Bill Pay

Current Bill Pay users:
As we make the transition to our new Digital Banking platform, all Online and Mobile banking will be unavailable from 2 p.m. on Friday, February 3^rd until 10 a.m. on Monday, February 6^th. Members will not be able to access Bill Pay from Jan. 27^th through 10 a.m. Feb. 6^th.  For important steps and details to prepare for this conversion, click here.

Bill Pay allows Members to pay merchants and people electronically or by paper check, depending on the recipient. This is a free service that gives you control over who you pay and when you pay. You can set up one-time or scheduled payments. If a paper check is sent, Bill Pay even provides an envelope and postage for free.

Bill Pay is best used to pay bills outside of Meriwest Credit Union. If you want to pay a loan at Meriwest, use the Internal Transfer or Pay Loan from Non-Meriwest Account options under the Payments & Transfers tab in online banking.

Bill Pay is an optional benefit for Meriwest Members. You do not have to use Bill Pay. You always have the option to make payment arrangements separately from Bill Pay. For example, you may be able to use your routing and account numbers to pay electronically on a merchant’s website or send a check to a payee on your own.

1. Choose the Bill Pay option in online banking or the mobile app.
    
2. Under Payees, choose Add. Type the payee name (company name or individual first and last name) into the field and choose Continue.
   1. Tip: If Bill Pay recognizes the payee, it may suggest a list of names to choose from as you type. Select the option that best matches your bill or continue typing your own custom payee name. 
3. Add Payee details as needed, depending on if Bill Pay recognized the payee. You may need to enter and confirm your account number with the Payee, the payee address, and other information.
   1. Tip: Your account number under Payee Details means your billing account number, such as a utility account number from your bill, not your checking account number.
   2. Tip: You can add an optional Nickname to help you remember who the payee is. Your payee Nickname is only used in Bill Pay, not provided with payments.
4. You will be able to tell if Bill Pay is sending a paper check or electronic payment from the icon next to the Payee name. An envelope indicates a paper check will be sent.
   1. Tip: To delete a Payee after you set it up:
      1. In the mobile app, go to Bill Pay, open the Bill Pay hamburger menu, go to the Manage Payees screen in the mobile app, expand the triangle to view the Payee details, and select Delete.
      2. In online banking, go to Bill Pay. On the Payees pane, expand the triangle to view the Payee details, and select Delete.

1. From the Bill Pay dashboard, select a Payee from the menu list.
    
2. Confirm which Meriwest checking account you are sending funds from. (Funds can only be sent from Meriwest checking accounts.)
    
3. Select a delivery or sending date. Bill Pay automatically estimates the payment processing time based on whether your payee can receive electronic or paper check payments. For paper checks, Bill Pay also estimates the mailing time to the payee’s address. This means that the Send and Delivery dates are linked together and changing one will affect the other.
    
4. Enter a payment amount.
    
5. Choose a payment frequency.
    
6. Enter an optional note for your records and select any desired alerts.
    
7. Then select Pay to complete your payment.
    
8. For electronic payments, funds are taken from the sending account on the date the payment begins processing. For paper checks, funds are taken from the sending account when the recipient deposits the check, just like any other personal check.

The cutoff time for Bill Pay payments is 2 p.m. PST:

• Payments set up before 2 p.m. PST can start processing the same day. For electronic payments, funds can be withdrawn from the funding account on the same day and received by the payee on the next business day.
• Payments set up after 2 p.m. PST can start processing the next business day. For electronic payments, funds can be withdrawn from the funding account on the next business day and received by the payee in two business days.

Bill Pay also supports eBills, which allow you to log in to an online account for a third-party website from within the Bill Pay system so Bill Pay can retrieve your billing information. If you use your account login information for your satellite TV provider so Bill Pay can automatically get your monthly bill amount and due date, this is an example of an eBill. eBills offer added convenience and automatic payment options for services where the payment amount may change each month. To set up eBills, use the eBills menu in Bill Pay to enroll a linked account. Not all payees support eBills.

For electronic payments, Bill Pay funds are withdrawn when a payment is sent. If funds are not available in the sending account , the payment will be cancelled.

For paper check payments, the funds will not be withdrawn from your account until the recipient deposits the check, the same as if you wrote a personal check on your account.

If you suspect a Bill Pay payment is lost or missing, first verify the payee information and confirm they did not receive the payment. Then contact Member Service for help. We are able to place a stop payment on a paper check or assist with missing ACH payments.

Members might receive a variety of informational emails about Bill Pay activity. For example, you will receive a new email each time a Payee is set up in the new system. These emails are typically for your information only and usually no action is required.

An electronic payment will automatically be selected for payees that have the ability to accept it. Many smaller companies and individuals do not have the ability to accept electronic Bill Pay payments, so those payments are sent as a paper check. If Bill Pay later finds the Payee's electronic payment information, it will automatically switch the Payee to receive electronic payments. You will receive a courtesy email letting you know that the payment type has changed for the Payee. No action is required on your part.

As long as you select a payment delivery date that is on or before the actual payment due date, your payment should arrive on time. If payment is sent as a paper check, Bill Pay will automatically send the payment ahead of time to allow for mail transit time. For paper check payments, Bill Pay will not allow you to select a payment date that is before a paper check could arrive (for example, you cannot select a paper check for the same day you set up a payment). If you suspect a payment arrived late due to a processing or postal error, please contact Member Service.

To edit or cancel scheduled payments from Bill Pay, click or tap the triangle to expand the payment in the Scheduled Payments section of Bill Pay, then edit it.

If you accidentally set up a Bill Pay payment for the wrong amount, you may still be able to cancel or edit your payment from the Scheduled Payments section of Bill Pay. From the Bill Pay dashboard (not Bill Pay Activity), locate the payment from the Scheduled Payments area by selecting the correct sending or delivery month. Then use the triangle to expand the payment and cancel it. If the payment has already been processed, it will show under the Payment Activity area of Bill Pay (or the Payment Activity screen from the Bill Pay hamburger menu) and you will need to contact the recipient for a refund or credit.

If the payment was sent as a paper check, you may also be able to place a stop payment on the check from online banking. Find the payment on the Payment Activity screen and locate the check number, then use the Stop a Check Payment feature of online banking (on the Additional Services menu) to place a stop payment for that check number.

Because Bill Pay transactions are authorized by Members, they cannot be disputed as an unauthorized transaction.

If your Bill Pay recipient is a large company, they will often update their name with the Bill Pay service and it will change automatically. You will receive an email notification from Bill Pay when this type of change occurs.

Bill Pay also supports eBills, which allow you to log in to an online account for a third-party website from within the Bill Pay system so Bill Pay can retrieve your billing information. If you use your account login information for your satellite TV provider so Bill Pay can automatically get your monthly bill amount and due date, this is an example of an eBill. eBills offer added convenience and automatic payment options for services where the payment amount may change each month. To set up eBills, use the eBills menu in Bill Pay to enroll a linked account. Not all payees support eBills.