Bill Presentment
There are currently two ways to pay your bills online. First, the most common way is to receive a paper bill in the mail, log onto your computer, and authorize payment from your bank directly to the vendor.
The second and far less prevalent way is through what is known as “bill presentment.” This is just as it sounds; your bills are visually presented to you online. They are either sent to you by e-mail, or you may log onto your bill paying service provider’s Web page and view all of your bills together on one password-protected site. Once you’ve reviewed your bills online, you may authorize your bank to make payments.
Keep in mind, however, that few companies are set up to receive automatic payments. As a result, the bank may receive your instructions online, but it must still cut a check and send it out by mail to the payee.