New research from bill payment platform PayNearMe has revealed that US consumers struggle to pay their bills and demand faster payment experiences.

The study, How Consumers Pay Bills: Expectation vs Reality, surveyed 2,676 US consumers aged 18 or over, revealing that nearly one in three (29%) find paying bills stressful.

Meanwhile, 38% of consumers said, if they had the option, they would be likely or very likely to use Apple Pay or Google Pay to pay bills.

This comes as Covid-19 has accelerated the move to digital payments, with more consumers using new methods, such as contactless and mobile wallets.

Anne Hay, head of PayNearMe’s consumer research initiative, said: “Payment innovation in the e-commerce space has upped the ante on bill pay. Today’s e-commerce experiences are fast, easy and frictionless. For example, with technologies like facial recognition, consumers never have to login or remember a password to make a payment.

“Too many consumers are struggling with the cumbersome bill pay experience and it’s stressing them out. Paying bills doesn’t have to be so hard.”

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According to PayNearMe, lack of funds is not the reason consumers struggle. The research highlights that disorganisation is the main reason – 48% said they feel disorganised when trying to manage their bills, leading to late and missed payments. In addition, more than half of adults (51%) paid at least one bill late during the past 12 months.

Furthermore, 52% of consumers said remembering passwords, logins and account numbers makes paying bills difficult.

More convenient bill payments

PayNearMe’s research further revealed that consumers demand more convenient bill payment methods. Hay added: “If given the opportunity, 42% of consumers would be likely or very likely to use their digital wallet to store, view and pay their bills from a single place.”

Consumers also want more mobile-friendly options for how and when they pay their bills. For example, nearly half of U.S. consumers (43%) say the convenience of using PayPal to pay bills is important or very important, and 38% say if they had the option, they would be likely or very likely to use Apple Pay or Google Pay to pay bills.