You’ve heard it before. From magazines to Christmas card orders, companies tell you that you can just check the box for “bill me later.” Those are easy but have you ever wish you could make an online purchase today and just say “bill me later?” Of course credit cards will send the bill later but along with some hefty fees tacked on. Is it just too much to ask to let me shop online for the holidays now but have say, 90 days, to pay my balance in full, with say, no interest?
Actually, that is an option with Bill Me Later found at billmelater.com.
What is Bill Me Later?
Bill Me Later is an online finance/credit company. At the billmelater.com website you can find:
Online Shopping
Exclusive offers
Directory of Online Store Affiliates
Shopping Blog
With Bill Me Later, you can shop through their affiliates and get a 90-day grace period on charges without interests, penalties or late fees, as long as your bill is paid within 90 days.
You’ll receive a statement monthly after each purchase. The first two will show a minimum balance of zero, which means that you don’t have to make a payment now. Your statement will also show you accruing interest but that will only be applied (retroactively) if you don’t pay within 90 days.
But what stores us Bill Me Later?
It sounds great but Bill Me Later doesn’t really help you if it isn’t affiliated with online sites that you use. We were really pleasantly surprised to find that billmelater.com has over 1,000 affiliates. You don’t have to shop through the Bill Me Later website to use the option. It’s there on the affiliates websites as well.
Here are a few of our favorite Bill Me Later merchants:
– Apple Store
– American Girl
– Babies R Us
– Dockers
– ColdPlay
– Borders
– Disney Store
– Drugstores.com
– Dick’s Sporting Goods
– ESPN shop
– Calvin Klein
– Coldwater Creek
– Hotwire.com
What about Customer Service?
Bill Me Later customer service offers e-mail, regular mail and a toll-free number for contacting them. There’s also a special phone number for Merchants.
How can I make Payments?
Payments to Bill Me Later can be made online and there is an option for deducting payments from a checking or savings account. You can also phone in payments and there is no added fee for the call in payment service.
But what if I can’t pay within 90 days?
One recent statement from billmelater.com showed an interest rate of 19.99%. This interest rate is higher than most MasterCard, Visa and American Express accounts and about the same or lower than many store credit cards.
Here’s what Bill Me Later users like about this online service:
The 90-day grace period (#1)
Special deals
Simple, uncluttered web page that is easy to use
Saving money when making travel arrangements
For disciplined shoppers, Bill Me Later can allow you to shop now with no interest for days. As long as you pay the balance off within 90 days, you’ll save money on interest and avoid credit card fees. Bill Me Later can help you get started on your holiday shopping and help you keep the “Happy” in the New Year.