Today, a practical tip I’ve been so delighted with, it’s worth sharing.

We consume so many services these days, online services, local services, delivery services, subscription services, that we often have a great many companies relying on our credit cards for auto-payments.

For the past 2 years, I’ve kept a list of all auto-pay accounts. I only pull out this list when I make a change to it, or in the case where I need to update an expiration date, or provide a new card number (in the case that it’s lost or stolen).

So the tip is, keep a list of everyone you pay via automatic recurring credit-card payments, and include for each vendor:

• Name of the service
• Phone number or website (depending on whether you update the CC info via phone or online)
• The account number for the service
• Any info on PIN numbers

Of course, keep this information in a secure note taking system (I highly recommend 1Password and Evernote). This list has more than once turned a frustrating 3 hour task into a delightful 10-minute one.