A new study shows more consumers are paying their bills through their mobile devices. The Fiserv study also found that there is a correlation between how consumers pay their bills and how they use the internet.
Mobile apps still make up a small percentage of bill payments, but this is growing every year. Eight percent of online households--a total of eight million households--pay at least one monthly bill through a mobile device, up from six percent in 2011. The increase was biggest among smartphone owners, who showed a 41 percent jump in mobile payments compared to a year ago.
Only three percent of infrequent or non-Internet users make use of mobile payments.
Consumers cited a number of reasons for using mobile payment including convenience, accessibility and the ability to save time. Many like to view and pay bills from their smartphone.
Americans now use multiple payment options to pay their bills such as online payments, paper checks sent in the mail, phone payments, walk-in payments and mobile payments made by apps or web browsers.
Other findings of the study include:
- 73 percent of respondents with regular Internet access now pay at least one bill online each month.
- 48 percent of online households receive at least one electronic bill.
- 30 percent of those surveyed paid a bill late within the previous year due to shortage of cash, up from 28 percent in 2011. Infrequent and non-Internet users were more likely to pay late because they had trouble keeping track of their bills.
- Online households are more likely to use auto-debit.
