Frequently Asked Questions

Our streamlined, make-payment process is quick and easy. Page one lists all of your payees. You just enter the amount you want to pay to each payee and your payment due date and click Make payments. We also list for each payee the amount and date of your last payment. Page two is a confirmation list of the payees you've paid, including a summary of your payment details.

Can I pay bills with my credit card?

Currently, we only issue payments from an account with check-writing privileges, but we are exploring new technology that will allow you to make payments by credit card in the near future.

Who authorizes payments?

Only you can authorize payments. You have complete control over whom you are issuing a payment to, the exact payment amount, when the payment should be sent or whether to pay the bill at all. If you have a flat fee or recurring bill that you would like to have paid each month, you can instruct us to make that payment automatically for you. Please note that your payment for our service will be conveniently debited from your default funding account each month.

Can you pay my bills automatically?

Yes. If you would like us to automatically pay a bill that arrives in your Bill Inbox, you may establish automatic payment rules. The automatic payment rule instructs us to issue a payment every month for a specific payee without requiring your approval each time. You can pay the full bill, pay the minimum due, or pay a fixed amount that you are comfortable paying each month. For example, you could tell us to pay your credit card bill automatically in three different ways:

Pay the entire bill if it is $200 or less. You are contacted for approval if it is more than $200.
Pay the minimum amount due every month.
Pay $100 every month.

If you regularly make a payment for a fixed amount without receiving a bill, you can establish a recurring payment rule to make this payment automatically. For example, your mortgage company may have provided you with a coupon book instead of billing you monthly. You can tell us to issue this payment to your mortgage company each month.

You can receive an e-mail notification when an automatic or recurring bill is about to be paid. To cancel payment on any of these bills, click the Cancel link in the Payment Outbox.

Can I use my regular checkbook?

Yes. We do not replace your checkbook. You can continue to write paper checks as you normally would.

How will I know when a payment has been sent?

To verify that a payment has been sent, from your navigation links, click View a Report. The View Reports page appears. From the Report title listbox, select the appropriate report and click Generate report. You can also create a new report or edit an existing report.

Do I have to pay the entire bill amount?

No. You decide the amount you want to pay towards each bill. You are not obligated to pay the amount due. As an added feature, you can use the Personal Notes tool to attach reminders to your bill indicating the reason the entire amount was not paid (dispute with the payee, etc.).

How are payments issued?

Only you can authorize payments. You tell us who, when, and how much to pay. Payments are issued electronically or via paper checks, depending on the payee's capabilities. Both electronic payments and paper checks always include remittance information, ensuring that your payee can accurately record that a payment has been received for your account.

Where do you send my payment?

We send your payment to the address you provided to us for each of your payees except for cases where we have a special relationship with a payee, and they have a preferred address to which they want payments to be sent.

When are checks issued to my payees?

Many payees do not currently accept electronic payments. Therefore, we recommend that you set the send on date at least 5 business days in advance of your bill due date. We issue paper checks daily Monday through Friday.

When are electronic funds transfers sent to my payees?

For payees who can accept Electronic Funds Transfers (EFT), we recommend that you set the send on date at least 3 business days in advance of the due date. If you authorize payment in advance, your EFT will be sent at 3:00 PM CT on the day you designated for the payment to be sent. To have an EFT issued on the same day you authorize payment, you must authorize the transaction by 3:00 PM CT. Please note that some EFT transactions may clear your bank account the same day they are issued. Be sure your account is funded in advance to avoid bounced payments.

How do I cancel a payment?

To cancel a payment, click on the Cancel link in your Payment Outbox. You can choose to cancel a payment up until the time the payment is processed.

When will the payment I authorized be debited from my account?

While the exact time of the debit may vary due to when the payment is scheduled, please make sure that you have adequate funds in your account to cover those payments.

This will ensure that your payment is processed properly and not subject to insufficient fund fees.

Are there any payments I can't issue?

Due to legal requirements, we limit the ability to make certain types of payments. Payments to payees outside of the United States are prohibited and may not be issued under any circumstances. In addition, the following payments are discouraged, but may be scheduled at your own risk:

tax payments to the Internal Revenue Service or any state or other government agency
court-ordered payments, such as alimony or child support
payments to insurance companies

We will not notify you if you attempt to make any of these payments and we will not be liable if we do not make a prohibited or discouraged payment that you've scheduled.

What happens if I do not have enough money in my checking account to cover a bill?

We issue standard, approved payments against your checking account. Just as with a paper check, you have to maintain sufficient funds in the account to cover all payment obligations.

Can I pay all of the bills in my Bill Inbox at one time?

Yes. You can pay multiple bills simultaneously from your Bill Inbox using the Select all link. When you click Select all, the boxes next to each bill will be checked. Just enter the amount you want to pay and when you click Continue payment your payments will appear in the Payment Outbox, just as if you'd entered them one at a time.

What happens if a bill is paid late?

In the highly unlikely event of a payment error (where we are at fault), we will pay any penalty fees imposed by the payee.

We issue payments automatically on the exact date that you specify. It is important to realize that not all payees accept electronic payments. In such cases, we will issue a paper check and you should select a send on date that is at least 5 business days before a bill due date. This will allow a paper check issued on your behalf to arrive at your payee on time. For payees who accept Electronic Funds Transfers, you should schedule the payment 3 business days in advance of the due date. However, you should be sure that your checking account is funded on the day you issue payment, as some EFT payments are posted to your payee's account on the same day.

Can I pay multiple bills?

Yes, the Select all Bills link at the bottom of your Bill Inbox is a convenient shortcut that allows you to pay multiple bills simultaneously. When you click this link, all of the bills in your Bill Inbox will be selected. When you click Continue payment the Make Payments page appears. Specify your payment details and then click Submit payment.