Buzz
Mint, one of the most widely-used budgeting apps, will be discontinuing its bill pay feature on June 30, according to an announcement on their website.
When contacted for comment, a representative from Mint stated, “We have decided to prioritize focusing our team on innovation and the best methods to help users manage their finances. We did not observe a significant number of users paying bills through Mint.”
Mint explains that although the bill pay feature will no longer be available, users can still track upcoming bills, set reminders, and view their payment history. (To download your payment history for safekeeping, you will need to reach out to Mint’s support team.)
For scheduled payments, the “Pay On” date must be set for June 30, 2018, or earlier, otherwise, they will be cancelled. The site recommends that if you have bills due near this date, you should process payments ahead of time to ensure they are completed by June 30.
The advantage of the feature was that it allowed you to manage all your accounts and bill payments in one place. Alternatively, apps like Qapital and Prism provide bill pay services (Prism is designed for this purpose, while Qapital focuses primarily on savings), and you can often set up automatic bill payments through your bank, which may be your best option. If that’s not feasible, check if your service provider allows you to set up auto-pay directly through their website or by contacting customer service.
If you can’t find an alternative, set up calendar reminders before each of your recurring payment due dates. In some cases, you may be able to ask companies to adjust your due dates to better match your income cycle. Finally, ensure your automatic payments are set up with proper safeguards to avoid accidental overdrafts in your checking account.
Updated 12 p.m.: This article has been updated to include a comment from Mint.
