Snap a Pic, Pay a Bill: A New App That Can Keep You From Missing Payments

Just when you thought your smartphone couldn’t be any more versatile, a new app has been introduced to streamline the entire bill payment process.

Plastiq (pronounced ‘plas-tik,’ not ‘plas-teek’) allows consumers to pay bills on everything from rent and utilities to insurance, car payments, taxes and even tuition. The user can schedule payments instantly or implement the ‘Bill Stack’ feature to pay at a later time. You can even set up recurring payments via the app.

Whenever the bill is scheduled for payment, once you snap your photo, the app analyzes the information in the photo of the bill. Everything from the amount owed, the due date and the account information is processed and charged to whatever payment card you have on file.

This is especially appealing for people who use just one card to pay their bills. The user can input the card info and use the app to pay for all their monthly expenses. It also will notify users when a scheduled payment is due, helping users avoid late payments.

Plastiq charges customers a 2.5% convenience fee for every credit card transactions and 1% for every debit card transaction. Also, the company will only process consumer-to-business transactions. And as its name implies, Plastiq only processes payments from payment cards.

Why On-Time Payments Matter

Being punctual with your payments is fundamental to your credit health. In fact, your payment history holds the most weight (35%) among the five components that affect your credit score. Missing just one payment can drop your credit score significantly, especially if you have a spotless credit history. And a lower credit score can cost you tens of thousands of dollars over the course of a lifetime (seriously, you can crunch the numbers with this calculator).

If you want to see how your payment history is affecting your credit scores, you can get two free credit scores every month on Credit.com.

[Offer: If you want to fix your credit, and you don’t want to go it alone, you can hire companies – like our partner Lexington Law – to manage the credit repair process for you. Learn more about them here.