More than Half of Americans Spend One to Two Hours Each Month Paying Bills, Reports Visa Survey

SAN FRANCISCO-(www.allCUnews.com)-March 27, 2007 - Many Americans take the start of Spring to organize and streamline their lives to gain a little more free time for the things they really enjoy. However, according to a new Visa USA survey, finding that free time is becoming increasingly difficult as more than half of Americans spend one to two hours each month paying household bills.

To inspire consumers to simplify their lives and recapture some of that lost time by paying bills electronically, Visa USA launched a new television commercial today that depicts how a Visa check card helps one apartment building's tenants pay their bills quickly and easily so they can focus on the things they really enjoy in life. The new commercial, titled "The Heat Stays On," reinforces the convenience and time-saving benefits of using a Visa check card to pay for a broad spectrum of utilities such as electricity, phone and cable. The spot was directed by Bill Condon, who recently directed the major motion picture "Dreamgirls."

"Paying monthly bills shouldn't stop consumers from doing the things they love to do," said Susanne Lyons, chief marketing officer, Visa USA. "We want cardholders to know that with the help of a Visa check card to pay one-time or recurring bills, they can spend less time on the tedious task of paying bills and more time on the things that really matter most to them."

Visa offers an easy, convenient and secure way to pay household bills such as utilities, cable TV, and insurance. Cardholders can choose a one-time payment or automatic payments to ensure that bills are paid on time every month no matter where they are. More information is available online at www.visa.com/paymybills.

While Consumers Waste Time Paying Bills, They Recognize Benefits of Using Credit and Debit Cards

Of the 1,541 respondents surveyed, approximately 35 percent spend one hour paying their bills on a monthly basis while 29 percent spend 2 hours or more. Interestingly, the survey finds that men take longer each month to pay their bills than women. Thirty-five percent of men say it takes them at least two hours each month to pay their bills, while 29 percent of women claim it takes them that long.

More than half of respondents (59 percent) stated that one major benefit of using their cards is that it takes less time to pay their bills. Other benefits of using credit and debit cards to pay household bills noted by survey respondents include: convenience (72 percent); reliability (58 percent); ability to track payments (57 percent); security (47 percent); and opportunity for rewards (33 percent).

What would respondents like to do with their free time instead of paying bills? The top three activities selected were:

— Relax and do nothing (33 percent);

— Take their spouse or significant other out to dinner (24 percent); and

— Go to the gym (10 percent).

One Apartment Building's Tenants Enjoy Life Thanks to Visa

Visa's latest commercial follows a singing superintendent strolling through an apartment building keeping everything in tip top shape. Featuring a remix of the Sonny and Cher song, "The Beat Goes On," the superintendent walks through the building to find that his tenants are enjoying different recreational activities such as tanning, talking to friends and yoga, thanks to time saving benefits associated with paying their utility bills with a Visa check card. A voiceover emphasizes that using a Visa check card will allow cardholders to "spend more time living, and less time paying bills." To view the spot, please visit www.visa.com/advertising.

Paying Bills Can Be Rewarding

To complement the latest commercial, Visa is also providing cardholders a chance to let someone else pay their bills. Between February 1 through May 31, 2007, every time a cardholder uses their Visa card to pay a regular ongoing bill such as phone, satellite/cable TV, utilities, they will be automatically entered to win $25,000 from Visa. The more bills that are paid with a Visa card, the more chances to win.

About the Visa Survey

This report presents the results of a telephone survey conducted among a national probability sample of 2,074 adults comprising 1,033 men and 1,044 women 18 years of age and older, living in private households in the continental United States. Survey results to the questions are based on responses from consumers who currently have at least one debit or credit card (77% - 1,541 weighted sample). Interviewing for this CARAVAN(R) Survey was completed during the period March 15-19, 2007. The survey results have a margin of error due to sampling of no more than plus or minus 3 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.

About Visa USA

Visa USA is a leading payment brand and the nation's largest payment system, enabling banks to provide their consumers and business customers with a wide variety of payment alternatives tailored to meet their evolving needs. Visa USA is committed to increasing the choice, convenience, acceptance and security of Visa payments for all stakeholders in the payment system — members, cardholders and merchants. Through its 13,382 member financial institutions, more than 510 million Visa-branded cards have been issued to cardholders in the United States.

Worldwide, cardholders in more than 150 countries carry more than 1 billion Visa-branded cards, accounting for more than $3 trillion in annual transaction volume in 2006. VisaNet, Visa's global processing system and the world's largest financial network, processes transactions with unparalleled reliability.