Xoom, a digital money transfer provider, today officially launched Xoom Bill Pay, a product that allows cross-border bill payments. Xoom Bill Pay has launched with cross-border bill pay to Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, according to a press release.

"Xoom Bill Pay is completely changing the way cross-border bills get paid to Mexico and other countries by providing a new and innovative experience for customers to pay bills in just a few clicks or taps," Bobby Aitkenhead, vice president of Xoom Bill Pay, said in a statement. "Now immigrants can easily pay their loved ones' bills online from the United States. This helps Xoom customers save their loved ones from the hassle and risk of paying their bills in person.

"Xoom Bill Pay helps its customers take even better care of family members back home, with the same quality service and great experience they have with Xoom Money Transfer.  Xoom Bill Pay shows customers accurate account balances in real-time, and then they can pay a bill — or multiple bills — instantly." The fee is $2.99 per bill paid.

Xoom Bill Pay enables customers to pay electricity, telephone, Internet, cable, water and gas bills from a mobile phone, tablet or computer. Currently, the service will facilitate payments to the most important utility providers in each country, including CFE, the sole energy provider in Mexico; TELMEX, the primary telephone provider in Mexico and the CDEEE Group of Energy Companies, the sole energy provider in the Dominican Republic. Others include, Claro, Energuate, Gigacable, Movistar, Telefonica, Tigo, Tricomm, and more, according to the announceement

One Xoom customer, Concepcion Salinas, has  successfully tested the security, speed and reliability of Xoom Bill Pay already. "My mom is 70 years old and lives alone," Salinas said. "In the past, I had to send money for her to pay the bills. My mom has to go pick it up, then stand in line and go to each separate company to pay bills. With Xoom Bill Pay, my mom now doesn't have to go out in the street. I don't put her at risk."

The ability to query account balances in real time using only an account number is a key differentiating feature of Xoom Bill Pay, according to the announcement.