellent credit rating Citibank saw the Calif charges and decided my card had been stolen. I'm from the East and I had neglected to tell them I would be traveling. Be sure you tell your CC card company you will be traveling and using the card. Logman

Excellent advice. You should also notify your bank/credit union especially if you use a debit card as the same kind of security monitoring is done on debit cards.

[Tampajohn]

A major problem came up yesterday. As I indicated, we have been on the road for over 3 months and will stay out for 4 1/2 months. I received a refund on the insurance on one of the rental houses from the insurance company. Apparently the policy was cancelled which is normal with Florida insurance. I did not know it since the mail forwarding did not send it through. Anyway, the house has had no insurance since January. Not a good deal and after 50 years of owning houses, I never had a house without insurance. Now I am scrambling around trying to get coverage on the house. I do not know how to prevent this in the future. I would have not known know it unless I received the refund. The premium the agent quoted is 40 percent higher since I am not there to have an inspection done. Difficult situation and will pay the higher premium to get coverage until we get home. Then deal with it then. Not good situation. Going to get a new insurance agent. The way I found out was the tenant received the mail and let me know. I had them open it and they indicated the contents.

[tentcamper]

I would contact my agent and make sure in the future he contact you in person. That's the relationship I have with my agent. He call me when there is an increase over 5% or any changes that I should know.

[Tampajohn]

I am going to take care of that when I get home. Been with that agency for over 20 years. They got big and service as declined. Looking for a new agent when I get home.