autopay
Americannoun
Usage
What does autopay mean in budgeting and savings? Autopay, short for automatic payment, is a computerized service that automatically deducts an owed recurring payment from an individual’s account (usually a checking, savings, or money market account), in time to meet a payment due date. Autopay can usually be set up directly with the company receiving payment or through the payment service of one's bank. Autopay can be set up to make many types of payments, including recurring payments for a bank loan, a credit card, or utility bill, etc. Using autopay for recurring bills ensures timely payments and the avoidance of late fees.
Etymology
Origin of autopay
First recorded in 1980–85; shortening of automatic payment
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In addition to the interest-rate reduction, Kent said enrolling in autopay will help borrowers maximize the benefits of the government’s new repayment plan launching in July, called the Repayment Assistance Plan, or RAP.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 18, 2026
Borrowers in the U.S. can enroll in autopay with their student-loan servicers, but it isn’t the default.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2025
Unplugging autopay can also make you more cognizant of where your dollars are going, De La Rosa said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025
As a child, Alonzo’s family squatted in an abandoned diner; now, after decades of hard work, she can put her bills on autopay.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2025
Dell wanted to go for guardianship too, but he's pretty much broke—even though I recently put his accounts on autopay to help straighten out some of his finances—so he doesn't qualify.
From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
