autopay

[ aw-toh-pey ]

noun

, Finance.

1. a computerized service that automatically deducts from an individual’s checking, savings, or money market account an owed recurring payment, as for a bank loan, credit card, or utility bill, in time to meet the payment due date:

   Using autopay helps ensure timely payments and the avoidance of late fees.

Word History and Origins

Origin of autopay¹

First recorded in 1980–85; shortening of automatic payment

Example Sentences

She added, “The digital economy has made purchasing, signing up, and enrolling a breeze. Now the FTC has made a rule that consumers must be able to cancel a subscription just as seamlessly as they can enroll, without the tricks, traps, extra time and roadblocks companies have deployed deceptively for years to keep people on autopay.”

From Los Angeles Times

If you avoid creating a budget, putting your bills on autopay or learning how to invest, your financial life may become more stressful.

From Seattle Times

One way to ensure consistent use: Set up autopay with the card for a recurring subscription.

From Seattle Times

If you’re not sure that you can pay in full each time, set your autopay to cover the minimum payment due, then pay the balance of your bill separately as your budget allows.

From Seattle Times

USE AUTOPAY: Enabling automatic payment will guarantee that you never again face a late fee.

From Seattle Times

More About Autopay

What does autopay mean in budgeting and savings?

Autopay, short for automatic payment, is a computerized service that automatically deducts an owed recurring payment from an individual’s account (usually a checking, savings, or money market account), in time to meet a payment due date.

Autopay can usually be set up directly with the company receiving payment or through the payment service of one’s bank.

Autopay can be set up to make many types of payments, including recurring payments for a bank loan, a credit card, or utility bill, etc. Using autopay for recurring bills ensures timely payments and the avoidance of late fees.

Examples of autopay in a sentence

“We then authorize our credit card company for autopay transferring funds from our checking account each month to pay our credit card bill.”
—Wayne Dunlap, Plan Your Escape: Secrets of Traveling the World for Less Than the Cost of Living at Home, page 110, Author House: 2011

“Autopay means your bank or credit union send[s] payments directly to your creditors. Automating your financial life through direct deposit and autopay can simplify things and save you a lot of money in the long run.”
—Kenneth O. Doyle, Ph.D., Financial Literacy for Generation Z, page 40, Praeger: 2019

“The main reason consumers use autopay is to make sure bills are paid on time. That is vital to their credit scores when it comes to debts like car loans, credit card balances and mortgages, but most other on-time payments are not recorded.”
—”Five reasons to beware of autopaying bills” Reuters. March 12, 2015

Other terms connected with the topic of autopay

• automatic
• bill
• payment
• credit score