Electricity, gas, internet, water. All running costs that constantly need a business owner’s attention. Paying utility bills is a hassle enough, let alone keeping tabs on invoices and payment deadlines.

What if there was a simple, streamlined process to pay all your business utility bills? Even better—a payment process where you actually earned credit card and Qantas points when making the payments.

This article explores the main business expenses involved in running your office. We also cover how paying your utility suppliers through B2Bpay can actually make the process of paying bills rewarding for your business. How’s that for a win-win?

Electricity and Gas

There are over 30 energy companies in Australia. If you’re looking to switch suppliers or set up your electricity and gas in your new office, bear in mind that not all suppliers are available in certain areas. Also, some suppliers may only provide electricity and not gas.

Most businesses use between 15,000 to 25,000 kWh of energy per year, so choosing the right company with the best deal is important.  Whether you’re looking at options within the top 3 companies like Origin Energy, AGL or Energy Australia, or with a green energy supplier like Powershop, there are resourceful comparison websites that can help make the decision easier.

Internet and Telecommunications

When it comes to internet and telecommunications needs for your business, for many years there was no going past the big giant, Telstra. In recent years however, other providers such as Optus, TPG, iiNet, Vodafone and Aussie Broadband have emerged.  Also, the NBN rollout is keeping the industry competitive, offering value packed plans for businesses.

If you’re looking to switch providers or just shopping to see what other deals are out there, here are some points to consider:

• Speed and reliability – How does their network rate compare to their competitors?
• Value for money – Make sure you’ll be getting the same monthly data quota on your current plan, if not more for the same price
• Customer service – There’s nothing worse than being left on hold for hours!
• Contract flexibility – Upgrading or changing plans can often mean locking yourself into a brand new contract.
• Bill clarity – When internet and phone services are bundled together on one bill, always check for discrepancies.

Water

There are over 40 water authorities in Australia, 20 servicing the state of Victoria, with much of Melbourne’s water system controlled by Melbourne Water. For NSW based businesses, Sydney Water provides services to Greater Metropolitan Sydney as well as the Illawarra and Blue Mountains regions.

While most water bills are sent quarterly, some are sent monthly. Speak to your provider to see what will work best for your business.

Also remember that charges are seasonal. During drought season, expect a slight increase in rates.

B2Bpay:  Earn Points When Paying Your Utilities 

 Paying utility bills is unfortunately a necessary task for any business. As a third party payment platform, B2Bpay takes the headache away and allows you to pay all expenses online with your credit or debit card.

B2Bpay accepts all major credit cards (including VISA, Mastercard, Amex and Diners) and offers a rewarding way to make payments. With many cards, you earn no points or reduced points when paying your utility bills directly. this is because your card issuer identifies the payment as a ‘utility payment’. However, when you make payments via B2Bpay, the payment is classified as a ‘General Payment’ and you earn full credit card reward points.  Whether it’s your Telstra internet and phone bill, or your electricity with Energy Australia, you earn full credit card points when paying your utility bills through B2Bpay.

Once registered, you simply set up your payments by selecting your billers and nominate your credit card(s) for payments. Payments can be made as one-off, automatic or future dated. Then, leave the rest to us. We will transfer funds to your billers (at no cost to them) within 3 business days.

What’s more, if you use Xero, QuickBooks or MYOB you can connect B2Bpay to your accounting software. This means bills entered into your accounting software will be automatically synced and displayed in B2Bpay. Then you can simply click and pay with any credit card, and this will be fed back to your software. 

Paying your utilities through B2Bpay:

• Helps reduce cash flow concerns as you can take advantage of your credit card’s 55 day interest free period
• Ensures you never miss a payment deadline as you can set payments as one-off, automatic and future dated
• Earns you credit card reward points
• Allows you to pay ATO bills also, while earning full credit card points
• Allows you to monitor and track payments through your online portal, helping you see clearly where you can cut costs or lower usage

Click HERE to join B2Bpay and start getting rewarded for paying your utility bills. It’s free and easy to set up! Got questions? Call one of our specialists on 1800 205 575 or send us an email.