What is BillPayer?

BillPayer is our Internet bill payment service, which is available to all members enrolled in Peninsula Online Services. Members enrolled in BillPayer initiate and track payments to any vendor, with the exception of any government agency, (including but not limited to federal, state and local taxing authorities), reducing the amount of time spent writing checks plus reducing postage expense.
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How do I enroll?

First, you must sign up for Internet Account Access. Click on the "Enroll BillPayer" button located on the tool bar at the top of your Account Lookup screen. You will be required to agree to a disclosure statement before the enrollment process can continue.
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Who can I pay?

You can pay almost any individual or company you choose. For example, your utilities, mortgage, rent, paperboy, babysitter or any vendor you may choose. The only exceptions are government agencies, including but not limited to federal, state and local taxing authorities, court ordered payments or payments outside of the United States
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Does BillPayer Support Members Living Outside the United States?

Members living outside the United States may use BillPayer to make payments to merchants with U.S. addresses. Please refer to our BillPayer Instruction Guide for specific directions.
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How does BillPayer work?

It's easy! Schedule either one-time or recurring payment requests through your Peninsula checking account. On the scheduled payment date, your payment is processed by the Credit Union and is submitted to the vendor the following day. Payments are made electronically to the vendor whenever possible. In some instances, if the vendor does not accept electronic payments, a check will be issued.
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Which accounts can I use with BillPayer?

BillPayer can only be used in conjunction with your Peninsula Checking account.
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How much does BillPayer cost?

There is no monthly charge for BillPayer when a minimum of one (1) bill is paid every month.  If BillPayer services are not used in a monthly period, there is a $4.95 fee.  As always, the service is free of charge for the first 90 days. 
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How do I get started using BillPayer?

Once you've enrolled, the first step is to setup your payees. We already have a Master Payee List of vendors for you to choose from.   You may also create your own if your payee is not in the Master Payee List database.
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How do I set up payees?

First, click on the "Payees" button in the BillPayer section. Second, click on the "Find Payee" button to search through our Master List and find the merchant/payee to add to your Personal Payee List. Enter the first one or two words of the name in the search box. Match up the address on the list to the address on your billing statement. In some cases, like AT&T Cable, the first part of the account number is included with the merchant name. If you do not see the name you are looking for in the Master List, try to use variations of the name. For example, enter "Educational" for Educational Worker Fund.

If your payee is not on the Master Payee List or the address does not match, you will need to add it in the "Add Payee" section. All fields must be completed when adding a merchant. The only exceptions are the "Attn:" field and the "Ext." in the "Phone" field. If you fail to input information in all of the required fields, you will not be able to make payments to this payee. Once you have set up a payee in the "Add Payee" section you will need to wait up to 14 days before scheduling a payment. This allows our payment processor to verify your information. Please note that this 14-day delay is only imposed once upon a  creating a new payee.

If your account number is not entered exactly as stated on your bill or statement, you may receive a "required field length" error. Click the Help button to display the expected account number format. Generally, spaces and dashes are not included. If you need more help please call our Member Service Center at 360/426-1601 or 800/426-1601. You can also email us at membership@pcfcu.org.
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Once I enroll, how soon can I start to make payments?

If your payee already appears in the Payee List with an Active status, you must allow at least one business day between the new payee setup and the first payment date. If you have to set up a "New Payee", you must wait for the Payee List to show Active status for this merchant. It may be up to 14 days before the Active status appears. Our payment processor needs this time to verify payee information before the first payment can be sent.  Do not wait until you are ready to pay bills to set up new payees. Please note: this delay is imposed only once upon creation of a new payee. Subsequent payments to that payee are not subject to this restriction.
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How are my bills paid?

BillPayer merchant/payees can be paid by either check or electronic transfer. To verify which method your payee uses, look for the "Payment Method" column in the Payees section.
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What is the difference between a bill paid by "Check" and one paid "Electronically"?

A "Check" payment is a paper draft sent though the US Mail system. You must allow sufficient time for the payee to receive this type of payment, just as if you were mailing the payment yourself. An "Electronic" payment is sent electronically and is the preferred payment method.  However, some payees are not able to accept this type of payment. "Electronic" payments clear within a few days.
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Is there a maximum or a minimum amount I can pay?

There is no minimum payment amount.  However. the maximum amount for a single payment is $9,999.99. If you need to make a payment to a vendor that is larger than this, you will need to split the payment into two payments.
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How long will it take for a merchant to receive my payment?

On average, allow two business days for electronic merchants and five business days for those merchants paid by paper check (for those unable to receive electronic payment). Your personal Payee List will show which merchants are paid electronically and which are paid by check. Please remember that Peninsula Credit Union cannot control the delivery of payments by the post office or the posting schedule of the merchant (that is, when the payment is actually credited to your account). Because merchants may not post the payment the same day that they receive them, we recommend that you include a few "cushion" days in your timing of bill payments. It is your responsibility to select dates to allow enough time for the payment to get to the merchant so that you are not late with your payments.
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When are funds deducted from my Credit Union account?

Funds are debited from your checking account on the day that we process your payment (typically the Payment Start Date), and NOT on the day that the payment is received or cashed by the payee.
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What is the cutoff time for scheduling a payment?

We process and transmit payment requests Monday-Friday at 6:00 a.m..   Any pending payments in the system will be processed at that time. Payments submitted after 6:00 a.m. on a weekday will not be processed until 6:00 a.m. the following weekday morning.  Payments submitted after 6:00 a.m. Friday morning will not be processed until 6:00 a.m. the following Monday morning. Payments may be reviewed (and modified) in your "Pending Payments" list until they are processed. Once processed, the payment status is available in the "Payment History" screen, and no further changes may be made.
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What if there aren't enough funds available to process my scheduled payment?

Please make sure you have sufficient funds available on the day you have payments scheduled. If you have funds available by using overdraft protection (same as your checking overdraft protection), the payment will be processed using these funds and you will be assessed the Automatic Overdraft Transfer fee. If there are not enough funds available, your payment will not be processed, you will be assessed the Insufficient Funds fee, and will need to reschedule your payment for a later date. Please keep in mind that some check and ATM deposits are not available immediately. If you anticipate problems, you may want to consider setting up overdraft protection on your account. To set up overdraft protection on your checking account, please call our Member Service Center at 360/426-1601 or 800/426-1601. You may also email us at mailto:membership@pcfcu.org
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How do I check my payment status?

Click on the "Payment History" button, and you will see a status on each of your payments, as follows:
 
In Process: The payment has been sent by the Credit Union to our payment processor and is awaiting further action. At this  point a payment has not yet been sent to your payee, but the money has been deducted from your account.
E-Payment Sent: The payment has been processed by our BillPayer Processor and has been sent to your payee electronically.
Check Sent: The payment has been processed by our BillPayer Processor and has been sent to your payee by check.
Check Cleared: Your payee has deposited the check. For electronic payees, the final status will be "E-Payment Sent."
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What if I need to modify a scheduled payment?

While a payment is still listed under the "Pending Payment" section, changes can be made to the payment at any time. After the payment has been picked up for processing, and the payment has moved from pending payments to payment history, no further changes can be made.
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Can I stop a payment?

Once a payment has been sent, it will be processed according to standard procedures. Our payment processor may be able to stop a payment made to a check merchant. If you choose to stop a payment, your account will be assessed the BillPayer stop payment fee that we are charged by our payment processor. Electronic payments cannot be stopped. For further assistance, contact our Member Service Center at 360/426-1601 or 800/426-1601.
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I made a payment to a merchant through BillPayer and it has not been credited to my account. What should I do?

First, check your records. Often, a typing error or date error is responsible for a missing payment. If no problem is found, wait at least four business days for an electronic payment and seven business days for a check payment. Contact the merchant at the end of this time to see whether they have received the payment. Upon your request, we will submit a Payment Inquiry to our payment processor. This process may take up to 10 days to complete.  
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Can I get a copy of a check?

Yes.  You must request this through our Member Service Center at 360/426-1601 or 800/426-1601. You may also email us at membership@pcfcu.org . Any service fees levied by our payment processor will be passed along to you.
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If you decide you do not want to use BillPayer, click on the "Cancel BillPayer" button in Online Services. Please be aware that all Payees and Pending Payments will be canceled. Your account will be charged for the entire month of BillPayer service, regardless of the date the service was actually dropped. If you later decide to enroll in BillPayer again, you will have to reestablish all of your Payees.
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If you decide to close your checking account, please be aware that all Payees and Pending Payments will be canceled.  If you later decide to enroll in BillPayer again, you will have to reestablish all of your Payees.
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