Bill
Pay Frequently Asked Questions
General
Questions
Account
Confirmation Questions
Payee
Questions
E-Bill
Questions
GENERAL
QUESTIONS
What
is Bill Pay Service?
First
American Bank is providing bill pay service as a convenience to
our customers who are looking for an easy, time-saving way to pay
bills. First American’s Bill Pay Service (“Bill Pay”)
and First American Small Business Bill Pay (“Business Bill
Pay”) allow you to schedule and make payments as well as receive
and pay bills online.
-
Subscribers can pay anyone, anytime, anywhere in the United States,
from mortgage lenders to suppliers, to newspaper carriers.
- Subscribers
can also set up recurring payments, such as a car payment, rent,
etc.
- Single
payments can be scheduled up to a year in advance.
- The
only payments that cannot be made through bill pay service are
court-ordered payments and state and federal tax payments.
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How
does the Bill Pay Service work?
Easy! Just a few simple steps to get started:
- You
must be an authorized signer on a First American Bank checking
or savings account.
-
Be sure you are registered for First American Bank online banking.
Click on www.entrustbankcard.com to set up your merchant account bankcard log in if
you’re not already registered. If you have difficulty, contact
your personal banker.
- You
will actually “click through” the First American website,
and enter the website of the partner we have chosen to provide
this service, CheckFree Electronic Billing and Payment Service.
-
On the CheckFree website, set up your payees and schedule your
payments. That’s it!
Items to note:
- When
you first begin using the service, set up your payee list by adding
the payees to whom you want to make payments. Some payees can
also send you electronic bills (e-bills). You need only add each
payee once. All of your payees will then be listed on the Quick
Pay page, where you can quickly schedule payments.
-
When you make a payment, you specify the date that you want the
payee to receive the payment. We recommend that you schedule your
payment date four business days before the actual bill due date
to allow time for electronic processing or for mailing if a paper
check is sent. The service will determine whether a payment is
sent electronically or by check, based on whether the payee accepts
electronic payments and other guidelines.
- After
a payment is scheduled, it appears as “Scheduled”
in Payment History. After the payment is processed, the status
changes to “Processed”. The payee receives your payment
on the payment date you specified and credits your account. Sometimes,
however, the payee may take a few days to apply the payment to
your account.
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How
secure is my bill payment and personal information?
We
use several methods to ensure that your information is secure.
-
User Name and Password: Your user name and password are unique
identifiers that only you know. As long as you don't share your
user name and password with anyone, no one can sign in to your
bill pay service except you.
- SSL:
Bill Pay uses SSL (secure sockets layer) which ensures that your
connection and information are secure from outside inspection.
- Encryption:
We use 40-bit or 128-bit encryption (whichever your browser supports)
to make your information unreadable as it passes over the Internet.
- Automatic
Sign Out: In addition, Bill Pay automatically signs you out of
a session if you are inactive longer than ten minutes. It is best
if you sign out immediately after you are finished scheduling
and making payments.
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What
is the cost for Bill Pay, and how do I pay the charge?
Bill
Pay Service is $6.00 each month.
Compare
this with the cost of buying stamps to mail your bills, and the
time spent writing checks. The savings add up quickly, and the convenience
is invaluable!
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What
if there are insufficient funds in my account when the bills are
processed for payment?
If
your account doesn’t have the required funds, First American
will charge the usual NSF fee of $25 per item returned. In addition,
the partner First American has chosen to provide the best bill payments service,
CheckFree Electronic Bill Payment Service, will charge an additional
$20 for added processing required.
If
you qualify for First American Bank’s Overdraft Privilege
Service, or any other overdraft protection service, First American
will pay the returned item, up to $500. You’ll still be assessed
the standard $25 NSF fee, but payment of the item will allow you
to avoid any additional charges imposed by the payee.
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Who
do I contact if I have questions about my Bill Pay Service?
Contact Bill Pay Customer Service at 1.800.268.5652.
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How
do I cancel my bill payment service?
Canceling
is not difficult, but there are steps to take to ensure your bills
are paid on time once the service is canceled.
Go
to the My Profile page and click Service Setup at the top. On the
My Profile - Service Setup page, click Cancel Your Service. Before
you cancel your service, keep in mind the following:
-
Scheduled payments, including repeating payments, are not paid
once you cancel.
-
Payments in process are paid.
- You
no longer have access to your payment history and you can no longer
send payment inquiries. It’s best to wait until all of your
scheduled payments are processed before you cancel your service.
If you let your scheduled payments process, then you won't have
any outstanding payments that you can't view or inquire about
after you cancel your service.
- Your
payees are notified to stop sending e-bills. However, it can sometimes
take a few days for the payee to process the request. Therefore,
until you begin receiving paper bills again you should contact
the payee directly about your payment amount and payment due date.
Because you can't send your payment using Bill Pay after you cancel
your service, make your payment to the payee by some other means,
such as a check.
- If
you decide to use Bill Pay Service again, you will have to re-enroll
and set up your payee list.
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ACCOUNT
CONFIRMATION QUESTIONS
How do I confirm my account?
Go to My Accounts and select the Unconfirmed link next to the account
you want to confirm. On the Confirm Account page, type the deposit
amounts in the appropriate boxes. If the deposit amounts you type
match the deposit amounts in our records, your account is confirmed.
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Why
do I have to confirm my account?
Confirming your account enables you to use all the features of First
American Bill Pay. Unconfirmed accounts have the following limitations:
- First
American Bank sets a limit on the total amount of all bills you
can pay from an unconfirmed account.
- First
American Bank also sets a limit (usually 45 days) on the total
number of days you can make a payment from an unconfirmed account.
- You
cannot set up automatic payments with an unconfirmed account.
- You
cannot move payments to an unconfirmed account.
These
limitations protect you in case someone attempts to use your account
without your authorization. When you confirm your account using
information that only you or someone you authorize to use your account
can know, we re-evaluate your First American Bill Pay account and
remove most of the restrictions. The only limitation for a confirmed
account is the payment limit set by First American Bank.
Account confirmation provides an extra level of assurance that the
account you added through First American Bill Pay is actually your
account or an account that you are authorized to use.
Note:
The information you need to confirm your account is available on
an account statement from your financial institution. Account confirmation
transactions have ACCTCONFRM or similar wording in the description.
You can have three unconfirmed accounts in a 12-month period, which
includes any account that you delete. If you reach this limit, you
must confirm one of your accounts before adding another.
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How
does account confirmation work?
Whenever you add an account to First American Bill Pay, we make
two small deposits and one withdrawal in your account. (The withdrawal
is the sum of the two deposits.) The deposits and withdrawal appear
on your monthly statement from your financial institution (either
online or mailed to you) with ACCTCONFRM or similar wording in the
description. Find this information on your statement and use it
to confirm your account.
Note: If you wait longer than the limit
(usually 45 days) set by First American Bank to confirm your account,
you won't be able to pay your bills from it until you confirm it.
If you exceed the number of attempts you have to confirm your account
or there is a problem when we try to send money to your financial
institution to confirm your account, a message informs you to print
and mail us a form.
You can have three unconfirmed accounts in a 12-month period, which
includes any account that you delete. If you reach this limit, you
must confirm one of your accounts before adding another.
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Why
do I have limits for unconfirmed accounts?
Limits are for your protection in case someone attempts to use your
account without your authorization. When you confirm your account
using information that only you or someone you authorize to use
your account can know, we re-evaluate your First American Bill Pay
account and remove most of the restrictions. The only limitation
for a confirmed account is the payment limit set by First American
Bank.
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Where
can I find my deposit amounts?
To find the amounts we deposited into your account, you can:
-
Look at the statement from your financial institution, either
online or one that is mailed to you.
- Call
your financial institution and ask for the confirmation deposit
amounts.
Note:
The deposit amounts are identified with ACCTCONFRM or similar wording
in the description. The description of the deposits may vary slightly,
but should contain some indicator that the deposits are for an account
confirmation.
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What
should I do if I don't have any confirmation amounts on my monthly
statement?
Keep in mind that it can take up to a month for the account confirmation
deposits and withdrawal to appear on your monthly statement. The
account confirmation deposits and withdrawal are identified with
ACCTCONFRM or similar wording in the description. The description
of the deposits may vary slightly, but should contain some indicator
that the deposits are for an account confirmation.
Some other ways that you can get this information are to check your
account statement online or to call your financial institution and
ask for the confirmation deposit amounts.
If your financial institution has no record of the confirmation
deposits and withdrawal, check your account information on the Manage
Account Options page. If the account information is incorrect, you
must add a new account with the correct account information.
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PAYEE
QUESTIONS
What is a payee?
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.
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Who
can I pay using my bill payment service?
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
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What
if a payee I want to make a payment to isn't on the list of payees
I have to choose from?
You
can make payments to anyone you would normally write a check to.
If you do not find the payee in the provided list, you can still
add the payee by entering payee information such as your payee account
number and the payee's address and phone number. Once you enter
the payee information, you can make payments to the payee at any
time.
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Do
I need to contact the payees I decide to pay with the Bill Pay Service?
No,
you do not need to contact your payees if you use this service.
We send each of your payments with your payee account number and
payee information, so the payees are able to credit your account
appropriately.
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Can I add the same payee to my payee list
more than once?
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
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E-BILL QUESTIONS
What is an e-bill?
An
e-bill (electronic bill) is an electronic version of a paper bill
that you can view online through CheckFree Electronic Billing and
Payment Service.
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How
does electronic billing work with CheckFree Electronic Billing and
Payment Service?
The
service lets you make payments and receive and pay bills online
through CheckFree Electronic Billing and Payment Service. You can
make payments to anyone, anytime, anywhere in the United States,
from your 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
CheckFree Electronic Billing and Payment Service. 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 also continue
to make single payments to the payee whenever you need to.
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Is an e-bill the same as a mailed bill statement
or invoice?
An
e-bill is a statement or invoice in an electronic format. E-bills
typically contain the same information as your mailed bills.
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How do I receive e-bills?
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.
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How long does it take to receive e-bills
from a payee?
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.
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How do I know when I receive a new e-bill?
The Unpaid E-bills page lists your new e-bills. A notice
also appears on the Welcome 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.
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Will
I still receive a paper copy of the bill through U.S. mail?
It
depends on the payee. Some payees stop sending a paper bill and
only send an e-bill to your Bill Pay account. Other payees continue
to send paper bills through U.S. mail in addition to an e-bill to
your Bill Pay account.
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Can
I store or view paid e-bills?
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.
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How do I pay e-bills?
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 from the E-Bills page.
As with all Bill Pay payments, you control the payment amount and
payment date.
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