Managing Bills and Payments With Quicken Bill Pay in 2018

As a long-time Quicken user, I was excited to start using the new Quicken Bill Pay platform that launched in 2018 Quicken Bill Pay replaces the old bill pay service and provides some great improvements for easily managing and paying bills.

In this article, I’ll overview how Quicken Bill Pay works, the key features, and tips for getting started. Whether you’re new to Quicken or have used it for years, read on to learn how Quicken Bill Pay can save you time and hassle with a streamlined bill payment experience.

Overview of Quicken Bill Pay

Quicken Bill Pay gives you two main options for paying bills directly within Quicken:

• Quick Pay – Electronic payments to companies that accept online payments
• Check Pay – Paper check payments mailed to any recipient

You can access Bill Pay tools right from within your Quicken desktop software or mobile app.

Some key capabilities include:

• Paying bills online or by mail
• Scheduling one-time or recurring payments
• Tracking payment history
• Syncing bill reminders into Quicken
• Getting alerts for upcoming bills
• Support for over 11,000 billers

Keep reading for more details on getting started with Quicken Bill Pay.

Accessing Quicken Bill Pay Features

You’ll access all your bill pay tools from the Bills & Income tab within Quicken, Here are some of the main sections

• Payees – List of companies you pay bills to
• Bills – Upcoming and past due bills
• Reminders – Automatic bill reminders
• Payments – Payment history

You can also make Quick Pay and Check Pay payments directly from account registers.

The Quicken mobile app also provides access to bill pay on the go. I’ll cover more mobile features later on.

Making Electronic Quick Pay Payments

Quick Pay allows fast online payments to companies that accept electronic payments. Here’s how it works:

1. Select a payee and click Quick Pay
2. Enter payment details including:
   • Amount
   • Account
   • Date
   • Category
3. Review and submit the payment
4. The biller receives the payment electronically

Making Quick Pay payments from the register is also simple – just select “Pay (Quick Pay/Check Pay)” when creating a transaction.

The key benefit of Quick Pay is avoiding the hassle of mailing checks while still making direct payments from Quicken.

Sending Check Pay Payments

Check Pay allows you to send paper check payments by mail without having to manually print and mail checks. To send a Check Pay payment:

1. Select a payee and click Check Pay
2. Enter payment details including:
   • Amount
   • Account
   • Mail date
   • Memo
3. Review and submit the payment
4. The check is printed and mailed through a Quicken service

Check Pay eliminates printing and mailing checks yourself. Just schedule the payments in Quicken and the checks will be sent for you.

Between Quick Pay and Check Pay, you’ve got flexible bill payment options right within Quicken.

Scheduling Payments in Advance

Quicken Bill Pay makes it easy to not only pay bills that are due now, but also schedule payments in advance.

You can schedule one-time or recurring payments up to 18 months in advance. Just specify the future payment date when entering details.

Scheduling bill payments in advance helps you avoid late fees and stay organized. Quicken will automatically remind you of upcoming scheduled payments as well.

Tracking Payment History

The Payments section under Bills & Income provides a history of all your Bill Pay payments through Quicken. You can see details like:

• Payee
• Date
• Amount
• Account used
• Payment method

This offers a consolidated view of all your payments without having to go through individual account registers.

Mobile App for Paying Bills on the Go

In addition to the desktop features, you can also access Quicken Bill Pay tools from the mobile app. You can:

• Review bills & payments
• Make Quick Pay and Check Pay transactions
• Add payees
• Receive bill reminders

Being able to pay bills right from your phone is extremely convenient when you’re on the go.

Tips for Getting Started With Quicken Bill Pay

If you’re just getting started with using Quicken Bill Pay, here are some helpful tips:

• Take a few minutes to add your regular payees so they are stored in Quicken
• Set up automatic recurring payments for bills you pay regularly
• Enable bill reminders so you never miss payments
• Start slowly by paying a few bills online or by mail
• Review your payment history to confirm transactions
• Use the mobile app to pay bills from anywhere

Integrating bill management into your regular Quicken workflow takes some adjustment, but soon becomes seamless and convenient.

Why I Love Quicken Bill Pay

As a long-time Quicken user, I find the new Bill Pay tools to be a huge improvement to my bill management workflow.

Having a centralized solution for both online and check payments is great. I also love the ability to schedule advanced payments – no more worrying about forgetting a bill!

The payment history and mobile features are excellent additions as well. Managing bills is now a quick task each week rather than a chore.

For any Quicken user looking to simplify bill payments, I highly recommend exploring Quicken Bill Pay. The convenience it provides is well worth the transition from your old bill pay methods. Give it a try today!