I am not comfortable using wi-fi at McDonald's or Starbucks while traveling (to access my checking account to pay bills). I have just recently gotten an Iphone 5, my first smart phone. What options do I have that are safe? Can I access banking info SAFELY while on 3G? I am not sure what other questions I should be asking here. Can someone explain in fairly easy to understand answers, how bills are paid? For what it is worth, my Iphone 5 is through Straight Talk at Walmart, on the Verizon towers, with unlimited everything. Thanks!

We have ours setup to come out automatically each month so as to not have to remember to pay them.

When you go to on-line banking it is a secure site (hptts) regardless of how you access it......wifi, dial up etc.On-line banking is set up thru your ban and tied to your account(s)You can set up 'auto' pay, minimum pay, recurring pay, alerts/reminders etc.We have used on-line banking exclusively for the past 6 yrs. full timing..traveling all over the USA.Billing was set up for 'e-bills' (on line...no paper). and paid automatically each time bill was received.Also if we wanted to pay someone/some company that was just a one time deal...we used our on line 'pay bill'

Yes, you are adequately safe using your 3G cell coverage. It's equally as safe as your home internet connection.

Autopsy. Then nothing gets missed.

We have ours autopaid by CC. We get points for that and pay the bill in full each month with a transfer via HTTPS as suggested.

Paying bills online while traveling | Good Sam Community

33 Replies

wannavolunteerF
Explorer
Aug 19, 2013
Not sure how long you are going to be traveling away from home, but most of my bills, I can schedule a payment several weeks in advance. I can schedule my power bill, my truck payment and my cell phone bill several weeks in advance (like next Friday when I get paid). Makes it easy if you plan ahead.
the_happiestcam
Explorer
Aug 19, 2013
powderman426 wrote:
Autopsy. Then nothing gets missed.

Good old spell check :)
JRS___B
Explorer
Aug 19, 2013
What JJBIRISH said x2.

I do not want to start a discussion on what protection on a person's personal computer is the best, because I don't know, and have no opinion.

I happen to have used Norton 360 and found it user friendly. Norton was also used at the company I worked for and so I think it is reasonable to assume that it was investigated by the company's experts before they bought into something for their 16,000 employees.

There certainly are others, like McAfee, that are also very good.
JJBIRISH
Explorer
Aug 19, 2013
Aside from what has already been said I bank using public Wi-Fi and have for years using the banks secure connection from my laptop, I also have a program that prevents others from being able to see keystrokes from my computer while on public Wi-Fi…
CavemanCharlie
Explorer III
Aug 19, 2013
I don't know how I can help you. I have been banking at the same small town bank for 39 years. I pay all my bills by writing a check and dropping it in the USPS mail box. I am just a weekend camper and don't have to worry about paying bills away from home. If I did I would just let my brother; who has "Power Of Attorney"; do it for me and then write a check out to him to pay him back.
skipnchar
Explorer
Aug 19, 2013
We always use auto pay where creditor debuts your account automatically. Has worked well for us for the last ten years with no problems. My credit union has an app that lets me monitor the account easily.
dadmomh
Explorer
Aug 19, 2013
I have also set up everything to pay auto-debit every month. I don't have to pay anything with my phone, but I do check account activity and balances almost every day. I do the same thing at home, then if there is any discrepancy, I can take care of it right away. You don't need a Wi-Fi or hot spot, just driving down the interstate is fine....if you have cell service, you'll have everything you need.
GoldwingCapeCod
Explorer
Aug 19, 2013
I use and android cell phone on the Verizon network. I use an app that turns my cell phone into a hotspot. It works 3 or 4G and connects to my laptop via blue tooth or wifi.

I am sure there are the same type apps for the iPhone. Go to App Store and look for tethering of wifi hotspot

Mike s
Racine96
Explorer
Aug 18, 2013
You should not be that concerned, make a list of payments to be made ahead of time so once you log in you can do them promptly, log in, make the payments on line using your bank system, and log out as soon as you are done. Most banks offer free pay online. I never experience problems. Hackers need time to get in, as you don't stay logged in for a long time, you should be fine. Also, the banks systems have a lot of security in place for these transaction. Good luck.
YC_1
Nomad
Aug 18, 2013
Using a CC you have a lot of protections from fraud. Setting up alerts is a good way to go. We recently received a call while on the road that our CC had an attempted use and it was denied and shut off. Our CC company knows we are traveling. The sent us a new CC overnight. A bit of a pain because the auto bill pays had to be changed but still good service from a CC company. They delivered the card on a Saturday.

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Paying bills online while traveling

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