What is a "Biller" and what is a "Payee"?

The two terms are used interchangeably to indicate someone to whom you make a payment, whether or not they actually send you a "bill" or invoice.

What types of payments can I make?

There are three types of payments you can make from your bill payment account:

Do I need any special software?

No special software is required to enjoy the convenience of Business Bill Pay.

How do I get started?

Complete a bill pay enrollment form by pressing the "Enroll Now" button on the Log In page. Once you receive notification that your bill pay enrollment has been approved (about 3 business days), you're ready to use the bill pay service. If online enrollment is not available, contact Customer Service.

 

PAYEE SET-UP AND MAINTENANCE

 

What if I do not have an account number for one of my Payees?

Sometimes you will want to set up a Payee with whom you do not have an actual account number. It's easy. Simply enter the Payee name, customer service phone number, and ZIP Code for that company. This will enable a database search. If the database does not find a match, you may enter the rest of the information yourself.

How long does it take for the Payee to receive payment?

Please allow a minimum of five (5) business days for check payments and a minimum of three (3) business days for electronic payments to reach your payee.

What are my options for account activity "reminders"?

You can set up reminders to be sent to your email address regarding:
Due Date: Upcoming payment due date.
Payment History: Payments that have been paid with your bill pay account. Set these reminders per payee, per category, per account or you can set a payment history reminder for all payments made from your bill pay account.
Scheduled Payment: Payments waiting to process.
Payee Lists: Get a regular updated reminder of your payees.
Payee Activated: Indicates a new payee has been verified, is active, and payments can now be scheduled and processed.
Recurring Payment Processed: Indicates a recurring payment has been processed.
Pending Payments Need Approval: Receive an email reminder that you have payments that need approval to complete the payment process. Note that, any payments scheduled by a user without "manage payments" permissions will remain in pending status until approved.
Session Emails: If chosen, you'll receive an email summary of your bill pay activities each time you click "Logout".

How do I change my email address?

The "Change Email Address" option is located under the "Preferences" tab.

 

PAYMENT PROCESSING

 

What accounts can I use for payments?

To make payments from a bank account, it must be located at your bill pay financial institution, and you must have ownership of each account from which you wish to make payments. Prior to using existing accounts to make payments, or when adding new accounts, your financial institution must approve each account for bill pay transactions. Until approved (normally within 3 business days), accounts are "pending".

How soon are funds actually taken out of my account?

Bill payments are debited from your designated account within 24 hours of the process date.

How are my payments delivered?

We may remit your payment(s) by electronic funds transfer or by mailing your payee a check. Therefore, you should allow sufficient time for payments to be received and posted to your account.

Can I change or stop a payment that I've already scheduled?

You can change or stop a payment prior to the cut-off time on the scheduled processing date.

How do I change a recurring payment?

You will not be able to change the date on a recurring payment. However, you can stop and reschedule the payment.

How do I know if a payment has been sent?

To see payments already processed, view your payment history. A list of pending payments is available under Scheduled Payments.

Without a check stub or canceled check, how can I prove that I made a payment?

In the event that you need to provide proof of payment, there are many different tracking systems in place. For instance, just like a debit/credit card, your bank statement will reflect debits to your account along with their corresponding Payees.

What about payments I make every month for the same amount?

Easiest of all: establish a recurring payment. A recurring payment must be made at specified intervals (e.g., weekly, biweekly, monthly, etc.) for the same amount for each occurrence. This is a great time-saving tool available through Business Bill Pay.

What's the difference between a "memo" and a "comment"?

Like the memo line on a check, Memos are reprinted on check payments and typically provide information useful to the payee. This field holds up to 25 characters.

Comments, on the other hand, are for your information only. This field holds up to 1,000 characters and is not viewable by the Payee.

SECURITY

 

How safe is my information?

To ensure that your information remains confidential:

How do I ensure there are no unauthorized payments or Payees?

Business Bill Pay has a built-in security feature that helps you ensure only designated users are making authorized payments to approved Payees. With this feature you are notified of Pending Payments which process only with your approval. You stay in-the-know and in control while taking full advantage of your Business Bill Pay benefits.

Can I establish multiple users with varied levels of authority?

Yes. The Primary User of the account sets permission levels for any number of desired users. You grant access authority for any combination of options including Payments, Employee Deposits, Tax Payments, Express Payments, Admin Tools, and Reports.

Can there be more than one Primary User?

No. However, the Primary User may set permissions for specific users to setup access authority for others. Access limitations are determined by the primary user. This includes setting the schedule for automatic PIN changes for all users on this bill pay account.

Only the Primary User can set security settings. However, if the "Manage Users" permission box is checked for any user, that user will be able to change all Admin users' email addresses and PINs using the edit option.

What additional security features are available?

Only the Primary User can set security settings. They can be established for the following options:

Emails about bills due and notifications of account activity serve as another security feature and let you stay in control of how your account is being used.

Additionally, you can receive notices about your account activity such as New Bill Payees Added and Payment Approvals Pending. You determine your level of notification.

What is a Challenge Phrase and Response and why is it required for certain transactions?

The challenge phrase and response is a question and answer that you established on your bill pay account. This question and answer should be one that only you know. Therefore, it provides an additional level of security with your bill pay account.

You can set as many of these as you desire. When this is "set", a window requiring your "Challenge Phrase" will pop up before the selected function.

Need Assistance?

If you have additional questions, contact F&M Bank for assistance.