Manage bills online

Know the benefits of managing your regular costs and paying bills online.

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Introduction 1. What you can manage online 2. How to save on your bills

Introduction to 'Manage bills online'

No one enjoys paying their utility bills, but it's something most of us will need to do each month. Going online to pay and manage these accounts might just save you time and money.

 

In 2025 (PDF, 10.1Mb):

87%

Of people with higher digital skills saved money by shopping online for cheaper deals.

£815

Was the average they saved each year.

So how did they save this money by going online?

In this lesson, we’ll help you find out. Better still, you’ll learn how to find ways to save both time and money yourself, by going online to manage your bills and utilities.

What you'll learn

  • The different bills and services you can manage online.
  • What you can see and do online.
  • Ideas for saving money and managing bill payments.

How long it takes

7 minutes

Chapter 1 - What you can manage online

What you can manage online

Chapter 1

How long it takes

5 minutes

The bills and services you can manage online

In this chapter, we’ll go through some common bills/utilities. We’ll look at the ones you can manage online and show you the kind of things you’ll be able to do. 

  • You pay this tax to your local council. It pays for local services like social care and waste collection. Depending on your local council, you may be able to pay your bill online. This means you can check and change your payments whenever you want. Every council will offer different online services.

     

    Doing this online means you can:

    • View past and future bills.
    • Pay online using your bank card.
    • Check if you can apply for a discount.

  • To manage your phone bill online, you need to create an account on the company’s website. Some companies also have an app you can download from your device’s app store.

     

    Doing this online means you can:

    • Track your usage.
    • Pay upcoming bills and view past bills.
    • Manage your allowances.
    • Upgrade or change your contact.
    • See deals you can benefit from.

  • You can create an account on your internet provider’s website. Some companies also have an app you can download from your device’s app store.

     

    Doing this online means you can:

    • Track your usage - So you don’t go over your limit.
    • Stay up to date with payments.
    • Easily access and view your agreement.

    Idea

    Time to renew your contract? See what the current company can offer you or look elsewhere for a better deal.

  • To manage your gas or electricity bill online, first you need to create an account on their website. Some services also have an app you can download from your device’s app store.

     

    Doing this online means you can:

    • Input meter readings.
    • View your energy usage.
    • Get payment reminders to avoid missing payments.
    • Instantly access past bills.
    • Keep an eye on your rate - So you know when to renew your contract, or when to look for better deals elsewhere.

  • How you manage your water bill online depends on where you live. In most parts of the UK, you’ll pay a water company directly.

    When you move into a new home, find out who your water company is. You can go online and find your supplier here. Once you know your supplier, you can use a search engine to look for their website. Most companies will have some kind of online service.

    In some areas of the UK (mainly Scotland), you pay for your water through the local council – sometimes as part of your council tax. Again, you should find this out when you move into your property.

     

    Doing this online means you can:

    • Keep an eye on your bills.
    • Change your payment date.
    • Pay your bill.

  • Most insurance companies have a website where you can apply for insurance and manage your account and policy. You might even be able to save money on your insurance by using a comparison site.

     

    If you’d like to know more about using the internet to save money on insurance products, go to our lesson on comparison sites.

    Remember

    Comparison sites help you compare products from lots of companies in one place.

  • With lots of subscription services available, costs can quickly add up. Netflix, Spotify, Disney+, Amazon Prime, Apple Music … Even just two of these subscriptions can add up to £20 a month – that’s £240 a year!

     

    Doing this online means you can:

    • Cancel, pause or check on your subscriptions.
    • See how much you’re spending.
    • Find places where you can cut back.

    Be aware

    Check your bank account regularly. You might be paying for something you subscribed to, but don't use anymore.

  • Your landlord or rental company might have a portal for you to manage your rent online. If they do, they’ll usually share it with you when you move in.

     

    Doing this online means you can:

    • View your rental agreement.
    • Pay your rent online.
    • Change the date of when your rent is due.
    • Get help with maintenance issues in your flat.

    Don't have access to a rent portal?

    Even if there isn’t a portal, you can still benefit from being online. Use your bank account online to check your rent payments have gone out and make sure you have enough in your account.

    This saves you time going to the bank and avoids late payments, which can affect your credit score.

  • To make a large purchase, you might have a loan or credit agreement with a bank or retailer. They’ll usually have an app or website where you can create an account. You can use this to see how much money you’ve paid, and what’s left to pay.

     

    Doing this online means you can:

    • Make monthly payments.
    • Pay extra money towards your loan - If you can, to pay it off quicker and save money on interest.
    • Manage and change your payment date.
    • View how much your credit agreement costs.

Test your knowledge

Try again - that's not quite right!

Hint: It can be really helpful to access your account from anywhere.

Try again

That's right!

Managing your bills and utilities online gives you easy access to important information so you can stay on top of your account.

Introduction - Manage bills online
Chapter 2 - How to save on your bills

How to save on your bills

Chapter 2

How long it takes

2 minutes

How to save money online

Find the best product for you, at the lowest cost

Comparison sites are websites where you see a list of products from all different companies, in one place.

Our Comparison sites lesson can help you get started with these sites.

 

Go to Comparison sites

Here are some more tips on how to get the best deal:

Make the most of introductory offers

Lots of companies offer you deals that can save you money in your first month or year with them. For example, ‘12 months for the price of 10’, or ‘50% off for the first 6 months’.

Deals like this can really help cut down your costs each year.

Check for the best value provider

If you just let your utility accounts renew each year, you could miss better offers.

Review your options every time a contract is coming to an end. Use comparison sites to see if you can get a better deal than what your current service is offering.

Complete your switch on the comparison site

This means you don’t have to spend time going to different companies’ websites. Some will send you to the company’s site, but they often copy across your details to save you time.

Just make sure everything is correct before you buy anything.

Check with your old provider

If you’re changing provider, always make sure you cancel your old policy. Usually this happens automatically, but sometimes you’ll need to contact the old company and cancel it yourself.

Always check this, so you don’t end up paying for two contracts by mistake.

Idea

If you find a better deal, why not ask your current service to match it?

Some will, others won't. It's always worth checking though!

Know exactly what you’re spending

Tools like smart meters and online accounts can help you see what you’re spending, and where you can save money.

 

For example, if you saw you were spending more on electricity on certain days of the week, you could ask yourself:

  • What do I do on that day to cause the extra cost?
  • Is it avoidable?
  • If yes, how soon can I start reducing my use?

Check and make payments when it suits you

Going online means being able to check your utility accounts and make payments anytime, anywhere. Having this access can help with your money worries.

For example, by checking your payments have gone through, and planning for any upcoming payments. This means you’re less likely to miss payments that could cause you issues or extra costs.

Review your current payments

On your bank account, you can check to see what you’re paying for each month.

Ask yourself: are there any services or products I don’t need any more? Be realistic and honest about which payments could stop.

You can save money by cutting out things you don't need or use any more.

Chapter 1 - What you can manage online

Want to learn more?

Build your digital confidence

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Using the internet and online services

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Make the most of being online

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Related lessons

Tools and steps to help reduce your costs

View lesson

Comparison sites

View lesson

Compare insurance for better value

View lesson

Pay and manage bills

View lesson

Make payments online

View lesson

 

Lloyds Bank Academy is committed to providing information in a way that is accessible and useful for our users. This information, however, is not in any way intended to amount to authority or advice on which reliance should be placed. You should seek professional advice as appropriate and required. Any sites, products or services named in this module are just examples of what's available. Lloyds Bank does not endorse the services they provide. The information in this module was last updated on 2nd March 2026.

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