First the Federal Reserve and the National Automated Clearinghouse Association tried swaying consumers to use automated electronic bill payment. Now the Bionic Woman is lending muscle to the campaign.

Lindsay Wagner, who starred in the television series, is appearing in national public service announcements touting the advantages of direct payment. Direct payment lets consumers give pre-authorization for electronic withdrawals from their accounts. The transactions are processed through the Automated Clearing House Network and distributed to the biller. Consumers save time and postage.

The public service announcements, which start airing next month, follow a direct mail campaign targeting 22,000 billers in industries such as utilities, cable TV, charities, insurance, mortgages and loans.