AOL Adds Bill Pay to Email Using Manilla Technology

AOL is adding a payments function to email by working with Hearst Corp.'s Manilla, a paperless bill and magazine subscription organizer.

The new AOL Bill Manager relies on Manilla's technology to provide biller details and reminders within the AOL email inbox. If users receive bills at other email accounts, such as Gmail and Yahoo, they can scan these accounts to import their bills.

"Adding this functionality gives AOL users the chance to eliminate the hassle of managing multiple billing accounts across a number of different websites," says Francis Lobo, president of AOL Services, in an Aug. 13 press release.

Several companies are starting to place more emphasis on payments within email. Google is adding a Google Wallet button to Gmail, allowing users to send funds the same way they would send an email attachment. Square is testing a similar person-to-person payments service called Square Cash that lets users send funds from any email address by copying Square as a recipient. And BuyReply, an Australian startup, lets users make payments by sending emails and text messages that contain special short codes.