CheckFree E-Bill
New Agreement Lets MCI WorldCom Customers Receive and Pay
Bills Online
ARLINGTON, Va., Feb. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- MCI WorldCom (Nasdaq: WCOM), a
leader in providing innovative online services for its customers since 1995,
today announced an agreement with CheckFree, the nation's leading provider of
electronic billing and payment, that will allow MCI WorldCom to expand its
residential online portfolio in the world of e-commerce.
By giving MCI WorldCom residential customers the option to receive and pay
their bills using the Internet, CheckFree and MCI WorldCom are the first to
deliver what other companies have been promising for years -- online bill
payment and delivery by a nationwide telecommunications provider. MCI WorldCom
now offers customers one more option to use the Internet to view and pay their
bills, in addition to its existing online credit card or direct debit payment
options.
To register for electronic bill delivery and payment, MCI WorldCom
customers can enroll in MCI WorldCom's online account manager at
www.mci.com/service and choose to change their payment option, or go to the
CheckFree E-Bill Web site at mybills.com; both sites will
require the customer's MCI WorldCom account number and an e-mail address.
After registering, MCI WorldCom customers will receive a final paper bill by
mail, then all future bills will be presented electronically. The electronic
version of their monthly bill will include color graphics, logos and full-
billing detail.
Using CheckFree E-Bill(SM) -- backed by the industry's most comprehensive
point-to-point security -- MCI WorldCom residential customers can simply click
to approve the bill for payment, and the amount of the bill is deducted
electronically from their designated bank account. Once MCI WorldCom customers
are registered with CheckFree and MCI WorldCom's Online Account Manager, they
willalso be able to view past bills on their computer or print them for
future reference.
"The Internet allows us to make everyday tasks easier for our customers,"
said Joyce Dorris, director of brand marketing for MCI WorldCom. "This E-Bill
offering with CheckFree gives our customers added convenience they want while
giving MCI WorldCom added cost savings by driving more business online."
Bill summary will be available via Quicken and through online banks and
other financial services sites that support CheckFree E-Bill. These sites
include:
* First Union at firstunion.com
* Intuit's Quicken 98/99 software
* Charles Schwab at mybills.com
* Morgan Stanley Dean Witter at dwdean.com
* Prudential Securities at mybills.com
Customers can then link back to MCI WorldCom's Online Account Manager to
view their account details and service their account online.
"Enabling electronic billing and payment for MCI WorldCom customers is an
important step forward for the industry," said Pete Kight, chairman and chief
executive officer of CheckFree. "And as more financial services companies are
coming online with bill presentment, including leading institutions like Bank
One, an even broader range of consumers can electronically receive and pay
their core bills. Being able to receive and pay these core bills --
telecommunications, utilities, mortgage and credit card -- will accelerate
acceptance of the convenience and utility of electronic billing dramatically.
MCI WorldCom's obvious significance to the telecommunications industry, and
its commitment to providing its customers with convenience and quality, makes
this a strategic win for CheckFree."
REAL CONTROL, REAL PERSONAL
In addition to the convenience of paying bills without the hassle of
checks and stamps, MCI WorldCom's Online Account Manager has been enhanced to
give customers complete control over their accounts. Secure account
information is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Customers can see
their current and past MCI WorldCom statements, review and update account
information, add products and services, and more, all from the comfort of
their own computer.
MCI WorldCom customers can also use Online Account Manager to send an
e-mail to customer service representatives online, handling all questions a
customer may have right on the Web.
COMPREHENSIVE ONLINE OFFERING
MCI WorldCom offers the perfect complement to online bill presentation and
payment -- online savings. MCI One Net Savings is a long-distance calling plan
that allows residential customers to use the Internet to receive added
convenience and savings for long-distance calling. By signing up online at
www.mci.com/netsavings, MCI One Net Savings customers receive a 24-hour flat
rate of nine cents per minute for state-to-state long-distance calls, in
addition to MCI Five-Cent Sundays.
ABOUT CHECKFREE
Founded in 1981, CheckFree, the operating subsidiary of CheckFree Holdings
Corp. (www.checkfree.com), is the leading provider of electronic commerce
services, software and related products for more than 2.6 million consumers,
1,000 businesses and 850 financial institutions. CheckFree designs, develops
and markets services that enable its customers to make electronic payments and
collections, automate paper-based recurring financial transactions and conduct
secure transactions on the Internet.
CheckFree introduced the nation's first live, market-release product for
electronic bill presentment and payment in March 1997, after completing a
successful two-year pilot program. CheckFree E-Bill is the only fully
integrated, end-to-end system for electronic presentment and payment of richly
formatted bills over the Internet. CheckFree E-Bill uses existing payment
systems and allows consumers to access and pay their bills through the branded
home-banking services of financial institutions.
ABOUT MCI WORLDCOM
MCI WorldCom is a global communications company with revenue of more than
$30 billion and established operations in over 65 countries encompassing the
Americas, Europe and the Asia-Pacific regions. MCI WorldCom is a premier
provider of facilities-based and fully integrated local, long distance,
international and Internet services. MCI WorldCom's global networks, including
its state-of-the-art pan-European network and transoceanic cable systems,
provide end-to-end high-capacity connectivity to more than 38,000 buildings
worldwide. For more information on MCI WorldCom, visit the World Wide Web at
mciworldcom.com or wcom.com.
SOURCE MCI WorldCom
-0- 02/24/99
/CONTACT: Teresa Byrne of MCI WorldCom, 703-415-6839, or
teresa.byrne@mci.com; or Laurinda Wilson of CheckFree, 770-840-1608, or
lwilson@checkfree.com/
/Web site: checkfree.com
/Web site: mciworldcom.com
/Web site: wcom.com
(WCOM)
CO: MCI WorldCom; CheckFree
ST: Virginia
IN: MLM TLS
SU: PDT
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