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Can I make a payment to anyone?
Yes, you can pay anyone including your cable company, doctor, or Uncle Charlie.
Due to legal requirements, there are payments that you cannot issue and we limit the ability to make certain types of payments. Payments to payees outside of the United States are prohibited and may not be issued under any circumstances. In addition, the following payments are discouraged, but may be scheduled at your own risk:
- Tax payments to the Internal Revenue Service or any state or other government agency.
- Court-ordered payments, such as alimony or child support.
- Payments to insurance companies.
We will not notify you of these restrictions when or if you attempt to make any of these payments and we will not be liable if we do not make a prohibited or discouraged payment that you've scheduled.
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What is Manage Your Payees?
Manage Your Payees is where you can create, edit, and delete a payee. It allows you to assign a category to your payee to assist in tracking your payments. It can also be used as a visual reminder of when bills are due, which helps in the prevention of late payments. You get an at-a-glance view of bill information including payee name, account number, status, and the number of days before the bill is due. Manage Your Payees also interacts with the Payment Area to initiate payments and provides easy access to e-bill setup and statements, and recent payments.
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What is a payment reminder?
We'll automatically tell you to pay your bills with a payment reminder. To create one for a bill, just enter the following information when you are setting up or modifying a payment reminder:
- Reminder frequency
- Next due date
- Estimated amount
Once we have that information, we display the amount due and the number of days before the bill is due in the Manage Your Payees section.
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Can I create a payment reminder for an existing payee?
Yes, you can set up a payment reminder for an existing bill at anytime. To create a payment reminder follow the instructions below:
- Highlight your Payee in Manage Your Payees and click the Options link.
- Click the Edit Payee detail link; the Modify Payee Details window appears.
- Complete the Reminder frequency, Next due date and Estimated amount fields.
- Click Save changes and the Payee Modification Confirmation window appears.
- Click Close; the Payee Modify Confirmation closes.
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How secure is my bill payment and personal information?
All of your information and transactions are securely protected by 128-bit encryption. Fifth Third uses the highest standards of encryption available, including the use of Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology to safeguard your personal information.
Setup Assistant
Access the Setup Assistant by clicking the icon in the Helpful Resources area on the home page.
How do I access the Setup Assistant?
To access the Setup Assistant, click the Setup Assistant icon in the Helpful Resources area.
What is the Setup Assistant?
The Setup Assistant is an easy-to-follow guide that helps you quickly get multiple bills set up and ready to be paid. You can create your own payee list by selecting from our list of common payees in your geographical area. If a payee doesn’t appear in our list, you can easily add a new person or business to pay.
What happens if the person or business I want to pay doesn't appear in the list of suggested names in the Setup Assistant?
You can add a new person or business by clicking the Other link in each section or by entering the name in the Friends, Family, Other People or Businesses section and clicking Add.
Adding Payees
Access Adding Payees by clicking the Setup Assistant in the Helpful Resources box on the home page.
How do I add a payee?
To add a new payee, follow the instructions below:
- From Manage Your Payees, click Add Payees link and the Payee Setup window appears.
- Enter the person or business name and click Continue.
- Enter the required information and click Continue; the Payee Setup Confirmation window appears.
- Click Close; the Confirmation window is closed.
Can I pay a person or business if I don't have an account number?
Yes, you don't need an account number to make a payment.
How do I add a new category when I'm adding a payee?
To add a new category when adding a payee, follow the instructions below:
- From the Category dropdown menu in the Bill Setup window, select Add/Modify Category and the Add/Modify Category window appears.
- Enter the new category name in the Category Name field, select an Icon, and click Add; the new category appears in the listing of categories.
- Click Continue; the category is added, and you may continue with our payee setup.
Payee Details
What happens if I have a dispute with a payee?
If you have an issue with a specific charge on a bill that appears as a debit to your deposit account and wish to dispute the debit/charge, please contact us immediately by visiting a Fifth Third Banking Center by phone at 1-800-972-3030, or by writing us at:
Fifth Third Bank
Disputes Department
Madisonville Operations Center, MD1 MOCBK
Cincinnati, OH 45263
(for PIN and ACH Transactions)
—or—
Fifth Third Bank
Disputes Department
Madisonville Operations Center MD1 MOC2G
Cincinnati, Ohio 45263
(for Signature Transactions)
What happens if I have a dispute with an e-bill?
If you have an issue with a specific charge on an e-bill, you will need to contact your payee directly. You can pay whatever amount you like while you are disputing a specific item or you can simply file the e-bill and do nothing.
Why can't I edit the address or phone number of certain payees?
We have relationships with many payees, and so we maintain their addresses and phone numbers for you. If there are any changes, the payees will contact us directly; you will not have to do anything.
Payment Basics
Can I make a payment to anyone?
Yes, you can pay anyone including your cable company, doctor, or Uncle Charlie.
How do I make a payment to any payee?
To make a payment, follow the instructions below:
- Click the payee in Manage Your Payees. The payee information pre-fills in the Payment Area. Add the amount to pay in the field.
- Click Pay and the Payment Preview window appears. Click the continue button and the Payment Confirmation window appears.
- Click Close, and the Payment Confirmation window closes.
What is the cut-off time for scheduled payments?
Scheduled payments are processed with the 4:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time cut-off.
What is the cut-off time to schedule an electronic payment?
The cut-off time for an "electronic" payment is 1 business days prior to the due date. The system will not allow you to select a due date that cannot be processed in time to make the payment by the due date.
Also, the system will not allow you to schedule a due date that falls on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday. You should select the business day prior to your due date. However, it is possible that a recurring payment could fall on a weekend or holiday. In those cases, the system will adjust the due date to the previous business day.
What is the cut-off time to schedule a check payment?
The cut-off time for a "check" payment is 4 business days prior to the due date. If the due date for a recurring payment falls on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday, the system will adjust the due date to the previous business day.
What happens if my due date falls on a holiday or weekend?
Since payments are not processed on holidays or weekends, your payment will be processed on the previous business day. Note this is different than what you had with the previous bill payment system that processed the payment on the upcoming business day.
Are there any payments I can't issue?
Due to legal requirements, we limit the ability to make certain types of payments. Payments to payees outside of the United States are prohibited and may not be issued under any circumstances. In addition, the following payments are discouraged, but may be scheduled at your own risk:
- Tax payments to the Internal Revenue Service or any state or other government agency.
- Court-ordered payments, such as alimony or child support.
- Payments to insurance companies.
We will not notify you of these restrictions when or if you attempt to make any of these payments and we will not be liable if we do not make a prohibited or discouraged payment that you've scheduled.
Can I cancel a payment?
You can only cancel payments in a “Scheduled” status.
To cancel a payment, follow the instructions below:
- In your Payment Activity area, click the payee's name; a Modify Payment Details window appears.
- Click the Cancel Payment button and the Cancel Payment window appears.
Note: You can turn off this confirmation page, by checking Do not show me this again. - Click Close and the payment is canceled.
When do I need to have funds available for a payment to ensure it's processed properly?
The funding account you selected to make your payment will be debited on or around the due date, depending on the payment type. Electronic payments will be debited from your funding account on or after the due date. Check payments will be debited from your account when the check is cleared.
How are payments issued?
Only you can authorize payments. You tell us who, when and how much to pay. Payments are issued electronically or via paper checks, depending on the payee's capabilities. Both electronic payments and paper checks always include remittance information, ensuring that your payee can accurately record that a payment has been received for your account.
Can I pay bills with my credit card?
Currently, we don't issue payments from a credit card.
Do I have to pay the entire bill amount?
No. You decide the amount you want to pay towards each bill.
Where do you send my payment?
We send your payment to the address you provided for each of your payees. We have several payees that we have a special relationship with, and we send payments to the preferred address they have designated.
Who authorizes payments?
Only you can authorize payments. You have complete control over whom you are issuing a payment to, the exact payment amount, when the payment should be sent or whether to pay the bill at all. If you have a flat fee or recurring bill that you would like to have paid each month, you can instruct us to make that payment automatically for you.
Manage Your Payees
What is Manage Your Payees?
In Manage Your Payees, you get an at-a-glance view of bill information including payee name, account number, status, and the number of days before a bill is due, which helps you manage your payments better. The Manage Your Payees section also interacts with the Payment Area to initiate payments and provides easy access to e-bill setup and statements, payee information and management, and recent payments.
Do I have to save each Payee to the Manage Your Payees?
No, if you are going to make a one-time payment, you can opt to not save the payee.
Can the Manage Your Payees be reorganized?
The Manage Your Payees list can be sorted by due date or name. The default view sorts payees by due date in ascending order. To change to descending order, just click the Due Date link again. To sort the payees in alphabetical order from A to Z, just click the Name link in the right-corner of the Manage Your Payees section. To change to alphabetical order from Z to A, just click the Name link again.
Can I delete a payee from the Manage Your Payees?
Yes, you can remove a payee at any time. To delete a Payee from Manage Your Payees, follow the instructions below:
- Highlight your payee in the Manage Your Payees and click the Options link.
- Click the Delete Payee link and the Delete Payee window appears.
- Click Continue, and the payee is deleted from Manage Your Payees list.
Funding Accounts
Can I pay bills from my savings account?
According to Regulation D, you are limited to six restricted preauthorized or automatic withdrawals per calendar month from a savings account (refer to Rules and Regulations). Customers are charged a fee for savings account transactions that exceed the allowable Regulation D limits.
Can I make payments from more than one funding account?
Yes, you can make payments from several funding accounts.
What happens if I close my funding account?
If you close a bill pay funding account, all payments associated with that funding account within the bill pay system will be canceled—they would not be moved to an alternative funding account if one existed.
What happens if I close my funding account and have another account I want to use for bill pay?
If you close your original bill pay funding account and have another funding account you want to use, your payees will still be available in the bill pay system but any payments you would like to make will have to be recreated. In advance of closing the account from which the payments are scheduled, you could log into bill pay and change the funding account on those payments to another funding account.
What happens if I close my funding account and do not have another account for bill pay?
If you close your original bill pay funding account and do not have another funding account, your bill pay account will be closed and all payees/payments will be deleted. If you return to Fifth Third Bank to open a new account, you will have to recreate your payees and set up payments.
Automatic Payments
What is an auto-pay?
There are two types of payments you schedule automatically:
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Auto-pay in response to an e-bill.
An automatic payment in response to an e-bill is a payment that you set up to go out every time you receive this e-bill, without requiring your approval each time. You can pay the full bill, pay the minimum due, pay nothing and file the bill, or create your own rule for how the bill gets paid. For example, you could tell us to pay your credit card bill automatically in three different ways:- Pay the entire bill if it is $200 or less. Pay nothing and send an e-mail notification if it is more than $200.
- Pay the minimum amount due every month.
- Pay nothing and send an e-mail notification.
You can also select when to pay the bill—either when the bill arrives or a designated number of days before the bill is due (10 is the default). - Auto-pay at regular intervals.
You specify the amount, the frequency, the start date and the end date or the number of payments to make. Based on the duration of the loan, you could also establish the end date of the automatic payment rule. For example, you could schedule a payment for your car loan in the amount of $300 on the 1st of every month for the next 36 months.
How do I set up an auto-pay for a bill in Manage Your Payees?
To set up an auto-pay for a bill, follow the instructions below:
- Highlight your bill in Manage Your Payees and click the Options link.
- From the Options menu, click the Set up auto-pay link. The Auto-pay Options window appears.
- If necessary, select the auto-pay option and then enter the payment information.
- Click the Save auto-pay options. The Auto-pay Options Confirmation window appears.
- Click Close.
Can I modify an auto-pay?
Yes. To modify an auto-pay for a bill, follow the instructions below:
- Highlight your bill in Manage Your Payees and click the Options link.
- From the Options menu, click the Edit auto-pay link. The Auto-pay Options window appears.
- If necessary, select a new auto-pay option and/or enter your new payment information.
- Click the Save auto-pay options button. The Auto-pay Options Confirmation window appears.
- Click Close.
Manual Payments
What is a manual payment?
A manual payment refers to payments that you do not wish to set up as an auto-pay. This is the default for each payee you add. So if you don’t want to set up a payment as an auto-pay, you must manually enter the payment information every time you want to make a payment.
E-bill Basics
Why does the Action Needed link appear on my bill in Manage Your Payees?
This link appears when we need additional information from you regarding your bill.
I'm receiving a paper bill at home. How do I begin receiving it online as an e-bill?
To receive an e-bill for a payee, follow the instructions below:
- Highlight your bill in Manage Your Payees and click the Options link.
- If an e-bill is available for the payee, click the Sign up for e-bill link.
- Provide the required information.
- Click Continue.
Note: You may have to enter additional information in additional windows. - Click Close. Your e-bill will be set up. It may take 1-2 billing cycles before you receive your first bill. If you want to discontinue your paper bill, please contact your payee directly.
During the process of setting up my e-bill, I am prompted for a log on and password. What log on and
password do I enter?
You should enter your login information for that payee's Web site exactly as you would if you were accessing your account at their Web site. Do not enter your login ID and password for your Fifth Third Online Banking site. If you have not created an online account at the payee's Web site, you must do that before continuing with this setup process. Once we have your login ID and password for that payee on file, we'll go to your payee's Web site and retrieve your bill for you each month. That way you can come to one place and see and pay all your bills.
How long will it take before I begin to receive my bills online?
After setting up an e-bill, it typically takes 1-2 billing cycles before you begin to receive your bill online.
Is the login information for my payee's Web site kept private/secure?
We are committed to safeguarding the privacy and security of all your personal information. Your login information is kept confidential and is used only to retrieve an electronic version of your bill from the payee's Web site so that we can present it to you online. For your security, all input fields for setting up your payee-specific login information are encrypted, and your password is hidden from view.
What is the significance of the different e-bill icons?
Once you have set up an e-bill, that payee's icon displays an e-bill indicator. The e-bill icon has three states:
- Green indicates an e-bill can be set up, viewed, or paid.
- Gray indicates an e-bill is currently being received, but no immediate action is required.
- Red indicates that there is an issue with an e-bill. Action should be taken to correct the problem. The text, Action needed!, appears along with the icon.
How do I print a copy of my bill?
It's easy to print a copy of any of your bills. While viewing your bill, just select Print from your browser's File menu.
How long do you store my billing information?
Bill summary and transactional information is available for 24 months online.
Payment Activity
Can I cancel a payment from the Payment Activity area?
Yes, payments with a "Scheduled" status can be canceled. To cancel a payment, follow the instructions below:
- In your Payment Activity area, click the payee's name; a Modify Payment Details window appears.
- Click the Cancel Payment button and the Cancel Payment window appears
- Click Close; the payment is canceled.
Can I modify a payment from the Payment Activity area?
Yes, payments with a "Scheduled" status can be modified. To modify a payment, follow the instructions below:
- In your Payment Activity area, click the payee's name. A Payment Details window appears.
- Click the Modify Payment button. The Modify Payment Details window appears.
Note: If the payment is an auto-pay, then click the Edit Just This Payment button. - Make the appropriate changes to your payment and click Modify; the Payment Confirmation window appears.
- Click Close; the payment is modified.
If I delete a transaction, does it appear in my Payment Activity area?
Yes, deleted transactions are indicated with the "Canceled" status in your Payment Activity area.
If I skip a payment for a bill, does that transaction appear in my Payment Activity area?
If you are skipping a payment to a bill that you currently receive as an e-bill, then a transaction appears in the Payment Activity area with a "Skipped" status. If you are skipping a payment to a reminder, then a transaction will not appear in the Payment Activity area.
Balance Worksheet
What is the Balance Worksheet?
The Balance Worksheet is a budgeting tool that helps you track your account balances against pending and scheduled bill payments.
What is Starting Balance?
The Starting Balance is the dollar amount that is in your bill pay funding account upon clicking the Make Payments tab.
What is What's Left?
What's Left is the projected dollar amount that will remain in your account after your outstanding bill payments. Starting Balance - total amount of outstanding bill payments = What's Left.
What are unpaid bills?
Unpaid Bills are those for which you have set up a payment reminder but are not yet scheduled to be paid. The total amount of your unpaid bills is NOT included in your What's Left balance.
Can I enter transactions into the Balance Worksheet?
No, the Balance Worksheet only lists transactions that are initiated and completed in bill pay. Other transactions that you make with your funding account, such as transfers or debit card purchases, will not appear in the Balance Worksheet (but may be reflected in your Starting Balance next time you log in).
Payment Reminders
What is a payment reminder?
We'll automatically tell you to pay your bills with a payment reminder. To create one for a bill, just enter the following information when you are setting up or modifying a payment reminder:
- Reminder frequency
- Next due date
- Estimated amount
Once we have that information, we display the amount and the number of days before the bill is due on the bill that appears in your Payment Reminder indicator. Additionally, you can have your payment reminder sent to a Payment Reminder address.
Can I create a payment reminder for an existing bill?
Yes, you can set up a payment reminder for an existing bill at any time.
- Highlight your bill in Manage Your Payees and click the Options link.
- Click the Edit bill detail link; the Edit Biller Details window appears.
- Complete the Reminder frequency, Next Due Date and Estimated amount fields.
- Click Continue and the Confirmation window appears.
- Click Close.
Do I have to set up a payment reminder for an e-bill so Manage Your Payees will remind me to pay that
bill?
No, since you are receiving an e-bill we already know the due date and the payment amount and can remind you to pay a bill in Manage Your Payees section or by sending you an alert.
What do I receive if I have requested a Proof of Payment?
You will receive an e-mail from BPS.Fulfillment@BillPaymentServices.com. The document is in Adobe PDF format and requires a PDF reader.
Download Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® to view PDF files.
Notes
What are personal notes?
Personal notes are reminders you can add to any payment or filed item. Common uses for a personal note include reminders about why a payment was made, why the entire amount was not paid, or if there is a dispute with the payee. Personal notes are completely private, and cannot be seen by the payee.
What is the difference between a memo and the personal notes?
The memo field is printed right on the check for the purpose of making an additional note to the payee. Unlike the memo field on a check, personal notes are completely private and cannot be seen by the payee.
Reports
How does the Reports feature work?
The Reports feature allows you to do a variety of tasks quickly, such as analyzing spending habits and researching payment dates.
To
create a report, follow the instructions below:
- Select the Reports icon; the Reports window appears
- Click the Create button; the Create Reports window appears.
- Select your report criteria and click Save changes; the Reports window appears.
- Click Close and the window closes.
Can I print a copy of a report?
A printer-friendly copy of a report may be printed by clicking the printer icon in the upper right corner of the Reports screen. Or, from your browser's File menu, select Print.
How do I create a customized report of my payment history?
- Select the Reports icon and the Reports window appears.
- Click the Create button and the Create Reports window appears.
- Select your report criteria and click Save changes; the Reports window appears.
- Click Close; the window closes.