E-Central CU » Bill Payer Online Guide

Overview

Payment Guidelines
Our Payment Guarantee
Establishing a Merchant List and Submitting Payments
Solving Problems

1. Payment Guidelines

Who can be on the Merchant List?
You'll be responsible for establishing your own Merchant List of all the merchants you would like to make payments to. The Merchant List may include merchants, businesses, charitable institutions, professional service organizations such as a law firm or doctor's office, individuals, and more, with a maximum of 45 merchants. For example, a Merchant List could include merchants such as a babysitter, parents or children, grandchildren, etc. in addition to more obvious merchants such as credit card companies, mortgages/rent, utilities, membership dues, etc.
Some merchants are excluded.
Your Merchant List cannot include governmental agencies, including but not limited to taxing authorities, such as federal, state, or local taxing agencies, or recipients of court-ordered payments such as alimony or child support.
You can make an unlimited number of payments.
Although the Merchant List is limited to 45 merchants, you may make as many payments a month as desired. There is no limit to the number of bill payments.
There is no minimum payment amount.
You can submit payments for $1.00 if you choose. There is a maximum payment amount (per single payment) of $9,999.99. For instance, if you want to make a payment for $15,000.00, the payment should be broken down into at least two payments, each below $10,000.00.
Payments are made only within the U.S.
Payments are made in U.S. dollar denominations; therefore merchants must be located in the United States. Payments cannot be made to foreign merchants with remittance addresses outside the U.S.
The Payment Date must be at least 6 business days before the due date.
When you schedule a payment, you'll choose the date you want the payment to be made. On this Payment Date, we will debit your checking account for the amount you specify, and the payment will be on its way. This Payment Date must be at least 6 business days before the payment's actual due date, to ensure that we have sufficient time to send it to the specified payee.
The only exception to this guideline is regarding mortgage payments. As long as mortgage payments are scheduled at least 1 business day before the due date, the Payment Guarantee will still apply. For example, a mortgage payment due on July 1st, with a 15-day grace period, must have a Payment Date scheduled no later than June 30th.

2. Our Payment Guarantee

E-Central will take responsibility for any late fees associated with payments, as long as the following conditions are met:

The member submitted the correct merchant information.
This includes the merchant name and address, account number, and the name on the account, appearing just as it appears on the merchant's records. You can ensure that your chosen merchant is allowable by using the "Add Merchant" method; we will verify for you that all information is correct and that the merchant exists and is able to accept payments.
The payment was made to an allowable merchant.
Please remember that this does not include governmental agencies, recipients of court-ordered payments, or non-US merchants.
E-Central or the companies who work for us are responsible for the delayed payment.

Please note that the Payment Guarantee does not imply that payments will be delivered and posted within 6 business days, since the actual posting date is controlled by the merchant.

3. Establishing a Merchant List and Submitting Payments

You may select merchants from an existing merchant database, or add new merchants to the system. There are two options, explained below:

Merchant Search - select an existing merchant and submit a payment.
You have the option of selecting an active merchant from an existing merchant database. All merchants listed in the database have been verified by us and are available to members for making payments. You can simply select the correct merchant by comparing the remittance information on the bill or statement received from the merchant to the remittance information listed on screen. If everything matches, you can establish a link with that merchant, adding that merchant to your Merchant List, and you can submit a payment at the same time. Please note that it is possible to select the wrong merchant. If there is any doubt about the merchant "match", you should use the "Add Merchant" function, described below.
Request to Add Merchant - adding a merchant without submitting payment.
By using "Request to Add Merchant", you can send us a merchant's information and we will verify their existence, whether they accept electronic or check payments, etc. In this scenario, you'll submit the merchant's remittance information, including the merchant's name, full address and contact phone number; as well as specific information about your account with the merchant - the account number and name on the account at the merchant. The merchant request is then verified by E-Central before the merchant is made available for submitting payments, preventing the possibility of an incorrect match. Please allow 3 business days for us to complete the verification process. When the merchant appears on your Merchant List as "Active", it is considered to be a verified merchant and is available to receive payments.

4. Solving Problems

If a payment arrives late, goes to the wrong address, or encounters other problems, there are several points that you should check before E-Central makes a full inquiry:

The payment was not made to an "excluded" payee, i.e., governmental agencies, recipients of court-ordered payments, or non-US merchants
You have submitted the correct payee information
There were sufficient funds in your account on the payment date

If all of these are correct, we'll take over from there. Please e-mail us with the merchant and payment information for the payment in question, and we will make a complete inquiry into the problem. Any late fees or charges you incur will be covered by our Payment Guarantee.


	Overview Payment Guidelines Our Payment Guarantee Establishing a Merchant List and Submitting Payments Solving Problems 1. Payment Guidelines Who can be on the Merchant List? You'll be responsible for establishing your own Merchant List of all the merchants you would like to make payments to. The Merchant List may include merchants, businesses, charitable institutions, professional service organizations such as a law firm or doctor's office, individuals, and more, with a maximum of 45 merchants. For example, a Merchant List could include merchants such as a babysitter, parents or children, grandchildren, etc. in addition to more obvious merchants such as credit card companies, mortgages/rent, utilities, membership dues, etc. Some merchants are excluded. Your Merchant List cannot include governmental agencies, including but not limited to taxing authorities, such as federal, state, or local taxing agencies, or recipients of court-ordered payments such as alimony or child support. You can make an unlimited number of payments. Although the Merchant List is limited to 45 merchants, you may make as many payments a month as desired. There is no limit to the number of bill payments. There is no minimum payment amount. You can submit payments for $1.00 if you choose. There is a maximum payment amount (per single payment) of $9,999.99. For instance, if you want to make a payment for $15,000.00, the payment should be broken down into at least two payments, each below $10,000.00. Payments are made only within the U.S. Payments are made in U.S. dollar denominations; therefore merchants must be located in the United States. Payments cannot be made to foreign merchants with remittance addresses outside the U.S. The Payment Date must be at least 6 business days before the due date. When you schedule a payment, you'll choose the date you want the payment to be made. On this Payment Date, we will debit your checking account for the amount you specify, and the payment will be on its way. This Payment Date must be at least 6 business days before the payment's actual due date, to ensure that we have sufficient time to send it to the specified payee. The only exception to this guideline is regarding mortgage payments. As long as mortgage payments are scheduled at least 1 business day before the due date, the Payment Guarantee will still apply. For example, a mortgage payment due on July 1st, with a 15-day grace period, must have a Payment Date scheduled no later than June 30th. 2. Our Payment Guarantee E-Central will take responsibility for any late fees associated with payments, as long as the following conditions are met: The member submitted the correct merchant information. This includes the merchant name and address, account number, and the name on the account, appearing just as it appears on the merchant's records. You can ensure that your chosen merchant is allowable by using the "Add Merchant" method; we will verify for you that all information is correct and that the merchant exists and is able to accept payments. The payment was made to an allowable merchant. Please remember that this does not include governmental agencies, recipients of court-ordered payments, or non-US merchants. E-Central or the companies who work for us are responsible for the delayed payment. Please note that the Payment Guarantee does not imply that payments will be delivered and posted within 6 business days, since the actual posting date is controlled by the merchant. 3. Establishing a Merchant List and Submitting Payments You may select merchants from an existing merchant database, or add new merchants to the system. There are two options, explained below: Merchant Search - select an existing merchant and submit a payment. You have the option of selecting an active merchant from an existing merchant database. All merchants listed in the database have been verified by us and are available to members for making payments. You can simply select the correct merchant by comparing the remittance information on the bill or statement received from the merchant to the remittance information listed on screen. If everything matches, you can establish a link with that merchant, adding that merchant to your Merchant List, and you can submit a payment at the same time. Please note that it is possible to select the wrong merchant. If there is any doubt about the merchant "match", you should use the "Add Merchant" function, described below. Request to Add Merchant - adding a merchant without submitting payment. By using "Request to Add Merchant", you can send us a merchant's information and we will verify their existence, whether they accept electronic or check payments, etc. In this scenario, you'll submit the merchant's remittance information, including the merchant's name, full address and contact phone number; as well as specific information about your account with the merchant - the account number and name on the account at the merchant. The merchant request is then verified by E-Central before the merchant is made available for submitting payments, preventing the possibility of an incorrect match. Please allow 3 business days for us to complete the verification process. When the merchant appears on your Merchant List as "Active", it is considered to be a verified merchant and is available to receive payments. 4. Solving Problems If a payment arrives late, goes to the wrong address, or encounters other problems, there are several points that you should check before E-Central makes a full inquiry: The payment was not made to an "excluded" payee, i.e., governmental agencies, recipients of court-ordered payments, or non-US merchants You have submitted the correct payee information There were sufficient funds in your account on the payment date If all of these are correct, we'll take over from there. Please e-mail us with the merchant and payment information for the payment in question, and we will make a complete inquiry into the problem. Any late fees or charges you incur will be covered by our Payment Guarantee.