Paying bills on time is key to good finances

MANILA, Philippines - Paying bills on time is an important aspect of your financial life. Knowing when your bills are due and making a habit of paying them on time can save you money and reduce your stress.

You might not realize it, but not paying your bills on the due date can have a negative impact on your financial future. Whether it’s your electricity, water, or mobile phone bill, paying your bill days after your due date can cost you additional fees and charges which can range from hundreds to even thousands of pesos.

Paying your bills on time can also reduce your financial stress. You don’t have to worry about those unpaid bills that are stacking up or late payment charges. You can rest easy knowing that your “financial house” is in order.

First, schedule a bill-payment cut-off time. Make a schedule on your calendar to pay bills on a regular basis. By setting aside a regular time to pay your bills such as during paydays, you’ll surely remember to settle your financial obligations on time.

Second, create a location to put your bills and remember your due dates. Think of a convenient place where you can keep your bills so it will be easy for you to access them. You can also organize your bills according to their respective due dates so you are reminded which bills need to be paid next. In order to remember your due date, it is helpful if you keep in mind your billing cycles. These usually fall into two groups — early in the month or later in the month.

Enroll in paperless billing if available. For example, Globe Postpaid subscribers can easily sign up to receive e-bills at www.globe.com.ph under My Account. With a paperless billing enrollment, you can view your bills anytime, anywhere online and have the company send you the monthly bill whichever way you prefer. This will ensure that you won’t miss any due date especially if you receive the notification on your mobile phone or tablet.

Pay your bills in seconds via your smartphones using the GCash Mobile App. Just go to the Apple App Store, Google Play, and BlackBerry App World, search for GCash and download the app for free.  Just launch the GCash Mobile App, do a one-time registration, and then put funds in your GCash wallet. Log in with your Mobile PIN (MPIN), click on the “Pay Bill” link and you’re good to go. With the GCash Mobile App, there’s no need to memorize keywords or access numbers. Using GCash can also save you from the hassle of long queuing lines in bill payment centers. No more waiting time because all you need is a click of a button and voila, you are cleared of any financial baggage on the spot.

 â€œPaying is always a chore. With the GCash Mobile App and the enjoyable experience it offers, our subscribers will feel good getting payments done using GCash,” says GXI president Paolo Baltao. “Even for non-smartphone users, they can dial *143# for free on their phones and select GCash to enjoy the same experience.”

Your payments are processed by your billers in one to two banking days. All the transactions done using the GCash Mobile App as well as your current balance are reflected in the opening screen, or the GCash Mobile App moneybook, which lists down all the GCash transactions for the month in real-time.

Paying your bills via GCash is free of charge even if you don’t have an airtime load provided that you have enough balance in your GCash wallet for the transaction to push through. You can easily fund your GCash wallet by online bank transfer, mobile banking or cashing-in via the Globe Stores and GCash outlets. GCash also has a two-factor authentication system that makes your GCash account safer and absolutely secure. For your electronic reference, notifications are sent to your mobile phone on the status of your transactions.

For information, visit www.globe.com.ph/gcash.