It's easy to be put off by the idea of online banking. Worries over whether it's really secure or not, remembering all those complicated passwords, and wondering how to manage a complicated interface are all concerns that people have; people who haven't taken the plunge that is.

Oddly, for an Internet professional I was in this camp myself until recently when I remembered that I hadn't paid a bill late at night and couldn't get to the bank in time to pay it before incurring any charges.

I hate paying for things I don't have to so that simple act of forgetfulness made me start looking a bit more seriously about whether or not online banking was actually going to work for me.

So I went over to the online banking section of my banks web site and took a look. Filling in the application form was relatively straight forward and only asked me for the kind of information you can get without having to rummage around through boxes of old paperwork, which was a pleasant surprise.

A couple of days later a letter arrived telling me I had to activate the account and enter a special code to get things going (I'd already saved another special number from the application stage). Back to the computer then to activate the account.

After a couple of minutes following the instructions I'm suddenly plunged headlong into the world of online banking. I can see my statement whenever I like, I can pay bills night or day and just generally manage my account when I want to, not just when the bank's open.

This is an exciting new world and I'm loathe to log out for fear that I'll never be able to get back in again, but eventually I do and get on with the busy of earning money rather than just watching where it's all going.

The next evening I decide to give it another go and am surprised by how simple it is to get back in (having memorised a couple of important passwords of course), and I can see that the bills I paid last night are all cleared and on my statement.

Now of course I'm a convert and regularly turn up at my bank in my slippers at 11pm to be greeted with a warm welcome and a range of online services that I wouldn't have dreamed possible before I'd actually tried it.

And the best thing of course, no more interest charges when I'm a little more forgetful with bills than I really should be. So, if you're still worried about whether online banking is worth the hassle, you should give it a try. It's not nearly as complicated as you think it's going to be and it's far easier than trudging down the high street with a load of bills!