Online Users Skip Bank Web Sites to Pay Bills: Survey

A full 45% of adults with access to the Internet have bypassed their banks’ online bill payment service and go directly to the biller’s Web site, according to market researcher Mintel Comperemedia.

Twenty-two percent of online banking customers have never paid a bill online at all, the poll noted.

In addition, survey found that 70% of adults who use the Internet use online banking while another 7% have signed up for the service, but have never used it.

Consumers aged 25-44 are slightly more likely than their older counterparts to use online banking, with 79% reporting usage, according to Mintel.

“Despite the high penetration, banks are still eager to increase the usage of online banking,” said Susan Wolfe, Mintel vice president of financial services, in a statement. “It’s no secret that online banking creates deeper relationships between banks and customers, so banks are keen to pull in more users.”