Internet bill payments increase to more than one million

Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank has announced that it has seen a significant increase in the number of consumers choosing to pay their bills online.

In 2006, the annual number of internet bill payments made via the bank’s BillPay website passed the one million mark for the first time, with an overall year on year increase of more than a third (37 per cent).

Commenting on the increase, Graham Long, Head of Payment Services at Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank said: “Our 2006 figures highlight the growing number of businesses choosing to enable their customers to make payments online, due to the convenience this channel provides. The recent addition of Credit Card acceptance and enhanced user security has broadened the payment options available to clients and increased their confidence in using this popular service.”

The BillPay website was launched in July 2000 and has proved to be very popular, the service is used by Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs and also many local authorities and utility providers.

Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank is the market leading online bill payment service provider and currently more than 200 Bill issuers, including 125 local authorities, enjoy the benefits of the web based collection service. BillPay offers consumers the opportunity to pay their bills round the clock 24/7 and is a cost effective option for Bill issuers, providing them with a highly effective payment collection solution without the hassle and expense of setting up and managing their own system.