Before signing up, customers should find out whose bills they can get through the service. Lanza also advises that consumers ask, "Can I pay bills which I don't receive through your service?"

Another question to raise: What happens when something goes wrong? The providers of the e-commerce service, for example, will only respond to questions or problems about software. They will refer you to the biller or bank if your questions relate to bill content.

On the other hand, an easy to use bill presentment service with lots of participating billers, may be just what's needed to convince many borderline consumers to try electronic bill payment. Jeffrey Paintner, a project leader who develops computer systems for Sharp Electronics Corp. in New Jersey, uses Chase online banking with Quicken on a regular basis to keep track of his household finances. However, Paintner, who writes about 40 checks per month, does not pay his bills online.

"The main reason is I don't want to give up control over paying my bills. I may try it out if they give options like partial payment, and I can schedule which date the bill gets paid. I have no problem paying some bills automatically like insurance, but I want to have the option to pay credit cards partially just in case," said Paintner.

This automatic payment with control is a key feature of electronic bill presentment and payment, according to Lanza.

"I guess in the beginning, it would be a lot of work signing up and getting all the account numbers and information together," said Paintner. "But once that's all set, I suppose it could save me time."

Security and privacy are concerns for Paintner as well. "…I work with computer systems, and know the dangers well," he said. "Especially with all that information coming from billers to banks, somebody is likely to foul something up."