Chapter 13. Online with QuickBooks

In This Chapter

  • Using the QuickBooks online payment services

  • Using the QuickBooks online banking service

  • Reviewing other online services

In this chapter, I start by discussing the QuickBooks online banking and bill payment features, which are pretty cool tools for some businesses. At the end of the chapter, I also briefly discuss some of the other online services that Intuit provides for QuickBooks users.

Doing the Electronic Banking Thing

Before I discuss using the QuickBooks online banking and payment services, you need to consider whether these features even make sense for you and your business. Online banking does make sense for some people — maybe even you. But then again, it might be more like the fins on a '62 Cadillac: cool, but not that cool.

So what's the commotion about?

For QuickBooks, online banking includes two parts: online banking itself and online bill payment. Basically, online banking enables you to transmit account transfer instructions to your bank and download (retrieve) account information electronically by using your computer and the Internet. Online bill payment allows you to transmit payment instructions electronically. (You basically tell your bank to write, stamp, and mail a check so that you don't have to.)

And that, my friend, is about all there is to online banking.

A thousand reasons not to bank online

I don't know whether you should bank online, really, but I'll share some thoughts with you. And no kidding, I've had my reservations ...

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