Bill Pay FAQ
Free Bill Pay is an online service that can help save you time and money. It’s faster than writing checks, plus you don’t have to pay for postage. You can rest assured that your transactions are safe and secure, as Bill Pay is protected with the same level of security as Online Banking.
Listed below are the questions.
Scroll down to read the answers.
General Bill Pay Questions
- How do I activate Bill Payment Service?
- Is SYNERGY ONE's Bill Payment Service really FREE?
- Can I pay bills from my savings account?
- Is it safe?
- What if someone has seen my Online Banking password?
- How do I log off safely?
- Why do I get the message: "Connection Expired?"
- How do I cancel Bill Payment?
- What if I have a general question on Bill Payment?
Payment Questions
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How are payments made to merchants?
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How many days in advance should I schedule my payments?
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What is the payment guarantee?
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What is the "due date?"
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Do I need to tell my merchants that I'm using an online bill payment service?
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What if I need to pay a bill immediately, or the due date I entered is less then
5 days prior to the due date? Will my bill get paid?
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When must the money be available in my checking account?
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What if I enter incorrect merchant information?
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When is the payment actually sent?
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What if the money is not available in my account?
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Will you transfer funds from an Overdraft account to pay my bills?
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Can you pay bills from outside the U.S.?
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Is there a maximum dollar amount for each payment?
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How far out can I schedule a payment?
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How do I verify if my bill has been paid?
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If my bill was paid late, who pays for the late charges?
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What is a properly scheduled payment?
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Can I cancel a scheduled payment?
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Can I pay bills for someone else?
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What if a merchant says they haven't received my payment? Or, I have a questions on a specific bill payment?
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Can I "Stop Payment" on a bill?
Payee/Merchant Set-Up Questions
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How do I initially set up my new Payees/Merchants?
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If my Payee/Merchant isn't in the Searchable database, how do I set it up?
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What's the difference between One Time, Manual, and Automatic payments?
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I don't have to set up my payees every time I schedule a payment, do I?
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How many merchants can I set up?
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Are there any merchants that I cannot pay with this service?
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Can I pay SYNERGY ONE with Bill Pay?
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Why is the merchant address different from the original address I entered?
Expedited Pay Questions
- What can I do with expedited payments?
- How does expedited payments work?
- How much does it cost?
General Bill Payment Questions
Q: How do I activate Bill Payment Service?
A: You also must have a SYNERGY ONE FCU checking account to use Bill Payment. From the homepage of our Web site (www.synergyonefcu.org ), click on "Online Banking." Enter your Member Number and Password (your Audio Response PIN). Click on the "Pay Bills" icon located at the top of the page. You will automatically activate the Bill Payment Service once you agree to the Terms and Conditions that appear on your screen after clicking on "Pay Bills."
Q: Is SYNERGY ONE's Bill Payment Service really FREE?
A: Yes! Effective October 31, 2001, Bill Pay continued as FREE. All other general checking account fees apply to the Bill Payment Service. Please see the Fee Schedule for applicable fees for Bill Payment Service.
Q: Can I pay bills from my savings account?
A: No. This service is only available for members with a SYNERGY ONE FCU checking account.
Q: Is it safe?
A: Yes. SYNERGY ONE FCU 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.
Q: What if someone has seen my Online Banking password?
A: Once in Online Banking, click on the "More" icon. Click on "Change Password" immediately to change your password. If you believe someone may have accessed your accounts without your authorization, please contact Member Services immediately at (703) 361-1422 x2 or (800) 825-1870 x2.
Q: How do I log off safely?
A: To safely log off and ensure that no sees your transactions, click the "Goodbye" icon and close your browser window.
Q: Why do I get the message: "Connection Expired?"
A: As a safety measure, the Bill Pay system automatically logs you off after 15 minutes of no key strokes.
Q: How do I cancel Bill Payment?
A: Once in Online Banking, click the "Pay Bills" icon located at the top of the screen. Click "Additional Functions" followed by "Stop Bill Service." 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 later, you will have to set up your merchant payee information again.
Q: What if I have a general question on Bill Payment?
A: Contact our Bill Pay Call Center at (877) 542-0173 or use Online Payment Inquiry.
Payment Questions
Q: How are payments made to merchants?
A: Payments are made electronically, which is transmitted 2 business days prior to the due date, or by check, which is mailed 5 business days before the due date. The payment method depends upon the payment method accepted by the merchant.
Q: How many days in advance should I schedule my payments?
A: Electronic payments must be scheduled 2 business days in advance of the due date, excluding grace periods. Check payments must be scheduled 5 business days in advance of due date, excluding grace periods. When payments are scheduled in this manner, payment is guaranteed.
Initial payments should be set up 3 business days in advance if merchant is not found in searchable database. See Merchant Set up Questions for more details.
Q: What is the payment guarantee?
A: The payment guarantee ensures that if a payment is late, the late fees and finance charges will be removed by the merchant (or paid by SOFCU’s bill pay vendor) and that the member’s account is appropriately noted. Payments to “excluded merchants” are not covered by the payment guarantee (taxes, court-ordered, non-US merchants, payments to settle securities transactions, payments to payoff special financing transactions, payments sent to Armed Forces postal codes).
The sole exception to this guideline is for mortgage payments, which may be scheduled to be paid on or before the due date. For example, a mortgage payment due on May 1st, with a 15 day grace period, must be scheduled for processing on May 1st or earlier. In other words, it does not have to be scheduled 2 or 5 business days prior to the 1st.
Q:What is the "due date?"
A:The date the payment must be received by the merchant.
Q: Do I need to tell my merchants that I'm using an online bill payment service?
A: No. Using our online bill payment service will not change the way your payments are credited.
Q: What if I need to pay a bill immediately, or the due date I entered is less then 5 days prior to the due date? Will my bill get paid?
A: If we have already verified the merchant information (i.e. "pending" does not appear next to the payee in "View History"), payments can be sent as soon as the next business day as long as funds are available in your checking account or Overdraft account. Keep in mind that you must allow 3-5 business days for the U.S. Postal Service to deliver your payments.
Q: What if I enter incorrect merchant information?
A: It is VERY IMPORTANT that you enter your information accurately. A wrong address may result in a payment not being received by your merchant by the designated due date. Also, a wrong account number could result in the payment being posted to the wrong account.
Q: When must the money be available in my checking account?
A: As a general rule, funds must be available in your checking account by midnight on the date before the funds are scheduled to be debited from your checking account (usually 2 or 5 business days before the due date).
Q: When is the payment actually sent?
A: Payment is debited from your account 7 days a week, but is only processed/sent Monday-Friday.
Q: What if the money is not available in my account?
A: If funds are not available in your checking or Overdraft account, the payment will not be made. You will need to retry payment once. If then the payment is still not made due to funds not being available, you will then need to reschedule the payment.
Q: Will you pull funds from an Overdraft account to pay my bills?
A: Yes.
Q: Can you pay bills from outside the U.S.?
A: Yes, as long as the merchant and merchant address is within the US. All payments will be made in U.S. dollars.
Q: Is there a maximum dollar amount for each payment?
A: Yes, the maximum amount per single payment is $25,000.00.
Q: How far out can I schedule a payment?
A: As far as year 2049.
Q: How do I verify if my bill has been paid?
A: Check with the merchant you are paying. The "Bill Payment" transaction will appear in your checking account history (view under "Accounts" or "Print Statement" in Online Banking) with the merchant name, date and amount paid. Or, click on "Additional functions" in "Pay Bills" and view the history for a specific merchant.
Q: If my bill was paid late, who pays for the late charges?
A: You will not be responsible for the late charges if :
(1) you entered in the correct due date;
(2) you allowed the required days before due date by properly scheduling the payment;
(3) you entered in the correct account information;
(4) you entered the correct merchant information and
(5) made a properly scheduled payment.
You ARE responsible for any late fees that occur because
- you have not given us accurate or complete information
- you do not have sufficient available funds in your account OR
- you have not instructed us to make the payment on time
Q: What is a "properly scheduled payment?"
A: It is defined as follows. Electronic payments must be scheduled 2 business days in advance of the due date, excluding grace periods. Check payments must be scheduled 5 business days in advance of due date, excluding grace periods. When payments are scheduled in this manner, payment is guaranteed.
The guarantee ensures that if a payment is late, the late fees and finance charges will be removed by the merchant (or paid by SOFCU’s bill pay vendor) and that the member’s account is appropriately noted. Payments to “excluded merchants” are not covered by the payment guarantee (taxes, court-ordered, non-US merchants, payments to settle securities transactions, payments to payoff special financing transactions, payments sent to Armed Forces postal codes).
The sole exception to this guideline is for mortgage payments, which may be scheduled to be paid on or before the due date. For example, a mortgage payment due on May 1st, with a 15 day grace period, must be scheduled for processing on May 1st or earlier. In other words, it does not have to be scheduled 2 or 5 business days prior to the 1st.
Q: Can I cancel a scheduled payment?
A: Yes. A payment may be cancelled before midnight the day before the scheduled payment date.
- Click on "Additional functions"
- Click "Change Payee/Payment"
- Select the merchant and click "Change." This will bring you to the "Change Payment" screen.
- Go to the "Payment Due Date" section and click on the down arrow. Scroll to the very top and click on the blank or empty slot. Do this for the day, month and year. This will cancel your scheduled payment. You will not be able to zero out the payment amount. Don't worry as it has no effect since you now have no payment scheduled.
- Click "Next" then "Finish" to complete.
The other option you have is to delete the payee altogether. This will delete the merchant completely. If you want to make another payment to this merchant, you will have to set them up again as you would a brand new merchant.
Q: Can I pay bills for someone else?
A: 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" and their account number.
Q:What if a merchant says they haven't received my payment? Or, I have question on a specific bill payment?
A: Please verify the following before contacting us:
- 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 date funds were deducted from account) and allow 5 business days from the mail date for the payment to be received by the merchant.
If you have questions, contact our Bill Pay Call Center at 877-542-0173 or Online Payment Inquiry. Please include specific information on the payment in question along with your daytime phone number.
Q: Can I "Stop Payment" on a Bill?
A: Only in the following circumstance: if the bill was paid by check (money deducted from your account 5 business days before due date). If the bill was paid electronically, no stop payment can be placed.
Merchant Set-up Questions
Q: How do I initially set up my new Payees/Merchants?
A: Every time you set up a new merchant to be paid, use the SEARCH feature under "Add Payee." If the merchant is already in our database (exact address), then you only need to set up your payment in advance by the number of business days noted (2 or 5) in the last column on the Search Results screen.
When using SEARCH, you may need to try several search variations. For example: In the case of NOVEC, it is listed under its full name (Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative). Thus, typing in NOVEC will result in "No Matches Found." However, when "Northern" is typed in, it will result in locating NOVEC.
If your new merchant is not found in the database, it can take up to 10 business days for us to pay the bill. Thereafter, you only need to schedule your payment in advance by 2 or 5 business days.
Q: If my Payee/Merchant isn't in the Searchable database, how do I set it up?
A: Follow the steps below:
- Click "Add a Payee."
- Input all information requested. All fields in blue are required fields. If your payee does not assign reference/account #'s, you can simply type in a short message to reference the bill such as "Donation to school."
- When typing in the reference/account#, it is usually best not to use spaces or dashes.
- Next, select how you want to set up this payee: (one time, manual, or automatic payment - see next question below for description).
- Proceed to the next screen to schedule your payment.
- If you do not wish to schedule any payments at this time, then click on the "Finish payee setup without payment info." This will allow you to add the merchant to your list of payees. When you are ready to schedule a payment, simply select the payee from your list and enter the payment amount and due date.
Q:What's the difference between one time payment, manual payment or automatic payments?
A: The differences are outlined below. Nearly all payments are set up as Manual.
- A One Time payment is used if you only plan to make a one time payment to this merchant. The merchant information is not stored and will not show up in your list of merchants. Once it's paid, the merchant is automatically deleted.
- Manual payment is used for most merchants you plan to pay more than once. The merchant information is stored in your list of payees/merchants. Each time you want to make a payment to this merchant, you select the merchant (click button to the left) 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.
Q: Do I have to set up my payees every time I make a payment?
A: No, once you've completed the initial set up, Bill Payment is very easy to use. Simply select the merchant from your list and enter the payment information to schedule a payment.
NOTE: The Payment date automatically defaults to the current date. To change the date to your desired due date, please select the calendar icon.
Q:How many merchants can I set up?
A: You may set up a maximum of 250 merchants.
Q:Are there any merchants that I cannot pay with this service?
A: Yes, you cannot pay any governmental agencies including but not limited to taxing authorities, such as federal, state and local taxing agencies, or recipients of court-ordered payments such as alimony or child support or any terriorist organizations. Payments to any organization or individual with an address outside of the US are also excluded.
Q: Can I pay SYNERGY ONE with Bill Pay?
A: No. Use Online Banking to make any loan payments to SYNERGY ONE. Use the "Transfer" icon to transfer funds from your deposit account to your loan account.
To make credit card or mortgage payments, the transfer is made to your "Sweep" Account. See Loan Payment Options for more information.
Q: Why is the merchant address different from the original address I entered?
A: Occasionally, we may update the merchant address per the merchant's request. After submitting or entering merchant information, please do not attempt to update it yourself.
Expedited Payment Questions
Q: What can I do with expedited payments?
A: You can:
- Pay your bills at the last minute
- Have your payments post on the same business day
- Avoid late fees, penalties, or interruption of service
Q: How does expedited payments work?
A: With Expedited Payments, bill payment users can choose to schedule a payment that will be debited from their account, submitted to the merchant, and posted by the merchant same-day…guaranteed!
Q: How much does it cost?
A: Users who choose to
schedule an Expedited Payment will be charged a $9.95 fee for each Expedited Payment that is conducted.
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