As losses mount at the United
States Postal Service, new digital mail companies are
advantage
by promising to give customers the ability to pay bills without having to lick
envelopes, buy stamps or even get out of their chairs.
The
latest threat to the Postal Service is a partnership to be announced Tuesday
between Manilla, a bill-paying service owned by
Hearst, and AOL. Manilla’s customers will be able to view and pay their bills using e-mail accounts or through AOL’s Web site, said Jim Schinella, the chief executive of Manilla. In addition, Mr. Schinella said, users can link their Gmail or Yahoo accounts to the Manilla/AOL account manager, which can scan them for bills.
“So instead of opening a tab for your cable bill and then your electric or credit card bills, you can do it all in one place,” Mr. Schinella said.
At least a half-dozen other digital-mail start-ups have entered the marketplace in the last three years, including Volly, which is owned by Pitney Bowes, the maker of postage meters, and Zumbox, an online bill-paying service similar to Manilla. Another competitor, Outbox, will physically pick up its customers’ mail, scan it and make it available online.
