The feature won't be available right away. Microsoft plans to introduce it "in phases," starting with a small number of Outlook.com users in the next few weeks and others in the months ahead.

This isn't just a convenience. Microsoft won't make money from these bill payments, but hooks like this would give you a specific reason to use Outlook instead of another email app or your browser. It's also a lure for third parties, whether or not they're handling money. If they see people lining up to use Outlook payments, they may decide that it's worth integrating their own services.

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