PayPal

• PayPal is one of the most universally accepted online payment methods. It is available in 18 currencies and in more than 190 countries. It is easy to pay anyone as long as the person has an email address and a bank account in one of the countries in which PayPal operates, even if he or she does not have a PayPal account. Opening a PayPal account is very straightforward. You just need to go to the PayPal website (see References below), put in an email address and choose a password. Once you are allowed into the PayPal system, you will be required to enter your bank account information, which will then be verified.
  
  You can then fund your PayPal account by transferring money from your bank account once both are linked. You can make purchases with your PayPal account and make online payments where PayPal is accepted. With additional identity verification, you can apply for and receive a PayPal debit MasterCard, which you can also use to have physical access to the cash in your PayPal account by making purchases and payments as well as through ATM withdrawals. Having a PayPal account also makes it easy to accept online payments either through a website or by email.
  
  

Online Bill Pay with Checking Account

• Another easy way of making online payments is to use the online bill pay service that comes with your checking account. Some banks offer this service for free, others for a fee. Whatever the case, in most situations, you can pay almost anyone online. Banks have relationships with certain merchants in which an authorization from you will prompt an electronic payment from your bank to the merchant. When a bank does not have a relationship with a particular merchant, it will typically send a physical check. This will usually take about a week while the electronic payments are usually made within a day or two.
  
  

Stand-alone Online Bill Pay

• There are some stand-alone online bill pay services that are not banks. These usually charge a fee of a few dollars each month. Some go as far as having your bills sent to them, where they compile and keep your records electronically and pay your bills on your behalf. You can then find a report online by logging into your account. One such company is Pay Trust, which offers both the option to accept your bills on your behalf or for you to handle accepting your bills and just logging on to the website to make payments. You will need to link a checking account or an account with check-writing privileges to the Pay Trust account.