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Got a question about our new Online Bill Pay system? Here are a few answers that should help make your online banking session go a little smoother.
Have a question that didn't make our list, but should? Let us know by writing to us at info@baycities.org. We'll not only write back promptly, we'll also consider your question as one of the most frequently asked.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is Bay Cities Credit Union's Bill Pay feature?
The Bill Pay feature of Home Banking allows you to pay your bills electronically online at anytime! No more checks to write, envelopes to stuff or stamps to buy. Bill Pay gives you the convenience of paying bills from your credit union account 24 hours a day. All you need is a computer with internet access to pay your bills online.
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How do I activate the Bill Pay feature?
Once you are activated for Home Banking, enter your member number and PIN. After the main page loads, then click on "Bill Pay" and you will automatically activate Bill Pay once you agree to the disclosure and terms that appear on your monitor screen after clicking on "Register for Bill Pay."
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How do I cancel the Bill Pay feature?
After entering your member number and PIN, click on the "Bill Pay"; button located at the top of the page. Select "Stop Bill Pay Service" located on the bottom of the page. Stopping Bill Pay service will delete all your merchant information you have entered and will cancel all scheduled payments. If you decide to use the service again at a later date, you will have to setup your merchant payee information again.
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Is there a monthly fee to use the Bill Pay feature?
No. Refer to our Schedule of Fees for all other general account fees which may apply to the Bill Pay feature, including, but not limited to, check copy requests and check stop payment requests.
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Can I pay bills from my savings account?
No.
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Is it safe to pay your bills online?
Yes. Bay Cities Credit Union has chosen web browsers that are capable of conducting a secure session with an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)-enabled web server. This means that data being transmitted between your computer and our server are scrambled. Even if the transmission is tapped, the eavesdropper will not see any meaningful data. When the data finally arrives at our server, the data is then unscrambled. Learn more about safely conducting transactions over the internet.
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What if someone has seen my online banking password?
Go to the "more" section in Home Banking immediately and change your password. If you believe someone may have accessed your accounts without your authorization, please contact us immediately by calling (510) 690-6100.
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How do I log off safely?
To safely log off and ensure that no one sees your transactions, select the "Goodbye" button and close your browser window.
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Why does my "Connection Expire"?
As a safety measure, Home Banking will automatically log you off after 10 minutes of no activity.
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What if I have a general question on the Bill Pay feature?
Most screens in Bill Pay have a help button to assist you with questions about using the system. Pressing this button will open another window explaining the screen that you are in. Help windows are designed to guide you through Bill Pay so you can find information you are looking for. If you have a question about Bill Pay that doesn't seem to be answered in the help screens, please give us a call and we will do our best to assist you. The best way to contact us is by email: info@baycities.org or call us at (510) 690-6100.
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Merchant Set-up Questions:
How do I initially set up my new Payees/Merchants?
There are three ways in which you may set up your new payees/merchants:
- Go to "Add New Bill" then use the "Company Search" function to see if your payee/merchant is already in our database. If you find a matching merchant (name and address must match exactly), then click on that merchant and enter your payment information. If merchant is not on this list, proceed to option #2 below.
- Click on "Add New Bill" and enter all information as requested.This will begin the merchant verification process and you should expect to receive a payee "verified" message in 10 business days. Then, after it is verified, when you are ready to make a payment, simply select this merchant (which will appear on your list of payees) and enter the payment information to schedule a payment.
- If your payment is to a private party (not a business) then use the "Add Private Party Payment" button and enter all required information. Again, allow 10 business days before scheduling the first payment.
Click on the Help button (in Bill Pay) for further definitions of setting up payees.
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Do I have to set up my payees every time I make a payment?
No, once you've completed the initial set up, Bill Pay is very easy to use. Simply select the merchant from your list and enter the payment information to schedule a payment.
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Are there any merchants that I cannot pay with this service?
Payments to any organization or individual with an address outside of the US are excluded.
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Why is the merchant address different from the original address I entered?
After the first payment is made, merchants are contacted to find out other payment methods they can accept. Occasionally, we may update the merchant address per the merchant's request.
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What if the merchant changes my account number or their address?
You must go to "Company/Payee Name" select the merchant. The merchant address and account number cannot be changed. If a merchant's address or account number has changed, set up a new merchant and delete the old one.
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Payment Questions:
How are payments made to merchants?
Payments are made electronically if possible, or by check the morning after the date you selected as the next payment date. The payment method is dependent upon the payment method accepted by the merchants.
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How many days in advance should I schedule my payments?
As a general rule, you should allow 10 business days before the due date in order for your bills to be paid on time. For example, if your bill is due on the 15th of the month, load your payment on or before the 3rd of the month. Remember to only include business days in your calculations. Do not include Saturdays or Sundays.
For payments due on a Saturday or Sunday, count back at least 7 business days from the previous Friday.
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Do I need to contact my merchants to tell them I'm using an online Bill Pay service?
No, not at all. Using our online Bill Pay service will not change the way your payments are credited.
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What if I need to pay a bill immediately, or the next payment date I entered is less then 5 days prior to the due date? Will my bill get paid?
Payments can be sent as soon as the next business day as long as the funds are available in your account by 5 am. Keep in mind that you must allow 3-5 business days for the U.S. Postal Service to deliver your payments. If the merchant is set up to accept electronic payments, the funds may be received as soon as the next business day.
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What if I enter incorrect merchant information?
It is VERY IMPORTANT that you enter your information accurately. A wrong address may result in a payment not being received by your merchant on the designated due date. Also, a wrong account number could result in the payment being posted to the wrong account.
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When must the money be available in my checking account?
As a general rule, funds must be available in your checking account by 5 am, the day you designated as the next payment date or recurring payment date.
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When is the payment actually sent?
On the same day the funds are deducted from your account. However, please allow 3-5 business days for the U.S. Postal Service to deliver your payments if the merchant is not set up to receive electronic payments.
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What if the money is not available in my account?
We will attempt a total of three (3) times (3 business days) to make the payment. If funds are still not available in your checking or overdraft account after the 3rd attempt, we will not make the payment, unless you subsequently reschedule it.
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Will you pull funds from an overdraft account to pay my bills?
Yes, if funds are not available in your default bill payment account, we will pull funds from your designated overdraft account (if we are authorized) in order to make the payment. Limitations may apply.
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Can you pay bills from outside the US?
Yes, as long as the payee is within the US.
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Is there a maximum dollar amount for each payment?
Yes, the maximum amount per single payment is $5,000.00.For instance, if members want to make a payment of $10,000, they should break the payment up into two separate payments.
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What's the difference between one time payment, manual payment or automatic payments?
One time payment would be used if you only plan to make a "one time" payment to this merchant. The merchant information will not be stored and will not show up in your list of merchants.
Manual payment would be used for merchants you plan to pay more than once and the amount varies. The merchant information will be stored in your list of merchants. Each time you want to make a payment to this merchant, you would select the merchant and enter the payment amount and due date, then click "Pay Bills" to make the payment.
Automatic Payments are ongoing recurring payments in the same amount and frequency (monthly, bi-weekly, etc...). You set up the payments to be made in the same frequency (weekly, monthly, biweekly, etc.) in the same amount. You designate the start date and the end date of the recurring payments. Each payment will be made automatically for you until the designated end date.
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How do I verify if my bill has been paid?
The "Bill Payment" transaction will appear in your default bill payment account (view under "accounts" in Home Banking) with the merchant name, date and amount paid. Or you can go into "Status/History" in Bill Pay and view the history for a specific merchant. There will be a check number and a date the check cleared. The first time you send a payment to a merchant, you might want to check with them to verify that they have received the payment.
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If my bill was paid late, who pays for the charges?
You will be responsible for any late fees that occur because you have not given us accurate or complete information, because you do not have sufficient available funds in your account by 5:00 am the day of your payment date, because you have not allowed the required 5 days before the due date, or because a check we mailed was lost or mis-delivered by the postal service.
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Can I cancel a scheduled payment?
Yes, as long as the funds have not been deducted from your account. Just go to the date field of the merchant you wish to change and enter a new date or DELETE the date you have entered. Click on Save Changes To Bills.
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Can I pay bills for someone else?
Yes, you can pay a bill for someone else such as your mother, children, etc. as long as you are using the funds in your checking account to pay the bill. Simply input the person's name under "Name on Account".
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What if a merchant says they haven't received my payment, or I have question on a specific bill payment?
- Check to see if the funds were deducted from your account.
- Check to see if all merchant information you entered is correct.
- Check to see when payment was sent (same day funds deducted from account) and allow 7 business days from the mail date for the payment to be received by the merchant.
If you have specific questions about a merchant payment click on the envelope under the Status/History column of the Bill Pay screen and click on Send Message. Bay Cities Credit Union will send a message back to you that will be available from your Bill Pay screen.
If you have general questions, call us at (510) 690-6100, or email us at info@baycities.org.
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Can I stop payment on a bill I paid?
Generally no. Once the funds have been deducted from your account, electronic payments cannot be stopped.
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I'm currently signed up for Direct Deposit, Payroll Deduction or ACH, does this affect when I should schedule my bills to be paid?
Funds for the Bill Pay feature are deducted before Direct Deposit, ACH or Payroll Deduction is posted to your account. If using these funds to pay bills online, please note that they will not be available until the following day.
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