Paying bills can be an unpleasant experience on many levels. Adding vision loss to this process can make it a dreaded task…each and every month.

We get used to managing finances in a certain way and it’s not so easy to change those habits. A willingness to make some adjustments in dealing with bills can lift a significant and recurring stress.

Monthly bills can be requested in accessible formats like large print, but more and more businesses are requesting that customers Go Paperless. If you can transition to managing your accounts online, it’s better for you…and for the environment.

Here are six good options:

• Online bill paying: can be set up with your bank. Accounts are programmed to be paid on a regular schedule or can be paid as you wish. The bank’s Customer Service can be helpful in getting set up and ask your bank what kind of Accessibility services they offer.

• Automatic bill paying: is available with most utilities, phones, credit cards, insurance, and cable. Set up online or call your provider’s customer service to set up over the phone. This process automatically deducts the amount of your bill from your designated bank account on a given day each month.

• Pay by credit card: is an option offered by many monthly billers. This can be a preferable option as it will allow you to consolidate your payments to one card and collect points or rewards.

• Pay by phone: is also offered by utilities and credit cards. The account can be set up as a direct debit from your account and each month you will call to authorize a specific payment amount.

• Smartphone and tablet apps: offer a very convenient and easy way to make payments for a variety of charges including credit cards, phone, utilities, and more.

• Magnifier: continuing to read paper bills and writing checks, with low vision, may be best accomplished with the use of a desktop video magnifier which enables you to write as well as read with magnification. (More about this in “Magnifiers Are A Must”)

Don’t be overwhelmed at the thought of making all these changes at once. Deal with one bill at a time and feel free to implement a combination of the available options.