Western Union surveyed over 3,000 consumers earlier this year to find out how mobile payments are changing the bill payment landscape. They found that people are employing a variety of methods to take care of monthly expenses.
According to the Bill Payments Money Mindset Index, more than a third of respondents reported using multiple methods to take care of bills. Thirty six percent said they use at least three different payment channels each month when paying their bills including paying online, in-person, via mobile device and by traditional mail. How they pay their bills is just as varied with 38% of respondents using at least three different methods every month including credit cards, debit cards, cash and automatic withdrawal.
Generation Y, ages 18 to 34, were at the forefront of mobile payment popularity. Thirty-one percent of them said they have paid a bill using their phone or tablet. A quarter of Generation X, ages 35 to 52, report using their mobile device to make a payment. Only 11% of Baby Boomers aged 48 to 68 have adopted mobile technology.
Tablets lag in popularity when it comes to mobile payments. Only a quarter of the people who paid bills using a mobile device said they used a tablet.
Mobile payments increasing in popularity
Even though mobile payments were popular with young people, like the rest of the survey takers they like to have options. Forty-one percent of people aged 18 to 34 say they use three or more payment channels each month, and 34% report putting a check in the mail each month for at least one of their bills.
But change is coming, even if it is moving slowly. Fifteen percent of those surveyed said they plan to pay more of their bills using a tablet or mobile phone over the next six months. And 13% said they would try paying via text message or mobile app in the coming months.
