As a blogger it is no secret that I spend the vast majority of the day online. So it should come as no surprise that I also prefer to pay my bills online. Countless companies allow you to pay and manage your account online: Credit cards, energy companies, insurance, car payments, mortgages and student loans are all great examples of reoccurring bills that could be easily managed online.

Your monthly payment doesn't even have to be the same amount every month for online payments to work well. For example our Pacific Gas and Electric bill changes monthly based on usage, but we still pay online.

There are so many reasons that I prefer getting my account, billing and payment information online instead of with paper statements. From convenience to the environment, there are at least 10 good reasons to give up paper billing.

10 Reasons You Should Go Paperless:

1. It is better for the environment.
The amount of paper generated for bills and statements, along with the carbon footprint left by mailing them back and forth is reduced when you use online account management.

3. You have access to additional features and information.
Many online sites have supplemental information and features available on their website, the kind of information you can't necessarily find in your monthly paper bill. PG&E is an example of an online account with many additional features that you can't get with traditional billing.

These features include access to PG&E's free 5 minute Home Energy Checkup, customized saving recommendations, rate comparisons, electric outage reporting and you can even set up appointments online.

3. It is more efficient.
Payments made online are immediate. No need to send in your check a few days early to account for transit time, and no need to wait for the check to clear. This is great for a procrastinator like me.

4. You get your account information in real time.
There is no need to wait for your bill to arrive to find out exactly how much you owe. Having access to your account information even in the middle of the billing cycle means you can monitor your account 24/7.

5. It is safer and more private.
Both receiving and paying your bill online reduces the chances of mail and identify theft. There is no chance that your bill will wind up in your neighbor's mailbox or that you check could be stolen. Secure servers and a strong password ensure your account information stays safe and private.

6. It means less clutter.
If you are like me, you want to reduce the amount of clutter in your house. By reducing the amount of mail and paperwork that comes into the house in the first place, is a great way to achieve this.

7. It is cheaper.
Paying a bill online saves you not only the cost and inconvenience of having to find a stamp, but also the cost of the paper check. With the increasing cost of postage, mailing in multiple bills every month can really start to add up.

8. You have your full account history.
Online accounts offer the advantage of keeping all your past and current usage and spending data in one place. You can quickly and easily find your account history and usage information in your online account. This eliminates the need to hang on to old billing statements since your entire account history is archived online.

9. It is mobile.
Having access to your account online means you no longer need to worry about missing your bill if you go out of town. You can access your account anywhere, even from your mobile device.

10. You can integrate payments directly into your budgeting software.
If you track your budgeting with an online service, many of them can automatically detect and categorize your online payments. This eliminates the need to do any data entry for your offline payments.


Save time, money and keep yourself more organized by switching to online billing. If you are a PG&E customer, you can sign up for an online account today.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of PG&E. The opinions and text are all mine.