Have trouble remembering to pay your online bills but don’t want the hassle of dealing with the paperwork coming in the mail? Wish you had one online account that would remind you to pay your bills before they were due? That’s where Manilla comes in. Let’s review Manilla and see if it is right for you.
Manilla is a free online account and bill organizer that lets you know when your bills are due, how much is due, and allows you to pay your online bills using one unique password. Cool stuff.
Easy Sign Up with Manilla
I was a bit skeptical about Manilla when I first heard about it. Do we really need another website to manage all of our accounts? After thinking about it, I decided to give Manilla a whirl. It seemed unique enough from Mint and other account managers because it focused four different types of accounts (and I wanted to review Manilla for all of you who are interested):
- Financial accounts
- Household bills
- Loyalty programs
- Subscriptions
Signing up with Manilla was super easy. There wasn’t much to fill out: just a name, zip code, email address, a password, and a couple of security questions. Oh yeah, and there are a few terms and conditions to skim through. That’s about it.
Manilla Accounts
Once you’ve signed up with Manilla, you’ll be immediately presented with the option to add your wireless carrier such as AT&T. I found it kind of funny that they would assume their customers would have wireless service, but I guess everyone does nowadays, right?
In addition to adding my AT&T account, I immediately added my Comcast Internet service. Each time I added an account, it would be added to my “Accounts” tab and show when my next bill was due and how much was due. I was also able to go into the setting of each account and mark if the bill was set to auto-pay or not.
In my review of the Manilla interface, I found that they somewhat heavily advertise their ability to handle credit card accounts, but since I don’t own a credit card (I’m a PerkStreet fan, thank you very much), I began to think about other types of financial accounts I could add. If you have credit cards, by all means, use Manilla to pay them on time!
I tested Manilla out by trying to add some obscure online accounts, and was pleasantly surprised! Would my mortgage work? Yep, added it. Even my life insurance provider could be linked with Manilla (a bill I only pay once a year). Pretty impressive. Way to go Manilla!
There are over 1,300 service providers who offer a way to connect their account with Manilla. Chances are, you’ll find many of your bills can be paid using Manilla as your online account hub. Plus, Manilla is always adding more service providers . . . .
There were a few small local accounts I couldn’t add, but for those Manilla offers a “Reminders” feature. More on that below.
Documents and Reminders
Once I added a few accounts, I started to explore some of the other features of Manilla. Yep, there’s even more! Namely, documents and reminders. Here’s what’s up with each . . . .
Documents minimize the clutter.
The nice thing about documents on Manilla is that you don’t have to deal with paper bills in the mail. All of your bills are conveniently stored under the “Documents” tap in your Manilla account. These are the actual bills you’d normally receive in the mail – nothing is watered down.
Reminders ensure you never forget.
Reminders on Manilla show you when your bills are due. Even for the accounts you can’t add to Manilla (very few), you can add a reminder that will notify you of a bill due through email or SMS. Sweet.
Subscriptions and Travel Rewards
You can even add subscriptions to popular services such as Netflix and magazines. If you’re the traveling type, their travel rewards section can help you keep track of all your points or airline miles.
I suspect not many people would add numerous subscription accounts, but for those of you who would, it’s there for you!
The Ironclad Security of Manilla
Your personal data and documents are encrypted by Manilla and stored in secure data facilities with 24/7 security and biometric controls. Sounds like James Bond stuff, right? It’s real.
Manilla has strict business policies that are designed to keep their customers’ information secure. Like Mint, your Manilla uses bank-level physical security and SSL 128-bit encryption. You can trust that your information is secure. I did.
Manilla iPhone App
The great thing about Manilla is that they don’t stop at the web browser – there’s a smartphone app! You can turn on push notifications that let you know when there is a bill due. That’s super handy!
I prefer to interact through Manilla using the iPhone app because it is so convenient to use. It does require that you enter in a PIN or password when you use the app, but given the information that you can access with Manilla, this extra level of security is appreciated.
Is Manilla Right for You?
Manilla is a great option for those of you who don’t currently have a streamlined system for viewing, paying, and managing your bills. The reminder system gives you ample time to get your bills paid, and allows you to review even the smallest details of your bills before you pay.
So, if you’ve ever had trouble paying your bills on time, sign up for Manilla now. Besides, it’s free! You’ve got nothing to lose, and you can delete your account if you find you don’t like it. Personally, I find it a great way to help me remember to pay my bills and review statements.
Another huge problem Manilla solves is the need for multiple online passwords. Remembering all my online account passwords is such a pain, and I’m sure you’ve experienced similar frustration in this department. Manilla is a fantastic way to ensure you only have to remember one password when paying your bills online. Isn’t that a beautiful thing?
Take a look at Manilla. I think you’ll like what you see. This Manilla review gives it an A+.
Do you have an account with Manilla? What do you think about it? Perhaps you’re thinking about signing up for an account, can I answer any questions? Leave a comment below!
Hey John! Great review. One question: does the system allow you to input all your bills and only use the reminder system as an organization tool, or do you HAVE to pay bills through it as well?
You don’t have to pay bills through Manilla. You can still go to each account and pay normally. Manilla simply links you to the outside account! Hope that helps Bethany!
Hi there,
My name is Sarah Kaufman, and I’m the marketing manager at Manilla.
Please let me know if you have any other questions about Manilla. I encourage you to contact me here or through any of the platforms below:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mymanilla
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Manilla
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/manillapins/
Blog: https://www.manilla.com/blog/
Support: support@manilla.com
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Best,
Sarah
skaufman@manilla.com
Thank you Sarah for your information! This will be helpful for our readers.
Is this service/company a member of the Better Business Bureau?
It all sounds great but I have some concern about giving all access to all of my accounts…just how secure is Manilla?? Also, if I decide I do not like it, do I automatically go back to receiving bills and info from my creditors or do I have to notify them?
Lisa, thanks for your questions. Try going to Manilla.com, click on the Manilla logo, hover your mouse over “What is Manilla,” and click on “Security.” That should offer some guidance about the security. As to your other question, Manilla simply links you to websites to pay your bills . . . it just gives you one convenient place to pay them. I hope that helps! You might want to try it out with just one account to get a better idea of how it works.
Nancy, I did a search online, and don’t believe they are a member of the BBB. With that being said, it didn’t prevent me from pursuing an account . . . many online companies (especially new startups) are not. Do what’s right for you! Manilla is helpful for people who need one place to pay their online bills. If you already have a good system in place to pay your bills, this probably isn’t for you. Hope that helps!
Great review, I have been looking for a service like this for a while now and your review just sold me on it, thanks again!
Jim
Thanks Jim! Glad you can use it!
can i still recieve paper statements if i use manilla?
im having a hard time adding walmart. anyone else?
Michele, the idea behind Manilla is to get rid of paper statements. But you might be able to, I think you’ll have to check with each individual company. Thanks for being a reader!
Is Manilla only for bills or is it like a checkbook entry system where you can enter check and debit card expenses for purchases that are not bills, like gas or groceries or clothes. Does Manilla have the option to categorize expenses and generate reports to review where you are spending your money?
Hey Susan, I don’t believe Manilla is like a register. I’d recommend something like Mint (referral link) for that. Another one I really like is MoneyWell.
How do you delete a document ?? I’ve tried everything even deleted the account and then deleted the entire app and it still shows up.
Jody, I’m not sure if that’s possible. Did some searching around and couldn’t find out how. I’d contact Manilla through support@manilla.com and be as detailed as possible… you’ll probably get an answer pretty quickly. Sorry I don’t know!
There’s a “down” arrow at the far right of each document. If you click on it, there are options to mark as read, download, something else I don’t remember, and move to trash (delete). I’ve just signed up today, only adding 4-5 accounts until I see how it works exactly. Hope it will be as helpful as it appears. Thanks!
Deedee, thanks for the tip! Let us know how well it goes for you!
John, this seems like a great service. My question is what’s the catch? What’s in it for the company that they are willing to give this service away for FREE?
Hey Isabelle. I believe Manilla makes their money by saving companies money (the companies don’t have to send out snail mail, which is costly to print and mail). So Manilla makes a cut of that. I believe that’s how it works! You can check out the website for more details, and you’ll see it’s free! If you’re still hesitant, you can read through their terms and conditions.
it has its flaws. like it does’nt get due dates right for instance, you pay more than the amount due and your next due date is 2 month instead manilla will tell u it is late when it is not. paypal is an account they cant do at all. owe money on the account they say i dont.
I’m just looking for something to consolidate the electronic version of all my account statements. The reason I haven’t stopped receiving paper bills is the ephemeral nature of online account statements– some providers hold as few as 6 months of online statements. It’s too much trouble to go through our 10+ accounts every month and download and store the electronic version, and you just never know when you want an old statement.
Sounds like Manilla could be what I’m looking for. Is there any easy way to download all your statements from their Manilla’s servers in one big batch? I’d prefer it if I could also store the statements locally on my hard drive.
Nice review. Thanks!
Hey Joe, thanks! I’m not sure if you can download statements in batches, but certainly Manilla will store them for you – I can understand wanting your own copies though.
If you find something out, please let us know! Thanks Joe!
I’ve been using Manilla since 2010 when the test version was issued. I love it! 99% of my bills are in it and I haven’t missed one bill payment since using it. The pdf versions of my bills I download to my computer every few months or so since I like keeping them on my computer, but I am finding less and less need to do so since they are so well organized in manilla. The iphone app is key, since I can easily check the status of bills coming due. Interesting enough you will find that you become so on top of your stuff, you are a little disappointed when you check your bill status and find you don’t have anything to do.
Awesome Tom! Thanks for sharing!
It looks to work fine, however, I went to one of my sites and I noted I still had to input my password to get into the site!! It took me to their site but not into my account. Is this correct? Seems I still need to carry passwords around. Please advise.
Mike
I love the app and just entered all of my account information however I do not see the option to “pay bill”, which I understand directs you to the company website so you then pay it yourself. I get the option to “go to website” but then I still have to log in – one of the best things about this (I thought) was that I didn’t have to log in to each site or use other passwords, only the one for Manilla. Am I doing something wrong? Thank you!
Hey Laurie, I think that the accounts you’re using have to be “auto-login” accounts, and not every account is like that with Manilla. Does that make sense?
Hey Mike, I think that in order for that to work the account has to have the “auto-login” feature. Do you see that available? Personally, I don’t recall using Manilla like that… just to manage my bills, statements, and to get reminders.
I am leaving manilla. Had lots of reminders set up and suddenly it is forgetting them left and right. Had an Electric Bill Reminder set and that came due on the 26th of last month, no mention of it at all on Manilla on the 3rd of the following month. Plus, there doesn’t seem to be an option to list all active reminders, so couldn’t tell if it was deleted (delete all instances versus the current one) or just wasn’t due. Very bad.