Someone make this app. And pay me small royalties for the idea.

[cbrunny]

An app that you can pre program that collaborates with your online banking to automatically pay your bills just by taking a picture of it with your smartphone or tablet. Save images of all your bills for reference as needed.

And make it hack proof. It must be unhackable. So good luck with that.

 

[Chaotic42]

Any reason you can't enroll in autopay for those bills?

 

[cbrunny]

Because our utilities exist in 1994

 

[Ruptga]

Because our utilities exist in 1994

I've dealt with that too. Check or money order only, and not even a website to go to.

Such a program would be pretty easy, technically, as long as nothing's handwritten. You'd probably need to verify that the right text got put in the right fields, but this would just be one step beyond using a picture of a check instead of a paper check.

 

[mmntech]

Already exists. CIBC allows you to deposit cheques like that. Bills seem like a natural evolution, but a lot of places aren't using paper ones anymore.

 

[cbrunny]

So... it doesn't already exist then. Lol. I see your point about cashing cheques though. Someone get on it!

 

[Markbnj]

program that collaborates with your online banking

This is the weak spot in the plan. The retail banking market has become highly consolidated, with 80+% of accounts in the hands of something like eight major national banks. Large banks rarely collaborate with software vendors, and collaboration is even rarer when the vendor is trying to sell some branded service to the bank's customers that the bank feels is an important part of it's own value prop.

 

[cbrunny]

Does anyone work for a bank? Tell them I want this.

 

[Rakehellion]

An app that you can pre program that collaborates with your online banking to automatically pay your bills just by taking a picture of it with your smartphone or tablet. Save images of all your bills for reference as needed.

And make it hack proof. It must be unhackable. So good luck with that.

Why not just get electronic bills and pay them online?

 

[shabby]

I've dealt with that too. Check or money order only, and not even a website to go to.

I use my canadian tire credit card to pay my utilities through their website, its basically like sending a check to them. Also pay my property taxes this way, get 1% cash back from this too.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I have auto pay for everything EXCEPT my dedicated server through OVH. You would think that a data centre would have the technology to have an auto pay system, but they don't. Actually, they do, but not in Canada. WTF is the difference? Completely retarded. If I had found that out before setting up my server, I probably would have cancelled and found another provider. On the other hand, can't really beat their price for the server I got. Most other providers want like $500/mo for what I'm getting for $50/mo. I try to just pay several months ahead, but I'm always scared I forget, and get my server cancelled then I'd be down for over a day since I'd have to rebuild and reconfigure everything and restore backups.