Online Bill Payer Frequently Asked Questions

New Features
What are some of the new features of Online Bill Payer?

General Bill Payer Questions
Who can I pay using Online Bill Pay?
Is Online Bill Payer Safe?
Will I need a separate password for Online Bill Payer?
Do I need any special software or hardware to use online bill payer?
Where do I find the Online Bill Payer’s Terms and Conditions?
What browsers may I use to access the new Bill Payer?
Do I need to configure my browser to work with Bill Payer?
Who can I contact for bill pay assistance?

Payment Questions
How are online bill payments delivered to payees/billers?
How are payments deducted from my account?
What happens if my due date falls on a non-business day (example: a federal holiday or weekend)?
Do I have to worry about late payments occurring with Online Bill Payer?
Do I need to contact each of my billers and let them know that I am going to be using an automated bill pay system to pay them?
How can I view an online bill that has already been paid?
How can I identify an automatic payment? Can changes be made to an automatic payment?
Where can I view my Bill History?
Can I view my bill history for a specific biller?
What happens if the Biller address is wrong?
How can I edit a "pending payment"?

E-bill Questions
What is an e-Bill?
How will I know that a biller can send e-Bills?
Can Online Bill Payer pay your e-Bills automatically? 
What happens if I want to cancel my e-Bill presentment service (receiving bill notifications online via Bill Pay rather than in the mail)?
Where can I see a demonstration of Online Bill Pay?

New Features

Q: What are some of the new features of Online Bill Pay?
A: When you sign into Online Bill Payer, you will access a variety of new features. You will be able to receive, review and pay your bills online. In addition, you will have access to toll free, customer service 24/7, payment tracking and the option to receive email messaging containing an e-Bill summary. You are also able to make a payment from any of your San Francisco Federal Credit Union personal Checking Accounts.

General Bill Payer Questions

Q: Who can I pay using Online Bill Payer?
A: You can pay virtually anyone in the United States or its territories that you would normally pay by check or automatic debit; even if you do not receive bills from the company or person you want to pay. If you use Online Bill Payer to make state and federal tax payments and/or court-ordered payments; we highly discourage this. These types of payments will be scheduled at your own risk.

Q: Is Online Bill Payer Safe?
A: Yes, we offer guaranteed privacy and security-your information is protected and your payments are 100% guaranteed.

Q: Will I need a separate password for Online Bill Payer?
A: No. Once you have logged into San Francisco Federal Credit Union’s online banking you will be able to access your Online Bill Payer account by clicking on the "pay bills" button.

Q: Do I need any special software or hardware to use online bill payer?
A: To use online bill payer you will need to have a browser installed on your PC, which is capable of 128-bit U.S. security encryption. This is sometimes referred to as 128-bit strong encryption. If you do not have sufficient browser encryption you will receive an “Insufficient Browser Encryption” error message when you try and log on to Online Bill Payer. In addition to the error message, you will be provided with links where you can obtain the required browser versions.

Q: Where do I find the Online Bill Payer’s Terms and Conditions?
A: You can locate the Terms and Conditions under the "online services" section.

Q: What browsers may I use to access the new Bill Payer Solution?
A: The following list describes the recommended browsers for use with the new Bill Payer system:

Microsoft Windows:

• Windows XP - Internet Explorer 8.x, 7.x, Firefox 3.6, Google Chrome 6.x, JAWS 11.0
• Windows Vista - Internet Explorer 8.x, 7.x, Firefox 3.6, Google Chrome 6.x, JAWS 11.0
• Windows 7 - Internet Explorer 8.x, Firefox 3.6, Google Chrome 6.x, JAWS 11.0

Macintosh:

• OS X 10.5.x - Safari 5.0, Firefox 3.6
• OS X 10.6.x - Safari 5.0, Firefox 3.6

Blocked Browsers:
The following browsers are programmatically blocked from use because the browsers affect the ability to successfully make a payment using PayLynx:

• Microsoft Windows: CompuServe (Win 98, Win 2000, XP)
• Netscape Macintosh: Microsoft IE

Q: Do I need to configure my browser to work with bill pay solution?
A: You will need to make sure your browser is configured to accept third party cookies in order to access the BillPayer system. Please click on the following link for instructions on your specific browser.

Q: Who can I contact for Bill Payer assistance?
A: Bill Payer subscribers can call the customer care number (866) 820-8037 for Bill Payer assistance.

Payment Questions

Q: How are online bill payments delivered to payees/billers?
A: Payees/billers are businesses or individuals to whom you are making a payment. Payments you make through Online Bill Payer are delivered in two ways:

• Most payments are delivered electronically. Payees who are paid in this way receive your payment information, including your account number, through secure electronic transmission. Funds for payments that are sent to the payee electronically through the Online Bill Payer service will be debited from your checking account on the payment due date that you specify.
• All other payments are made by a paper check that is issued and mailed to the payee. Funds for check payments issued through the Online Bill Payer service will be debited from your Checking Account when the payee/biller cashes the check.

Q: How are payments deducted from my account?
A: Payments you make through Bill Pay are deducted in two ways:

• Most payments are delivered electronically. Payments sent electronically will be deducted on the payment due date indicated in Bill Pay.
• Two types of paper checks can be issued and mailed to the payee. A Corporate check drawn on the Bill Pay provider will be deducted on the payment due date indicated in Bill Pay. Some payees will be sent a Laser draft check which will be drawn on your checking account. Funds are withdrawn from your account when the Laser draft check is presented for payment by the payee’s financial institution. Laser checks’ check numbers will begin with the numbers 99. For this reason, it is important you remember and/or keep a record of your payment in a checkbook or financial software. The payment will not be deducted from your available balance until the funds are actually withdrawn.

Q: What happens if my due date falls on a non-business day (example: a federal holiday or weekend)?
A: When scheduling payments you must select a Scheduled Payment Date that is no later than the actual Due Date reflected on your Biller statement unless the Due Date falls on a non-Business Day. If the actual Due Date falls on a non-Business Day, you must select a Scheduled Payment Date that is at least one (1) Business Day before the actual Due Date. Scheduled Payment Dates must be prior to any late date or grace period.

Q: Do I have to worry about late payments occurring with Online Bill Payer?
A: The new Payment Guarantee is now 4 days instead of 5 so that you are protected from late payments. 

Q: Do I need to contact each of my billers and let them know that I am going to be using an automated bill pay system to pay them?
A: No. This will not be necessary.

Q: How can I view an online bill that has already been paid?
A: Click on the “View Bill History” link in the Recent Payments module of the Payment Center. Here you can search for the payment.

Q: How can I identify an automatic payment? Can changes be made to an automatic payment?
A: If automatic payments have been established for a biller the icon will appear next to the biller’s name. By clicking on the icon, or accessing the biller through the Manage My Bills page, you can make changes to the automatic payment. Any changes made affect all current and future payments that are scheduled as automatic payments.

Q: Where can I view my Bill History?
A: The “View Bill History” feature is located on the Payment Center under the “Recent Payments Module” near the bottom of the page.  Once in the “View Bill History” section, the columns can be sorted simply by clicking the column headers.  For example, you can click on the heading ‘Amount’ and the data will be sorted by the dollar amount. You can view up to 18 months of online bill payment history. This feature is available beginning on June 24, 2010.  To view history prior to June 24, 2010, please contact the Service Center.

Q: Can I view my bill history for a specific biller?
A: Yes, on the View Bill History screen you can click on the “Biller Name” column header to sort the billers alphabetically and group all payments made to that biller for the selected time frame. However, history of any past payments will not appear in our system. We recommend that you print out any past payments prior to the upgrade

Q: What happens if the Biller address is wrong?
A: Pay close attention to the mailing address for your payment. Historically, the most frequent mistakes are made when entering the Biller’s address. If the address you enter is incorrect, Bill Pay will use its best efforts to research and correct the returned payment and return it to your Biller, or void the payment and credit your payment account.

Q: How can I edit a "pending payment"?
A: To edit a pending payment, click on 'Edit'.  Changes allowed include payment date, payment amount, and payment account.

e-Bill Questions

Q: What is an e-Bill?
A: An e-Bill is an electronic version of your payee’s/billers monthly bill or statement.  You can receive an e-Bill from over 370 participating merchants.  You will also receive a helpful email notification when you have a new e-Bill to view.  The e-Bill will be posted to your online bill payment account. 

Q: How will I know that a biller can send e-Bills?
A: If a biller is able to send e-Bills, then you will see “add an electronic version of my bill” as on option when setting up the biller.  If you do not choose to add an e-Bill at that time, you can do so at a later date in the Manage My Bills section of bill pay.  If you have signed up to receive e-Bills from a biller, you will see the e-Bill icon next to the biller’s name in the online bill pay Payment Center.

Q: Can Online Bill Payer pay your e-Bills automatically? 
A: Yes. The full amount due can be set-up to be paid automatically, unless you set a maximum amount.  Amount due is either the amount of the bill, such as a telephone bill, or the minimum payment on a credit card.

Q: What happens if I want to cancel my e-Bill presentment service (receiving bill notifications online via Bill Pay rather than in the mail)?
A: You may cancel your e-Bill service at any time. It may take up to 90 days to make the change based on your Biller’s cycle. During those 90 days, it is your responsibility to check in with your Biller to ensure that your bill is up to date. Bill Pay will notify your electronic Biller(s) as to the change in status of your account, and it is your sole responsibility to make arrangements for an alternative form of bill delivery.

Q: Where can I see a demonstration of Online Bill Pay?
A: You can view an online demonstration of Online Bill Pay here.