New research from Fiserv Inc. shows that mobile payments is about more than paying for purchases at the point of sale.

According to Fiserv, a technology provider to financial services companies, consumers are increasingly relying on their mobile devices to pay their household bills. The company's 2011 Billing Household Survey reported that more than six million Americans paid bills using their smartphones.

In general, the new survey found that most Americans pay bills in a variety of ways with preferred methods changing from month to month. The most popular methods were paying bills through either the biller's site or through a financial institution's online site.

"This year's Billing Household survey demonstrates that consumers are looking to their banks and billers for multiple billing and payment options that are quick and easy, and can change to meet household needs and expectations," said Jardon Bouska, division president of biller solutions for Fiserv, in a statement.

One of the more popular methods for visiting bank and biller sites to pay bills is through mobile devices, the survey found. Thirty percent of online consumers reported they have gone to billers' sites using a mobile web browser to access their bills. Additionally, 40 percent used a mobile browser to pay their bills and 35 percent used an app downloaded from a biller or a bank. Text-to-pay was also popular with 17 percent of respondents reporting they used that method to pay a bill. Of those mobile payments, six out of 10 were tied to a debit, credit or prepaid card.

On top of those who reported they actively use mobile devices to pay bills, 58 percent of households with smartphones reported interest in mobile bill payment services, the study found. More than half said that same-day or expedited payments were the most interesting mobile bill payment options.

Fiserv's Bouska said the frequency that consumers visit online sites, and the variety of methods they employ to reach those sites, including mobile, represent a challenge and an opportunity for billers.

"Billing and payment is not just about the transaction; it is a recurring strategic opportunity for companies to deepen customer relationships and reduce costs," Bouska said.

Fiserv's study was conducted by The Marketing Workshop during May 2011 and surveyed 2,500 adults in the United States.

For more stories on this topic, visit the Bill Payment research center.