How The Process Works
How does BillsAndMore get my
bill information?
How will I know when I have new bills?
What happens if I don't pay a bill?
What happens to the hard copies of my bills after they have been
scanned?
What if some piece of important information, other than a bill, is
sent to BillsAndMore?
Do I have to pay the whole bill amount?
How are the payments issued?
When are checks issued to my payees?
When are electronic payments issued to my payees?
How will I know if my payee accepts electronic payments?
When is my last chance to stop a payment?
How long does it take for a BillsAndMore payment to be received?
How will I know when payment has been sent?
When will the amount on the checks I authorized be deducted from my
account?
What if my payee cannot accept electronic payments?
How is my BillsAndMore service fee handled?
Do I have to use BillsAndMore for every bill?
Can I still write paper checks?
What happens if I do not have enough money in my checking account
to cover my bills?
Does BillsAndMore support bill payment by credit card?
How does the BillsAndMore SmartBalance™ feature work?
Can I pay all of my bills at one time?
What is the Personal Notes feature, and how is it different from
the memo field on a check?
How does BillsAndMore get my bill
information?
To issue payments through BillsAndMore, you must
register your payees by providing their name, billing address, account number
(if applicable) and other pertinent information. For bills that you choose to
receive at home, this is the only information you need to make available to BillsAndMore.
If you choose to receive bills online, your payees will be notified to send your
bills, either electronically or by mail, to the BillsAndMore Processing Center.
Electronic bills are posted immediately to your account. Paper bills are scanned
and posted to your account within 24 hours of receipt.
How will I know when I have new
bills?
BillsAndMore uses email to let you know the status of
your bills. For every Payee you establish, you can control how many email
notifications you would like to receive and when you would like to receive them.
You can also check the Bill Center at any time to verify the status of your
bills.
What happens if I don't pay a
bill?
BillsAndMore will send you an email notification that
a bill is overdue. Bills are never paid unless you authorize them. If you choose
not to pay a bill, or pay by some other means, you can file the bill without
issuing a payment.
What happens to the hard copies
of my bills after they have been scanned?
Your original paper bill is stored for three
months from the day of receipt, after which it is shredded for security purposes
and recycled. Paper bills received from your payees are converted into
electronic form within 24 hours from when they are received at the BillsAndMore
Processing Center.
Bill summary and transactional information is always available online. Bill
images are maintained online for one year from the date the bill is posted
online. After one year, your bill images are archived offline for up to five
years.
To meet your unique bill management needs, you can order a CD-ROM at any time in one of three ways.
1. Select a specific date range (up to 12 months of old data) and we'll ship the CD-ROM to you.
2. Instruct us to send you a CD-ROM at the end of each calendar month, and the product will be shipped to you automatically.
3. Instruct us to send you a CD-ROM at the end of each calendar quarter and the product will be shipped to you automatically. In
addition, each November we offer a year-end CD that includes all of your bills and payments for the year.
Delivery of each CD-ROM typically takes 4-6 weeks and your account will not be charged until
the shipping date. Upon shipment, the charge for your CD-ROM will be conveniently added to
your monthly Subscriber Services Bill.
What if some piece of important
information, other than a bill, is sent to BillsAndMore?
Any non-bill notices, such as a rate change, will
be scanned and delivered through the Bill Center. Account-related items sent to BillsAndMore,
such as a calling card, are immediately forwarded to your home mailing address.
All other items received, such as merchandise ordered online, cannot be accepted
and will be returned to sender. Please be sure to indicate your home as the
shipping address when ordering items online, through catalogs, etc.
Do I have to pay the whole bill
amount?
No. You decide and approve the amount of payment
for every bill.
How are the payments issued?
Only you can authorize a payment from BillsAndMore -
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.
When are checks issued to
my payees?
Most payees do not currently accept electronic
payments. Therefore, BillsAndMore recommends that you set the payment date 5-7
business days in advance of your bill due date. BillsAndMore cuts paper checks
twice a day, Monday through Friday. If you set payment in advance, your check is
cut at 6am EST on the day you designated the payment to be sent. To have a check
sent out the same day that you authorize payment, you must authorize the
transaction by 3pm EST.
So, for example, if your payment is due to the payee on the 15th of the month
and you set the payment date in advance as the 10th, BillsAndMore will draft a
check from your bank account on the 10th, at 6am EST and mail the check via
first class mail to your payee.
If you wait until the 10th to set the payment to go out, you must authorize your
payment before 3pm EST. (If you schedule the payment after 3pm EST, your payment
will be issued the following morning.)
The money will not be deducted from your bank account until the payee cashes
your check.
When are electronic payments
issued to my payees?
For payees who can accept Electronic Funds
Transfers (EFT), BillsAndMore recommends that you set the payment date at least 4
business days in advance of the due date. If you authorize payment in advance,
your EFT will be sent at 3pm EST 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 3pm EST. Please note: 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. You may be charged a $25 fee for
each payment returned for insufficient funds.
How will I know if my payee
accepts electronic payments?
You will know that a payee accepts electronic
funds transfers if the letters "EFT" are displayed in the upper right
hand corner of your check. No check number will be displayed. In addition, bills
in your Outbox will display "EFT" in lieu of a check number.
When is my last chance to
stop a payment?
You can choose to stop a payment up until 12
midnight EST on the night prior to the day you have designated for your payment
to be sent. For example, if you have designated that your payment should be sent
out on the 10th, you can stop the payment up until midnight EST on the 9th. You
cannot stop a payment on the designated day a payment is to be sent.
How long does it take for a BillsAndMore
payment to be received?
Payments are issued electronically or via paper
checks, depending on the payee's capabilities. BillsAndMore recommends that you
plan to allow for five working days for paper checks to reach your payees. We
recommend that you allow at least 4 business days for electronic payments to
reach your payees. Both electronic payments and paper checks always include
remittance information, ensuring that your payee can accurately record that the
payment has been made for your account.
How will I know when payment has
been sent?
You will receive a Payment Confirmation email on
the day that your payment is sent.
When will the amount on the
checks I authorized be deducted from my account?
If the payee accepts electronic payments, the
amount is deducted from your account on the scheduled payment date that you have
authorized. If the payee is being paid via paper check, the amount is deducted
from your account when your payee cashes the check.
What if my payee cannot accept
electronic payments?
BillsAndMore will issue a paper check if your payee
cannot accept electronic payments.
How is my BillsAndMore service
fee handled?
For your convenience, the process of paying your
monthly service fee is automated. Seven
days prior to the due date, you will receive an email notice from BillsAndMore
and you can review the detailed statement in your Outbox. On the day your
payment is due, BillsAndMore will debit your default payment account via Electronic
Funds Transfer (or issue a check on your behalf if your bank doesn't offer EFT).
In accordance with the Terms and Conditions of the BillsAndMore service, this
monthly fee will be deducted from the checking account you designate as your
"default" payment account.
Do I have to use BillsAndMore for
every bill?
No, you choose exactly which bills you want sent
to BillsAndMore. When adding a payee, you will be asked if you want to receive the
bill online. If you choose yes, a change of address notification will be sent to
your payee, and bills should be redirected to the BillsAndMore Processing Center.
If you choose no, you will continue to receive the bill at home, and you can
schedule payments through the Bill Center. Please note: there may be some rare
instances where your bill arrives online, but the payee will also send a paper
bill to your home. Please check the Bill Center to ensure you do not make
duplicate payments.
Can I still write paper checks?
Yes.
What happens if I do not have
enough money in my checking account to cover my bills?
BillsAndMore issues 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. BillsAndMore is
unable to notify you if you have insufficient funds. However, you can use the BillsAndMore
SmartBalance feature to retrieve an up-to-the-minute picture of your bank
balance. Please note: you may be charged a fee for payments that are returned
for insufficient funds.
Does BillsAndMore support bill
payment by credit card?
BillsAndMore will only issue payments from an account
with check-writing privileges. You can use BillsAndMore to pay your credit card
with a check, but cannot use your credit card to pay other bills through BillsAndMore
at this time. BillsAndMore is currently exploring working with a number of payees
to accept credit card payments through BillsAndMore.
How does the BillsAndMore
SmartBalance™ feature work?
The BillsAndMore SmartBalance™ feature is the
combined balance of your continuously updated online bank account activity
(including ATM withdrawals, deposits, debits, etc.) and your up-to-the-minute BillsAndMore
bill payment record. With SmartBalance you get the most up-to-date, accurate
picture of your bank balance – all without leaving the BillsAndMore site – and
all for no additional cost! Use of
SmartBalance requires that you have an online bank account with one of the
SmartBalance enabled banks.
Can I pay all of my bills at one
time?
Yes. You can pay multiple bills simultaneously
from your Inbox. You can also pay any of your established payees by using the
Make a Payment to Any Payee option.
What is the Personal Notes
feature, and how is it different from the memo field on a check?
Personal Notes are reminders you can add to any
payment or filed item. Common uses for a Personal Note include reminders about
why a payment was made, the occasion for a gift, or a dispute with the payee.
Personal Notes are totally private, and can only be seen by you. In contrast,
the memo field on a check is printed right on the check for the purpose of
making an additional note to the payee.
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