Any Ways to Pay Verizon Bill without Fees?

[slackmax]

I got a mysterious letter from Verizon a few days ago. Something about they are required by Pa Utility Commission to inform me that I am eligible a one time  payment extension plan, from now until 12/31/2021. Nothing about what happens after 12/31/2021. Lots of other garbage, then they request me to call their 800 number to set up a payment plan.

I have been paying by mailed in check for years. That's my payment plan.

All I have with them is a landline that I pay $30 a month for. I mail in a check each month. I am happy with that arrangement.

This letter doesn't say anything about paying by check being OK or not, but the payment options they list, of course, do not include paying by check.

They don't say I can no longer pay by check. They don't  say I have missed a payment or done anything wrong. 

So I am asking here about payment options with Verizon. I want to avoid fees. Pay by phone charges $3.50 per payment.   Paying cash at a local store has a $1.50  fee.

What about paying by going online to verizon website once a month and doing a 'push' payment from a checking account by ACH?  My credit union allows 6 free ACH per month, I think. 

Other options that don't (currently) have fees?

Thanks,

Slackmax the Frugal

[ketchup]

Assuming your checks, envelopes, and postage aren't somehow free, $1.50 probably isn't far off from the same "fee" you're paying by mailing in checks.

[slackmax]

Assuming your checks, envelopes, and postage aren't somehow free, $1.50 probably isn't far off from the same "fee" you're paying by mailing in checks.

You are correct. Check costs 15 cents, stamp is 50 cents(?) and envelope is free from Verizon.  65 cents total.

[AccidentialMustache]

Could be a computer system glitch.

AT&T just screwed up autopay on the copper phone network (they forgot to run autopay), so bills were marked late and late fees applied. They have of course reversed all that as it was their screw up, but I had to get on the phone with them to discover this (even though the phone agent new it -- communicate people. You have my email. Send an updated bill with notes. This is not rocket science.).

Call them and ask. Don't ask us. We aren't verizon.

[Cadman]

I don't know if CC's also factor into your strategy, but Verizon is currently pushing their new Visa card. Use it to pay your phone bill for 24 months and they'll give you a $100 credit (100/24 credited monthly), plus 2% cash back.

[Morning Glory]

Why do you need a landline?

I would contact Verizon to see if that's really their 800 number because it sounds like it could be a scam. "We are Verizon, call this number and give us your banking information"

[alsoknownasDean]

Yeah I'd only call a number on the bill you receive each month, or the number on their website. That letter sounds dodgy.

Still, mailing a check, what is this, 1985?

I'm amazed a company like that would still accept checks mailed to them for payment. Surely the admin costs on their end would be enough to render it unviable.

What's the fee for credit card or direct debit?

Although, I guess it's a different culture here, I'm 36 and have never owned nor needed to own a chequebook.

Although 30 seconds on Google finds this link and this nugget of information:

https://www.verizon.com/support/residential/account/pay-bill/how-to

Eliminate stamps and late fees with Auto Pay, Verizon’s automatic monthly payment plan. Your monthly bill is paid from the account of your choice: checking or savings account, debit card or credit card.

If you're paranoid about a big company having access to your bank details and being able to deduct whatever they want, then maybe open a dedicated bank account and only transfer that amount to the account?

[Dicey]

Yeah I'd only call a number on the bill you receive each month, or the number on their website. That letter sounds dodgy.

Still, mailing a check, what is this, 1985?

I'm amazed a company like that would still accept checks mailed to them for payment. Surely the admin costs on their end would be enough to render it unviable.

What's the fee for credit card or direct debit?

Although, I guess it's a different culture here, I'm 36 and have never owned nor needed to own a chequebook.

Although 30 seconds on Google finds this link and this nugget of information:

https://www.verizon.com/support/residential/account/pay-bill/how-to

Eliminate stamps and late fees with Auto Pay, Verizon’s automatic monthly payment plan. Your monthly bill is paid from the account of your choice: checking or savings account, debit card or credit card.

If you're paranoid about a big company having access to your bank details and being able to deduct whatever they want, then maybe open a dedicated bank account and only transfer that amount to the account?

Dude, you're not in the US. Hard to believe, but there still some things that require payment by check. Not many, but I just had to write one yesterday. It's changing, but US banking is behind the times.

[Morning Glory]

Yeah I'd only call a number on the bill you receive each month, or the number on their website. That letter sounds dodgy.

Still, mailing a check, what is this, 1985?

I'm amazed a company like that would still accept checks mailed to them for payment. Surely the admin costs on their end would be enough to render it unviable.

What's the fee for credit card or direct debit?

Although, I guess it's a different culture here, I'm 36 and have never owned nor needed to own a chequebook.

Although 30 seconds on Google finds this link and this nugget of information:

https://www.verizon.com/support/residential/account/pay-bill/how-to

Eliminate stamps and late fees with Auto Pay, Verizon’s automatic monthly payment plan. Your monthly bill is paid from the account of your choice: checking or savings account, debit card or credit card.

If you're paranoid about a big company having access to your bank details and being able to deduct whatever they want, then maybe open a dedicated bank account and only transfer that amount to the account?

Dude, you're not in the US. Hard to believe, but there still some things that require payment by check. Not many, but I just had to write one yesterday. It's changing, but US banking is behind the times.

Yep, I still use them when dealing with very small businesses and contractors. If it's some kind of monthly service I usually see if I can pay annually so I don't have to mail one every month.  The trash collection company at my old house gave me a discount for doing that.

[ketchup]

I bought the smallest quantity of checks they'd let me in 2015, and I have at least a decade's supply.  The only thing I've used checks to pay for in the last few years are dog show entries (so mustachian).  The only thing I've even used cash to pay for in at least a year is marijuana at the marijuana store (clearly, also mustachian).

My wife has received cash and checks as payments for her business, but those are just a nuisance until they're deposited into the bank.

Good ol' 21st century USA.

[Cadman]

Yeah I'd only call a number on the bill you receive each month, or the number on their website. That letter sounds dodgy.

Still, mailing a check, what is this, 1985?

I'm amazed a company like that would still accept checks mailed to them for payment. Surely the admin costs on their end would be enough to render it unviable.

What's the fee for credit card or direct debit?

Although, I guess it's a different culture here, I'm 36 and have never owned nor needed to own a chequebook.

Although 30 seconds on Google finds this link and this nugget of information:

https://www.verizon.com/support/residential/account/pay-bill/how-to

Eliminate stamps and late fees with Auto Pay, Verizon’s automatic monthly payment plan. Your monthly bill is paid from the account of your choice: checking or savings account, debit card or credit card.

If you're paranoid about a big company having access to your bank details and being able to deduct whatever they want, then maybe open a dedicated bank account and only transfer that amount to the account?

I suspect admin fees are quite low as most paper checks are scanned digitally upon receipt and the routing and account info gets processed like an electronic payment. Still, I'm glad to know Verizon takes checks for the sake of those who don't have, or don't want to use CC's, don't have a computer, or have spotty (or no) internet.

Are checks outdated? Well, so is cash. But both are powerful tools for private transactions, and just because checks still exist, doesn't mean a person isn't allowed to use the latest and greatest alternatives if they want.

[bacchi]

Use bill pay at your credit union. The 1st bill pay might be a paper check but the rest will probably be EFT.

Send the first payment early to make sure the address and account number are obvious enough for Verizon.

[slackmax]

 .. snip  ..

Call them and ask. Don't ask us. We aren't verizon.

If I call Verizon I'll get whatever they want to tell me, which will probably limit my real range of options. I have to find out what the real options are. That's why I'm not asking Verizon. That's why I'm asking outside of Verizon.   

[slackmax]

Why do you need a landline?

I would contact Verizon to see if that's really their 800 number because it sounds like it could be a scam. "We are Verizon, call this number and give us your banking information"

MG, I have a landline just becuz. It's more complicated than that, but not by much.

It's the real Verizon 800 number. Same as on my bill. 1 800 verizon.

I reluctantly gave up mailing checks in to my electric co and my credit card company, simply because the US mail lost a check once, and luckily I found out before it was late, and all that nonsense. I am able to pay both of those bills by phone, which takes about a minute, and is free. 

If Verizon had a free pay-by-phone option, I would be all over it. But noooooooo.

Maybe it is a computer glitch, as someone suggested. All my payments are up to date.   

 

 

[sonofsven]

I have a free checking account (USAA) and use their bill pay online. I don't let any payees take money from my account, I go in each month after I receive a bill and input the amount I am paying and the day it will be paid. It's incredibly convenient, no fees, and I save big on stamps.
I pay my health insurance bill at the insurers website, I had to input my debit card information so it will appear as a "payment option", but again, I go in and set up the date for the payment each month.
Go to the verizon website and see if this is an option.

[Villanelle]

Yeah I'd only call a number on the bill you receive each month, or the number on their website. That letter sounds dodgy.

Still, mailing a check, what is this, 1985?

I'm amazed a company like that would still accept checks mailed to them for payment. Surely the admin costs on their end would be enough to render it unviable.

What's the fee for credit card or direct debit?

Although, I guess it's a different culture here, I'm 36 and have never owned nor needed to own a chequebook.

Although 30 seconds on Google finds this link and this nugget of information:

https://www.verizon.com/support/residential/account/pay-bill/how-to

Eliminate stamps and late fees with Auto Pay, Verizon’s automatic monthly payment plan. Your monthly bill is paid from the account of your choice: checking or savings account, debit card or credit card.

If you're paranoid about a big company having access to your bank details and being able to deduct whatever they want, then maybe open a dedicated bank account and only transfer that amount to the account?

Dude, you're not in the US. Hard to believe, but there still some things that require payment by check. Not many, but I just had to write one yesterday. It's changing, but US banking is behind the times.

I'm in the US and haven't written a check in years.  What did you have to write a check for, where that was the only option?

[bacchi]

Dude, you're not in the US. Hard to believe, but there still some things that require payment by check. Not many, but I just had to write one yesterday. It's changing, but US banking is behind the times.

I'm in the US and haven't written a check in years.  What did you have to write a check for, where that was the only option?

Contractors who don't want to pay the fees for cards and various cash xfer services.

The guy in the concrete truck who poured my driveway, for example, didn't take cards or Venmo/cash app/gpay/paypal/etc.

[EvenSteven]

Dude, you're not in the US. Hard to believe, but there still some things that require payment by check. Not many, but I just had to write one yesterday. It's changing, but US banking is behind the times.

I'm in the US and haven't written a check in years.  What did you have to write a check for, where that was the only option?

Contractors who don't want to pay the fees for cards and various cash xfer services.

The guy in the concrete truck who poured my driveway, for example, didn't take cards or Venmo/cash app/gpay/paypal/etc.

Ive also had a few contractors that did the same. I also use checks for wedding gifts and baby shower gifts.

[jim555]

Auto pay is pretty seamless.  I had Verizon Internet a few year ago with it.  They required it to get some extra off your bill.

[Morning Glory]

Dude, you're not in the US. Hard to believe, but there still some things that require payment by check. Not many, but I just had to write one yesterday. It's changing, but US banking is behind the times.

I'm in the US and haven't written a check in years.  What did you have to write a check for, where that was the only option?

Contractors who don't want to pay the fees for cards and various cash xfer services.

The guy in the concrete truck who poured my driveway, for example, didn't take cards or Venmo/cash app/gpay/paypal/etc.

Ive also had a few contractors that did the same. I also use checks for wedding gifts and baby shower gifts.

I just bought a car with a check because I didn't want to carry that much cash around. My old propane guy and trash collector only took checks. Now that I'm a renter I can pay everything online, and I won't be hiring any contractors unless I buy another house, so I can see how you could get by without them in the US.

I've never paid anything by phone, that seems like it would be less secure than an automatic online payment.

[Dicey]

Yeah I'd only call a number on the bill you receive each month, or the number on their website. That letter sounds dodgy.

Still, mailing a check, what is this, 1985?

I'm amazed a company like that would still accept checks mailed to them for payment. Surely the admin costs on their end would be enough to render it unviable.

What's the fee for credit card or direct debit?

Although, I guess it's a different culture here, I'm 36 and have never owned nor needed to own a chequebook.

Although 30 seconds on Google finds this link and this nugget of information:

https://www.verizon.com/support/residential/account/pay-bill/how-to

Eliminate stamps and late fees with Auto Pay, Verizon’s automatic monthly payment plan. Your monthly bill is paid from the account of your choice: checking or savings account, debit card or credit card.

If you're paranoid about a big company having access to your bank details and being able to deduct whatever they want, then maybe open a dedicated bank account and only transfer that amount to the account?

Dude, you're not in the US. Hard to believe, but there still some things that require payment by check. Not many, but I just had to write one yesterday. It's changing, but US banking is behind the times.

I'm in the US and haven't written a check in years.  What did you have to write a check for, where that was the only option?

Just for grins, I looked it up. We use duplicate checks, so here's everything we've written in the last year:

1. US Treasury aka the IRS (Ouch, it was big!)
2. Our CPA x 2
3. A handyman at one of our rentals
4. The down payment on our kid's condo, until their old one closed. We got it back promptly, by check, of course.*
5. Exterminator at a rental. Termite mitigation. Sole Proprieter. Dude wanted a check, not a CC.
6. Wedding present
7. Gardener - rentals. This was for something extra. Monthly service is on autopay.
8. State Licensing Board - Annual Renewal for DH's professional licensing. CC's cost 3% extra. Nope. (Same for property taxes.)
9. DMV x 2 (See #8.)
10. Membership dues for a civic organization. Can only pay by check.

*Their mortgage lender said a check would be twice as fast as a transfer. Okay, whatever. We snail mailed a paper check. The closing of their old place and their new place were a day apart, but the lender needed the DP in advance to make it happen. Okay, whatever. We were glad we could do it for them.

Related random tidbit: I have been accepted into a major Alzheimer's study (ADNI). The purpose of the study is to find markers that can be used to identify the disease. Hopefully, I am in the Control Group. There were a battery of tests, including a ton of cognitive testing. At one point, I was handed three pieces of paper and asked to identify them. It was two checks and a deposit slip. Later, I was given them again with a check register and asked to enter them, then balance the checkbook. Who the hell balances a checkbook by hand any more? Oh, and somewhere in between, I was asked to make out a check. I joked that pretty soon they were going to have to update their test materials. This study began in 2004, so these tests were probably created a year or two earlier. How quickly things have changed!

[alsoknownasDean]

Dude, you're not in the US. Hard to believe, but there still some things that require payment by check. Not many, but I just had to write one yesterday. It's changing, but US banking is behind the times.

It's definitely a different system. I was there in 2015 and I couldn't even tap my card for payment, had to swipe and sign most of the time.

These days here cheques are pretty much only used by people who can't/won't use online banking, and there's still going to be the 'pay at the post office with cash' option for them once cheques are phased out entirely.

I had electrical work done last week, the invoice included the bank details, I loaded up my banking app, entered the bank details and the amount and paid it directly.

But yeah, if Verizon don't charge fees for autopay, and if you can open a bank account that doesn't charge any fees or use a no-annual fee credit card, then that seems a pretty obvious option :)

[Sandi_k]

So I am asking here about payment options with Verizon. I want to avoid fees. Pay by phone charges $3.50 per payment.   Paying cash at a local store has a $1.50  fee.

What about paying by going online to verizon website once a month and doing a 'push' payment from a checking account by ACH?  My credit union allows 6 free ACH per month, I think. 

Other options that don't (currently) have fees?

mycheckfree.com is an online bill pay system; load in the info, and they send the payment as the middleman. No fees. I've used them for at least 10 years.

[Rural]

I have no other option than checks (usually I have my bank send the physical check through their online bill pay, but things where they must send a paper check through the mail):

• Water bill
• Trash collection
• Vehicle registration

Things with a credit card option, but only with a percent fee:

• Property tax ( 2% fee)
• Power bill (3% fee)

So, that's all but two of my regular bills (mobile and home internet are the exceptions) where I either have to pay by check, no option, or would have to pay a percentage on top of the bill if I wanted to avoid checks. Rural America is further behind in banking than most of the country, it seems.

[Cranky]

It’s not actually harder or more time consuming to write a check and mail it than it is to pay online, btw. I’ve got newer accounts set up to pay online, but utility bills I’ve been paying by check for 30 years? Why bother?

[Car Jack]

It’s not actually harder or more time consuming to write a check and mail it than it is to pay online, btw. I’ve got newer accounts set up to pay online, but utility bills I’ve been paying by check for 30 years? Why bother?

Really?

I set up my auto pay using my Fidelity 2% card decades ago with Verizon.  I haven't done a single thing since then.  I would say that it's certainly less work than taking a paper bill out of an envelope, writing a check, putting it in an envelope, putting a stamp on it and mailing it.  Compare that to what I do:  exactly nothing.

[Cranky]

Well, you got me. It’s 30 seconds/month I’ll never get back. ;-) I hope you use yours wisely!

I don’t like autopay for something as variable as utility bills - I want to keep an eye on things that vary from month to month. I do sometimes wonder if people have more bills than I do, the way they stress about the time commitment.

[Dicey]

It’s not actually harder or more time consuming to write a check and mail it than it is to pay online, btw. I’ve got newer accounts set up to pay online, but utility bills I’ve been paying by check for 30 years? Why bother?

Really?

I set up my auto pay using my Fidelity 2% card decades ago with Verizon.  I haven't done a single thing since then.  I would say that it's certainly less work than taking a paper bill out of an envelope, writing a check, putting it in an envelope, putting a stamp on it and mailing it.  Compare that to what I do:  exactly nothing.

I hope you log in once in a while to check your charges. Citibank failed to auto pay a significant CC bill this month and it's been a huge time suck and general PITA. Not fixed yet, and no explanation.

[Morning Glory]

Well, you got me. It’s 30 seconds/month I’ll never get back. ;-) I hope you use yours wisely!

I don’t like autopay for something as variable as utility bills - I want to keep an eye on things that vary from month to month. I do sometimes wonder if people have more bills than I do, the way they stress about the time commitment.

Finding a mailbox is tough these days. They used to be at every shopping center and in front of main buildings like schools. Now there is one at each post office and that's it.

[Cadman]

I have no other option than checks (usually I have my bank send the physical check through their online bill pay, but things where they must send a paper check through the mail):

• Water bill
• Trash collection
• Vehicle registration

Things with a credit card option, but only with a percent fee:

• Property tax ( 2% fee)
• Power bill (3% fee)

So, that's all but two of my regular bills (mobile and home internet are the exceptions) where I either have to pay by check, no option, or would have to pay a percentage on top of the bill if I wanted to avoid checks. Rural America is further behind in banking than most of the country, it seems.

We live just outside an urban area and our vehicle tags and property taxes are the same way, only it's a 2.5% charge for prop tax which can really add up. I suspect it's less about being up-to-date technologically and more about not passing the CC fees on to the entire citizen base. I can remember not that long ago small businesses would also give you a discount if you paid cash, especially for smaller purchases, though most of those shops now use Square readers and say to hell with a discount.

It also occurs to me checks are preferred with our LP service. The tank truck shows up, an amount is dispensed and printed automatically on a small envelope which gets tucked in the door jamb. If you pay by check, you automatically get x-percent off, deduct it immediately, stick the check in the envelope and send it off. We only fill up once a year so it can be a tidy sum.

When we travel, I keep a couple checks folded up in my wallet in case of an emergency. This has come in handy especially when camping at state parks and you arrive after hours. While we usually reserve (and pay) for a camp spot online, there are often additional fees such as 'park passports', firewood, or paying for a non-reservable spot if you're just passing through. Usually this comes to some oddball (and sometimes sizable) figure and you better hope you have exact change to put in the little envelope. Plus with your name on the check, there can be little dispute should the cash grow legs.

[Villanelle]

My bank will send out checks for no fee.  I enter in the info and they mail a check.  Can be monthly, one-time, or other frequencies.  I pay my parents for something monthly and mom is old school (still balances her paper checkbook, from the paper register, once a month!) so that's how I pay them.

And I pay my property taxes by providing bank and routing number, so I don't pay the CC fee, don't have to write, a check, and can get automatic confirmation it was received and processed. 

I do keep 2 checks stashed in my wallet as a 'just in case".  One of them is so old that I've had 7 addresses since then!  It's been at least a dozen years since I ordered checks, and even then the order was because we'd changed addresses and at the time some places still seemed to want your ID and check address to match. 

I did recently have to pay the DMV with a credit card, and pay a fee, but I couldn't figure out a way to avoid it.  It was being handled from out of state, and they wouldn't give us an exact amount until they processed it.  (We didn't pay sales tax on the vehicle when we bought it and therefore had to pay it to our state of residency and they would only give an estimate, so we had to just round up on the "authorized amount" on the cc form.  And their estimate did turn out to be off by a few dollars.  I have no idea what it isn't just an exact %, but it wasn't.  Otherwise, I could have provided my bank info (so still not writing a check), but they only allowed that option for a specific amount.   CC was the only option where I could pay an "up to $xxxx" amount and let them take what they wanted.

We recently moved and are using a lawn service at least for now (queue face punches).  They take Zelle and Paypal, and actually encourage those over checks.  New property manager has an online service for rent.  They do charge me $1/mo, but I'm willing to pay that for the convenience and peace of mind.  No one can say that the check didn't arrive in time and slap on a late fee. 

To be clear, I'm not disputing other's lived experiences.  I'm just surprised there is so much variation. 

[Cadman]

Well, you got me. It’s 30 seconds/month I’ll never get back. ;-) I hope you use yours wisely!

I don’t like autopay for something as variable as utility bills - I want to keep an eye on things that vary from month to month. I do sometimes wonder if people have more bills than I do, the way they stress about the time commitment.

Finding a mailbox is tough these days. They used to be at every shopping center and in front of main buildings like schools. Now there is one at each post office and that's it.

A light bulb just went on.... I'm not sure if you're in the US, but our incoming mailboxes double as outgoing as well. One German friend even asked me about the little red flags he saw on the boxes here. With this in mind, I now understand why payment by mail could be such an inconvenience in other countries.

[Rosy]

Yeah, I never knew that little red flag on the mailboxes meant the mail carrier would pick up my outgoing mail.
For decades I assumed it might be for holidays like the 4th of July:).

We still have a mini post office, for years I've been wondering if this is the year they will close it. Substation I guess is the correct term.
It's like stepping back into the sixties.
The old lady that works there smokes like a chimney and is about as friendly as a Rottweiler in attack mode.

The place is dusty and wood-paneled, the walls littered with notes and posters. Even the lighting is old and subpar, the windows none too clean.
It feels like a movie scene.
(To clarify - she doesn't smoke at the counter but the place is deeply permeated with cigarette smoke smell.)

[slackmax]

OP here.  Update:  I called up the Pa Utility Commission 800 number about  the Verizon letter, since the letter mentioned the PUC. I got a nice lady who told me other people had been calling in asking about the same letter, so I am not alone.

She thinks it is related to some covid19 mitigation policy that allows people to miss payments without having their service interrupted. She didn't know why I got the letter, since I am on schedule with all my payments, but other people have been getting the same letter, who have also not missed any payments. 

So I plan to just keep mailing in my  paper check via the snail mail.  65 cents per payment. That's fine with me.

It was quite informative to read in this thread about all the different ways folks are paying for stuff.

[Morning Glory]

Well, you got me. It’s 30 seconds/month I’ll never get back. ;-) I hope you use yours wisely!

I don’t like autopay for something as variable as utility bills - I want to keep an eye on things that vary from month to month. I do sometimes wonder if people have more bills than I do, the way they stress about the time commitment.

Finding a mailbox is tough these days. They used to be at every shopping center and in front of main buildings like schools. Now there is one at each post office and that's it.

A light bulb just went on.... I'm not sure if you're in the US, but our incoming mailboxes double as outgoing as well. One German friend even asked me about the little red flags he saw on the boxes here. With this in mind, I now understand why payment by mail could be such an inconvenience in other countries.

I'm in the US. I tried the flag a couple times when I lived on a rural route but it didn't work. Mail was still there next time I checked. Now where I live the mailbox is a bunch of cubbies with no flag.

[Dicey]

Well, you got me. It’s 30 seconds/month I’ll never get back. ;-) I hope you use yours wisely!

I don’t like autopay for something as variable as utility bills - I want to keep an eye on things that vary from month to month. I do sometimes wonder if people have more bills than I do, the way they stress about the time commitment.

Finding a mailbox is tough these days. They used to be at every shopping center and in front of main buildings like schools. Now there is one at each post office and that's it.

A light bulb just went on.... I'm not sure if you're in the US, but our incoming mailboxes double as outgoing as well. One German friend even asked me about the little red flags he saw on the boxes here. With this in mind, I now understand why payment by mail could be such an inconvenience in other countries.

I'm in the US. I tried the flag a couple times when I lived on a rural route but it didn't work. Mail was still there next time I checked. Now where I live the mailbox is a bunch of cubbies with no flag.

Yeah, where I live, the little red flag is code for "There's mail in here, please steal it."