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Bill Pay
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Q: What is an
e-bill?
A: An e-bill (electronic bill) is an
electronic version of a paper bill that you can view online through
Web Bill Pay.
Q: How does electronic
billing work with Web Bill Pay?
A: Web Bill Pay lets you make payments and
receive and pay bills online through your Financial Institution.
You can make payments to anyone, anytime, anywhere in the United
States, from you mortgage lender to your newspaper carrier. The
only payments you cannot make through your bill payment service are
court-ordered payments and state and federal tax payments.
Electronic billing lets you receive electronic bills (e-bills)
online through Web Bill Pay. Some payees are able to send e-bills
to their customers. If you add a payee that is e-bill-capable, you
have the opportunity to request e-bills from the payee.
Once your request has been authorized, you'll receive an e-bill
from the payee within a month or so, depending on the payee's
billing cycle. You can pay the e-bill directly, and you can
continue to make single payments to the payee whenever
needed.
Q: Is an e-bill the same as a
mailed bill statement or invoice?
A: An e-bill is a statement or invoice in an
electronic format. E-bills typically contain the same information
as your mailed bills.
Q: How do I receive
e-bills?
A: You can receive e-bills from payees that
are e-bill-capable. Once you request e-bills from a payee and the
request is processed, you should receive a message in Messages
stating that your e-bill service has been activated. E-bill service
requests are usually processed within two weeks. New e-bills appear
on the E-bills page as either paid or unpaid.
Q: How long does it take to
receive e-bills from a payee?
A: It may take up to two weeks for the payee
to process your request for e-bills. Once your request has been
accepted, it may take a month or more, depending on the payee's
billing cycle, before you begin receiving bills
electronically.
Q: How do I know when I
receive a new e-bill?
A: The Unpaid E-bills page lists your new
e-bills. A notice also appears on the Home page to let you know
when new e-bills arrive.
If you are waiting for an e-bill service request to be processed,
check Messages periodically for a message stating that your e-bill
service has been activated for the payee. When you receive the
first e-bill depends on the payee's billing cycle.
Q: Will I still receive a
paper copy of the bill through U.S. mail?
A: It depends on the payee. Some payees stop
sending a paper bill and only send an e-bill to your Web Bill Pay
account. Other payees continue to send paper bills through U.S.
mail in addition to an e-bill to your Web Bill Pay account.
Q: Can I store or view paid
e-bills?
A: You can view paid e-bills by going to
E-bills and then clicking Paid E-bills. You can
always use your browser's print feature to print the bill if you
want to keep long-term records. You can also view an e-bill for
which you have a scheduled or canceled payment. However, you cannot
view deleted e-bills.
Q: How do I pay
e-bills?
A: You can pay one or more e-bills from the
Unpaid E-bills page. For more information on paying e-bills, go to
the help on the E-bills page. As with all Web Bill Pay payments,
you control the payment amount and payment date.
Q: Can I pay e-bills outside
of Web Bill Pay?
A: Yes, you can pay an e-bill by some other
way (by check, for example). If you pay the e-bill by some other
method, you can delete the unpaid e-bill from the Unpaid E-bill
page. Once you delete the e-bill, you cannot view the bill or bill
statement again through Web Bill Pay. Unpaid e-bills are never
deleted automatically by Web Bill Pay. You can also print a copy of
the e-bill for your long-term records using your browser's print
feature.
Q: Can I make more than one
e-bill payment at the same time (can I combine payments going to
the same payee)?
A: No, for the e-bill payment to work
properly, you must pay each e-bill individually.
Q: Can I pay someone else's
e-bills?
A: No, the bill must be in your name or your
spouse's name.
Q: How do I request e-bills
from one of my payees?
A: If a payee in your payee list can send
e-bills, the Sign Up link appears in the E-bills
column on the Payee Setup - Payee List page. Click this link to
request e-bills. Remember, the payee may take a couple of weeks to
process your request.
If you want to find out if a payee not in your list can send
e-bills, try adding the payee. When you add a payee that is
e-bill-capable, Web Bill Pay will automatically ask you if you want
to receive e-bills. You can also click a link on the Add Payee page
to view a list of all payees that can send e-bills. The symbol next
to a payee's name indicates you can request e-bills from the
payee.
Tip: Web Bill Pay is always updating the list of
payees that can send e-bills! If you added a payee that cannot send
e-bills and later you notice that the payee can send e-bills, just
click the Sign Up link next to the payee name in
your payee list.
Q: What if my request for
e-bills is rejected?
A: If your request for e-bills is rejected,
you have a couple of options, which are listed below:
- You
can try to request e-bills again and make sure to enter your
information (especially your account number) completely and
accurately.
- You
can contact the payee to see if they can help you understand why
they cannot send you e-bills. For example, some payees cannot send
e-bills to customers in certain areas of the country.
Q: What happens if I delete a payee who
sends me e-bills?
A: When you delete a payee who sends you
e-bills, Web Bill Pay automatically removes the payee from your
payee list, sends a message to the payee and asks them to stop
sending e-bills. You can no longer pay any unpaid e-bills listed in
the Unpaid E-bills page for the deleted payee, so you may want to
pay unpaid e-bills before deleting the payee.
It is also possible, due to the payee's billing cycle, that you may
receive an e-bill after you have deleted the payee. If you receive
an e-bill after you have deleted the payee, you can add the payee
again (without requesting e-bills) and make the payment from the
Make Payments page, or you can pay the bill through U.S.
mail.
Q: How can I stop receiving
e-bills from a payee?
A: To stop receiving e-bills from a payee,
go to Payee Setup, and then click View/Change next
to the payee. Select Click here to discontinue e-bill
service. The payee is notified to stop sending e-bills.
However, you may receive an e-bill after canceling e-bill service
due to the payee's billing cycle. Make a payment to the payee from
the Make Payments page to cover the e-bill or make the payment by
some other means.
Q: I chose to stop receiving
paper bills from a payee and now I want to start getting my bills
mailed to me again. How do I do that?
A: If you are currently receiving e-bills,
and no corresponding paper bill, from a payee, you can start
receiving paper bills again by canceling e-bill service for that
payee.
Q: I want to stop being
prompted to only receive e-bills and not receive paper bills every
time I pay an e-bill. How do I do that?
A: There are two ways to stop seeing the
prompts to only receive e-bills and not receive paper bills. Do one
of the following:
- When you are in the process
of paying an e-bill, you can answer Yes to the questions to stop
receiving paper bills.
- You
can change the settings for the payee. Go to Payee Setup, select
the name of the payee you want to change, and look in the Stop
Receiving Paper Bills section for the available
options.
Note: Some
payees automatically stop sending you paper bills when you sign up
for e-bills, so this prompt might not appear for every payee that
you receive e-bills from.
Q: What happens if I choose
to stop receiving paper bills?
A: When you choose to stop receiving paper
bills from a payee and you agree to the payee's Terms and
Conditions for receiving e-bills, Web Bill Pay takes care of
notifying the payee to stop sending you paper bills in the mail. It
can sometimes take up to a month to stop receiving paper bills,
depending on the payee's billing cycle for your account.
Web Bill Pay will notify you electronically when you have an
e-bill, either by sending you a message or displaying a message
when you sign in to Web Bill Pay. Check the settings on the Payee
Setup page to see if Web Bill Pay can also send you e-bill
summaries by e-mail for this payee.
After you receive notification that you have a new e-bill, you can
pay the e-bill through Web Bill Pay, which saves you time and
money, and helps the environment by eliminating paper bills.
Q: The amount for an e-bill
seems incorrect. What should I do?
A: If you have questions about an e-bill,
please contact the payee directly. All information on the e-bill
comes directly from the payee, the same as when they mail you a
paper bill. Remember that you control the payment amount when you
pay the e-bill.
If an e-bill amount is incorrect, make sure to contact the payee to
avoid any late charges. Look on your last bill for the payee's
customer service phone number.
Q: My e-bill is late. What
should I do?
A: If your normal billing cycle has passed
and you still have not received your e-bill, contact your payee.
Payees deliver e-bills much like they deliver your paper bills.
Depending on billing cycles, the exact day you receive your bill
each month may vary. Also remember that it can take over a month
before you receive your first e-bill from a payee. Look on your
last bill for the payee's customer service phone
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Q: What do I do if the payee
has not received or credited my payment?
A: Sometimes the payee may not credit your
account immediately after receiving a payment. If the payment is
not credited in a reasonable amount of time, take the following
steps to resolve the problem:
- Wait five days after the
scheduled payment date to see if the payee credits the payment to
your account.
- If
the payment is not applied to your account, call the payee's
customer service department to see if they received the payment and
credited your account.
When
you call, gather the following information from the
payee:
The
name of the person who assisted you with your payment
question.
The
phone number you called to contact the payee.
The
date you called the payee to inquire about your payment.
The
amount of any late fees or finance charges assessed.
- If
you have received a late fee but scheduled your payment on time,
ask the payee if they will waive any late fees or finance
charges.
- If
the payment is not credited to your account or if the payee will
not waive late fees, find the payment in Payment Activity. Click
View in the Payment column to access the Payment
Activity - View Payment page. Then click Inquire about this
payment... to send us a message that includes the
information you gathered from the payee.
Q: What do I do if I receive a late fee
for a payment?
A: If you have received a late fee or
finance charge for a late payment that you scheduled on time,
follow these steps:
- Call the payee's customer
service department.
- When you call, gather the
following information:
The
name of the person who assisted you with your payment
question.
The
phone number you called to contact the payee.
The
date you called the payee to inquire about the late
fees.
The
amount of any late fees or finance charges assessed.
- Ask
the payee to waive any fees or finance charges.
- If
the payee will not waive the fees or charges, find the payment in
Payment Activity. Click View in the Payment column
to access the Payment Activity - View Payment page. Then click
Inquire about this payment... to send us a message
that includes the information you gathered from the
payee.
Q: How can I confirm that a payment has
been made?
A: After the payment date, check Payment
Activity to see if the status of the payment is Processed. If the
status is Processed, then the payment has been sent to the payee.
You can also check to see if the funds have been withdrawn from
your payment account. For example, check your next statement for
the withdrawal. Or you can call the payee to see if they received
and credited the payment. Sometimes it may take the payee a few
days to credit your account.
Q: How do I cancel a
payment?
A: You can cancel a payment while its status
is Scheduled. Once a payment's status is In Process or Processed,
you can no longer cancel or change the payment. You can cancel
payments from the Payment Activity page.
Q: What do I do if a payment
failed?
A: Failed is a status that appears in
Payment Activity if a payee returns one of your bill payments to
us. The payee may have returned the payment because the information
you provided when you added or updated the payee in your payee list
wasn't sufficient for the payee to credit your account. You may
consider making the payment by other means if it is close to the
bill's actual due date.
If you have a failed payment, please take the following steps.
These steps ensure that your payment information is attached to
your message.
- Go
to Payment Activity and find the failed payment.
- Click
Inquire. The Payment Activity - Payment Inquiry
page opens. Use this page to tell us more about the problem with
the payment.
- Complete all of the
boxes.
- Click
Send. Your message is sent.
- Click
Close. The Payment Activity page
opens.
- Check Messages in three to
four business days for a reply.
- If
you are concerned about meeting the payment's actual due date, send
the payment by check in the meantime.
Q: How do I change a
payment?
A: If a payment status is still Scheduled,
you can make changes to the payment. Go to Payment Activity and
click View/Change next to the payment that you
need to change. Make changes to the amount or the payment date, as
necessary.
Note: After a payment has started processing, you
can no longer make changes to it. A payment has started processing
if the payment status is anything other than Scheduled (for
instance, In Process or Processed). If you overpaid the amount,
contact the payee to request a refund or a credit toward your next
payment.
Q: How do I know what the
status of my payment is?
A: Look for the payment in Payment Activity.
The following describes the statuses:
- Scheduled
indicates that the payment is scheduled to be made.
- In Process
indicates that the payment is now being processed and cannot be
changed or canceled. Payments can start processing two to four days
before the scheduled due date. Depending on the way the payment is
processed, this status may not appear on the Payment Activity
page.
- Processed
indicates that the payment date has arrived. Normally, the payee
receives the payment on the due date. Keep in mind that the payee
may take a few days to credit your account.
- Canceled
indicates that you canceled the scheduled payment.
- Failed
indicates that the payment was returned to us either because there
was a problem when Web Bill Pay tried to withdraw the payment from
your payment account or because the account information sent with
your payment was not enough for us to credit your account. This
status can also occur when the payment account associated with the
payment has been closed.
Q: How does a payee receive
my money?
A: Web Bill Pay determines if the payment
will be made electronically or by check, based on whether the payee
accepts electronic payments and other guidelines. For example, some
payees, such as individuals, cannot receive electronic payments, so
a check is printed and sent to the payee. Whether a payment is made
electronically or by check, the payment is processed to reach the
payee on time.
Q: What is printed on the
paper checks you send?
A: The paper checks display the same
information that you complete on the Make Payments page. This
information includes:
- Your name
- Payee name
- Payee account
number
- Payment amount
- Payment date
Note: In
some cases, the paper checks are drawn against your payment
account. When this is the case, your payment account number will
also appear on the check.
Q: When does a payee receive
my payment?
A: The payee should receive the payment on
the due date. It may take the payee a little longer to credit the
payment to your account.
Q: When is the money for the
payment drawn from my payment account?
A: If the payment is sent electronically,
the funds for the payment clear your account on the due date.
Otherwise, funds clear your account when the payee deposits or
cashes the check. Keep in mind, however, that you should always
have funds available to cover the payment on the scheduled payment
date.
Q: Can I make payments from
more than one payment account?
A: Yes, you can make payments from more than
one payment account. The account number you select when making a
payment is the account your payments are withdrawn from.
Q: Can I make international
payments?
A: No, you cannot send a payment to a
foreign address.
Q: How far in advance of the
due date should I schedule my payments?
A: When making a payment, the first
available payment date allowed by Web Bill Pay is four business
days from today. The payment date is the date that the payment is
due. For example, if you have a bill due on the 15th of the month,
go to Make Payments on the 11th of the month or earlier if the time
period includes any weekends or holidays. This will allow you to
schedule the payment date for the 15th. If you wait until after the
11th to schedule the payment, the payment date will have to be set
later than the 15th and the bill payment may be late.
Scheduling pay dates sufficiently in advance of the due date on the
bill allows enough time for the payee to receive the payment and
credit it to your account.
Note: Whether the payment is electronic or sent by
mail, payees may not always credit your account on the same day
that they receive the payment. Allow for extra time in this
situation so the payment is not considered late, or contact the
payee.
Q: What is the earliest
payment date I can schedule for a payment?
A: You can schedule payment dates four
business days from today or later. The earliest possible payment
date is indicated on the E-bills and Make Payments pages. If you
try to schedule a payment earlier, you are asked to reschedule the
payment date at least four business days from the current
date.
Q: Why do you need four days
to process a payment?
A: Four business days before a payment's
payment date, Web Bill Pay looks at your payment to determine how
it should be processed. For example, Web Bill Pay needs to know if
the payment is going to a payee that can accept electronic payments
or if the payment should be sent as a check. After Web Bill Pay
determines how to process the payment, you can no longer make
changes to it; your changes could affect how Web Bill Pay would
process the payment. The payee then receives the payment on the due
date.
Q: What do I do with the part
of the mailed bill statement that I used to mail back with my
payment?
A: You don't need to do anything with your
bill statement-payees do not need that portion of your statement.
All of the information you provide when adding payees and
scheduling payments is sufficient for the payee. If you like, you
can keep the statement for your own records.
Q: How do payments show up on
my payment account statement?
A: When you receive your payment account
statement, the payments made through Web Bill Pay usually appear as
electronic withdrawals (similar to ATM withdrawals) even if Web
Bill Pay sends a paper check to the payee.
Note: In some cases the paper checks are drawn
against your payment account. When this is the case, the payments
will appear on your payment account statement just like your other
checks.
Q: Are repeating payments
scheduled automatically?
A: Yes, payments are automatically scheduled
based on the information you enter on the Make Payments - Repeating
Payments page.
Q: Can I pay e-bills
automatically?
A: Auto-Pay is an optional feature available
for many payees that can send e-bills. If Auto-Pay is available,
you can set it up when you add an e-bill-capable payee and sign-up
for e-bills. If available, you can also add Auto-Pay later by
changing the payee information from the Payee Setup - Payee List
page. |
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Q: What is a
payee?
A: A payee is any company, service, or
individual you make payments to. Payees can be anyone who bills
you, such as your phone company or credit card, or individuals,
such as your landlord or newspaper carrier.
Q: Who can I pay using my
bill payment service?
A: You can pay anyone in the United States
that you would normally pay by check or automated debit, with the
following exceptions:
- State and federal tax
payments
- Court-ordered
payments
Do I need to
contact the payees I decide to pay with Web Bill
Pay?
A: No, you do not need to contact your
payees if you use this service. Web Bill Pay sends each of your
payments with your payee account number and payee information, so
the payees are able to credit your account appropriately.
Q: Can I add the same payee
to my payee list more than once?
A: Yes, you can add the same payee to your
payee list more than once. You can add multiple payee accounts for
the same payee as long as you have different payee account numbers.
For example, if your phone company provides your home phone service
and your cellular phone service, you can add the company as a payee
twice by entering a different account number each time.
Q: How do I find out if my
payee sends e-bills?
A: You can easily find out if your payee
sends e-bills while you are adding the payee or after you have
added a payee.
- When you add a payee that
is e-bill-capable, Web Bill Pay will automatically ask you if you
want to receive e-bills. You can also click a link on the Payee
Setup - Add Payee page to view a list of all payees that can send
e-bills.
- If
a payee you have added to your payee list can send e-bills, the
Sign Up link appears in the E-bills column on the
Payee Setup - Payee List page. Click this link to request
e-bills.
Remember, the payee may
take a couple of weeks to process your request to receive
e-bills. |
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Q: What is
Auto-Pay?
A: Auto-Pay is an optional feature available
for many payees that can send e-bills. If Auto-Pay is available for
an e-bill-capable payee, you have the option to select it. Auto-Pay
automatically pays e-bills by scheduling the payment date in time
for the payee to receive the payment by the e-bill's due date.
Auto-Pay pays the e-bill's minimum amount due. When you set up
Auto-Pay, you can select to automatically pay the e-bill regardless
of the payment amount, or you can select to set a limit on the
amount automatically paid. Please note that entering an amount in
the "Only pay the minimum amount due for ebills if it is less than
this amount" field means that the ebills minimum amount due - not
the amount you enter - will be paid if the minimum amount due is
less than the amount you enter.
Q: Why can't I use Auto-Pay
to pay all payees?
A: A payee must be able to send e-bills
through this service and also have a system capable of receiving
automatic payments. Web Bill Pay offers Auto-Pay for all payees who
meet these requirements.
Q: How do I turn on
Auto-Pay?
A: If Auto-Pay is available, you can set up
Auto-Pay when you add a payee, or you can add it later by changing
payee information from the Payee Setup - Payee List page.
Q: What happens if the amount
due for an e-bill exceeds the maximum amount automatically
paid?
A: If the minimum amount due for an e-bill
exceeds the maximum amount set for Auto-Pay, Web Bill Pay does not
automatically schedule the payment. You receive a message letting
you know that the e-bill's minimum amount due exceeds the maximum
amount automatically paid. Make the payment through the Make
Payments - Single Payments or Make Payments - Multiple Payments
page or by some other means. If you think that the amount due is
incorrect, contact the payee.
Q: How do I change the
maximum amount automatically paid for an Auto-Pay
payment?
A: Go to Payee Setup, and then click
View/Change next to the payee. In the Auto-Pay
section, type a new amount in the Only pay e-bills for less
than this amount box. Your changes are effective
immediately.
Q: Why was my e-bill paid
late?
A: If a payee sends an e-bill late and the
actual due date is before the earliest available payment date
(remember Web Bill Pay needs a few days to process payments),
Auto-Pay schedules the payment for the earliest possible payment
date. Please contact your payee if an e-bill arrives late and you
are charged a late fee.
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Q: How do I download my
payment activity for use in programs like Quicken or
Money?
A: You can export information about your
payment transactions into either a QIF (Quicken Interchange Format)
file for Quicken? or an Active Statement file for Microsoft? Money.
Keep the following in mind when creating import files:
- You
cannot generate an import file for all of your payment accounts at
the same time. (If you have more than one payment account set up,
select one account in the Payment Account Search section and click
Search to display the payments for that account.)
- Only information about
scheduled, in process, and processed payments is
exported.
- You
can generate an import file for:
Quicken versions '99 or
newer or an import file for 98 or older versions.
Money versions '99 or newer
or an import file for older versions.
Go to
Payment Activity, and select one payment account from the
Payment Account listing in the Payment Activity
Search section. (Note: If you leave the default
search criteria as All Accounts, an error message
appears telling you to select one payment account from which to
create the file.) Click Search and the Payment
Activity page updates to show only those payments associated with
the selected account. At the bottom of the page in the Financial
Software Export section, select your Quicken or Money software
version from the list. Click Export and the File Download dialog
box opens. Select Save this file to disk and click
OK. Your browser opens a Save As dialog box that
lets you specify the name of the file and the location where you
want to save it. Select the location where the file should be
saved, and click Save or the equivalent button. The file is saved
on your computer.
Tip For more information on how to import the file
into your version of Quicken or Money, reference the help for your
finance software.
 
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