Facilitating electronic payment on behalf of a customer of electronic presented bills

摘要

To facilitate electronic presentment of a bill of a biller for a customer and payment of the presented bill on behalf of the customer via a communications network, a first network site associated with a bill payment entity receives a request for billing information from a second network site associated with a customer via a first communications link over a communications network. In response, a bill availability indicator indicative of an availability of a bill of the biller for the customer and having a first linking function, is presented to the second network site via the first communications link. The presented bill availability indicator is selectable at the second network site to activate the first linking function and thereby establish a second communications link over the communications network to a third network site associated with a bill presentment entity for presentment by the third network site to the second network site of a bill of the biller and an associated pay bill indicator having a second linking function to the first network site. The presented pay bill indicator is selectable at the second network site to activate the second linking function and thereby establish a third communications link over the communications network to the first network site for requesting payment of the presented bill of the biller.