Property owners in East Hartford can now use their Visa, MasterCard or any other major credit card to pay their taxes..

Mayor Melody Currey said in a Hartford Courant report that the change is intended to make it easier for people to pay their bills and keep the town in step with the times, when buying and paying on line has become common.

The town in the past has accepted credit card payments for some services, but not for major property tax bills.

In conjunction with its new policy, the town also began passing on the 2.45 percent service charge to people who pay by credit card. Previously the town absorbed the cost that had grown to about $50,000 per year.

The service charge would add about $17 to a $700 tax bill. On the town’s official website a “pay taxes online” window links directly to the service that handle the payments.