Threats of strikes by postal workers could give fresh impetus to internet banking, according to Citywire, the financial news service.

It reports that many elderly people, dependent on dividends for income, are being badly hit by the late arrival of their cheques.

The British Communication Workers Union claims that as many as 30 million letters, cheques and other documents are currently trapped in the postal system. And while many struggling businesses might find the “cheque’s in the post” excuse useful, for many a prolonged loss of postal service could be critical.

Individuals, too, may face penalties, for instance, when they miss a credit card payment, while late payment of utility bills might bring a threat of disconnection, and motorists could incur extra costs due to parking and fixed penalty fine payments being delayed.

In the week this article was written, the possibility of many individuals facing an automatic £100 fine for not responding to notification that they need to fill in a tax return was also looming, and just a few weeks later, many of these fines could increase if anyone who wants their tax bill worked out by the British Inland Revenue has not submitted their finished tax return.

Yet the problems may continue to get worse – the result of a vote on whether to hold a national strike in protest over working rules and job security was also due to be announced as this article went to press.

So the conditions seem right for internet banking, paperless billing and direct payments to take a big step forward, as consumers who have not so far signed up for internet banking experience the down side of continuing to rely on more traditional transaction methods.

Major credit card providers say they will be lenient on borrowers who make late payments because the postal strike has delayed their bill’s arrival, but make sure you call the company and let them know. However, they are unlikely to waive a penalty charge if you are regularly late paying.

Barclaycard says customers charged a late fee because of the strike may have it refunded, but refunds will be on an individual basis. American Express, Capital One and MBNA have also made similar statements.

Those with most to lose are credit card holders with 0% balance transfers. A delayed payment means they have technically broken the conditions of that offer and could have the facility removed.

Mortgage lenders, mobile phone companies, broadband and TV companies usually require customers to sign a direct debit, so these bills will generally be unaffected.

It’s usually cheaper to pay by direct debit too. Energy suppliers usually give discounts of up to 10% for switching to direct debit billing, while Virgin Media charges £5 a month for non-DD payments and BT charges £1.25 a month.

Firms can ask those who owe them money to pay by direct transfer and can ensure that payment is received by giving details of their bank account.