Online bill paying has been around for years, but there's something important to keep in mind if you don't want to be charged with late fees. Electronic payments that are so popular aren't the only way online banking gets the payment made. The check is sometimes still in the mail, literally, and many people forget that snail mail takes time to deliver. Kyle Frick with Mid Oregon credit union explains: “The bill pay system is set up so you have a sender and a receiver. And for people who have the ability to accept electronic payments, then you can pay those payments maybe as early as the next day but for other people like the kid who delivers your paper or the gardner or people that don't have a business that's set up to recieve electronic payments are system would issue a check." Frick says that as long as you have it set up to send a check in advance each month, they guarantee the payment will get there on time. But it needs to be at least 5 to 7 business days in advance. Many banks and credit unions that used to charge for online banking, now offer the service for free including Mid Oregon Credit Union.