Online Shoppers Can Pay Bills Online, Too

NextCard Inc., a leading issuer of credit cards on the Web, has forged a strategic relationship with Paytrust.com that will provide NextCard's more than 250,000 cardholders the opportunity to receive, review, pay and organize their bills online. The agreement also includes a strategic equity investment by NextCard in Paytrust. Under terms of the agreement, Paytrust.com and NextCard will collaborate to develop the NextCard Bill Center specifically for NextCard users at My.NextCard.com, its online customer service site. Using patent-pending bill management technology, the Paytrust service is compatible with any biller and any bank, says the Princeton, N.J.-based firm, and it can accommodate both paper and electronic bills. NextCard users currently can receive and pay their NextCard bill via the My.NextCard.com site, and this alliance will allow them to receive and pay all of their bills online, says San Francisco-based NextCard. In a separate announcement, Paytrust has enabled wireless access to its Bill Center. It has partnered with Everypath, Santa Clara, Calif., to enable their customers to access the Bill Center from Palm VII personal digital assistants. Paytrust says this deal represents the first time that consumers can receive and pay 100% of their bills using a wireless device. Wireless access is available to all Paytrust customers at no additional charge. NextCard is a player in consumer shopping through its GoShopping! Web site, NextCard Concierge and rewards program. It also publishes the NextCard eCommerce Index, a source of online purchase activity.