Add convenience and speed to paying bills
Let’s face it: you don’t enjoy paying bills. You have to buy stamps and envelopes, spend time writing out checks and then have to wait for them to be deposited. Fortunately, Bill Pay is a digital solution to make paying bills simpler.
Using Bill Pay makes paying bills easier and more organized
- You don’t have to spend money on stamps or envelopes
- Erases the need to wait for a check to arrive, be deposited and clear
- Pay bills immediately or schedule future payments
- Set up recurring bill payments for monthly expenses like rent, utilities and more
- All your payment information is stored within your Online Banking account
Bill Payer is available with a cost of $4.95 per month for 10 transactions. Each transaction over 10 costs $.40 each. Sign up today and your first 6 months of bill payer are free!
There are differences depending on who you are paying
CheckFree, our Bill Pay provider, has numerous vendors already set up in their network. If you are paying one of these vendors, the transaction will be processed immediately as an electronic transaction.
However, if you’re paying a local company who is not in the CheckFree network, the payment will be done by automated check. In this case, your account will not be debited until that check is deposited by the vendor.
Here are some common questions we get about Bill Pay and their answers
What is Bill Payer?
With Bill Payer you can schedule and make payments through Security Access Online Banking. You can pay bills to anyone, anywhere in the United States. You can set up repeating payments and you can schedule payments for dates in the future.
How does Bill Payer work?
The first step in Bill Payer is to set up your payees. You can do this all at once or on an as needed basis. After your payees are set up, you may then schedule payments to be made at that time or for some time in the future. You will only need to set up each payee once. After that, each time you make a payment, you choose the payee from your list and enter the payment information. Always allow 5 to 7 business days from the payment date for the payment to be received by the payee. The payment must be processed by the bank and then delivered to the payee by mail from the bank.
Is Bill Payer secure?
Yes, it uses the same methods as Security Access Online Banking to protect your information.
Who can I pay using Bill Payer?
You can pay anyone that you would normally pay by check or automated debit with an address in the United States. The only exceptions are state and federal tax payments and court-ordered payments.
Which accounts can I use Bill Payer with?
You may specify any checking account associated with your Bill Payer account.
How long before a payee receives the check?
Most payments will reach a payee within seven days unless it is a vendor who receives electronic payment. After you become more familiar with each payee’s posting habits, you can adjust your bill payment dates accordingly. It is important to note that the date you schedule a payment is not the date the payee will receive the payment.
When is the money drawn from my account?
The funds for the payments are drawn from your account on the scheduled pay dates or when the physical check arrives and is deposited. You should always have funds available to cover the payment.
How will I know what payments have been made?
Once a payment has been made, it will be clearly itemized on your checking account statement. You can view this activity online with Security Access Online Banking.
What if I do not have adequate funds in my account?
Your Bill Payer checking account must have sufficient funds available in order to pay the bill on the payment date. Your payment will not be processed until funds are available in your account.
Can I stop a Bill Payer payment from being processed?
You have up to 3:00 PM on the payment date in order to change your scheduled payment. You do this by clicking the “payments” button and then clicking on the specific payment you wish to change. To delete a scheduled payment, change the amount of the payment to $0.00.
Should I make the payment on the same day it is due?
No. You need to schedule the payment at least 5 to 7 business days before it is due. It takes us 2 to 3 business days to process and send the payment and may take 3 or more days for the payment to reach the payee. Payments are only initiated on business days, even though you can schedule them any time.
How do I set up a payee?
First you click on New Scheduled Payment after you select an account to pay from. Then fill in the name, address, phone number of the payee and your account number with the payee.
Can I pay bills that change amounts each month?
Yes. Set those payees up as one-time payments. Then, each month initiate the payment and change the dollar amount.
Will I get a confirmation of my Bill Payer transactions?
Yes, after you submit the transaction you will be given a confirmation number. You may save this number as proof of your payment.
