Standing in line at the bank is usually quite annoying. You can probably think of 100 different things you’d rather do with your time. Unless you’re in the business of hunting down competitive bank rates, the less you’re required to think about things like finance, the better.

So why not save yourself some time and agitation by automating your banking? There are several ways you can do so using online banking.

Automatic Bill-Pay

Excess paper is not only a burden to the environment, but all of your mail starts to look the same after a while. Every now and then, the credit card bill gets shuffled away with weekly coupons and junk mail.

You have most likely experienced the sting of a late payment fee at some point. If you sign up for automatic bill-pay (almost every major financial institution offers it), you can relieve the stress of keeping track of what’s due and when.

Automatic bill-pay involves authorizing your bank to electronically transfer money from your account, like your checking account, to a payee of your choice. You may indicate the specific amount you want paid every month, or opt to allow the payee to directly request a withdrawal from your account without any activity needed on your part. This requires that you maintain a steady balance in your account to avoid overdraft fees.

Automatic Savings Plan

Saving money is one of the smartest things you can do for your financial well-being. It’s not always easy to do consistently, though. We can easily rationalize spending a little more money over stashing it away as part of an emergency fund.

If you have a checking account linked to your savings account, you can easily set up automatic monthly transfers from one to another. Most banks allow you to do this online and it only takes a few minutes. Just be sure you choose a recurring date that is close to when your account balance is highest so you don’t worry about whether you have enough money available at the time.

Finally, indicate a reasonable amount to be transferred every month. You won’t even notice its absence, and someday, you’ll be very thankful you never spent it.

Automatic Bank Alerts

It’s important to be aware of what’s happening in your bank accounts. Rather than repeatedly skimming statements and checking your balance online, you may instead request that your bank alert you when certain circumstances occur. For example, you can be alerted if your balance drops below a predetermined amount or there is unusual debit card activity.

Most banks offer free alerts through both email and text message. You can be up-to-date on your account’s activities at all times.

A word of warning: Don’t automate your banking and just let it go. You still need to maintain a high level of diligence when it comes to monitoring your accounts. Be sure you are aware of all activity in your bank accounts and you always maintain a positive balance.

This guest post was written by Go Banking Rates, bringing you the best interest rates on financial services nationwide, as well as informative content and helpful tools.