Who can I pay using Branch Business Bill Pay?
You can pay anyone in the United States that you would normally pay by check or automatic debit. Even if you don't receive bills from the company or person you want to pay, you can still add the information we use to make payments. You can pay large and small companies, as well as individuals such as maintenance or cleaning contractors.
When you pay a bill, Branch Business Bill Pay sends the payment electronically whenever possible. If the company or person cannot receive electronic payments, Branch Business Bill Pay prints a check and sends it to the address you provide when you add the bill.
To add a company or person to your list of bills, you first select one of the following options:
- Company
- Person
Company
If you have a bill, statement, or invoice from the company you want to pay, select the Company option. Check your statement for the company's name and your account number. If the biller has a unique identifier for the account, please enter it as the account number. Your account number provides the most important information that your biller uses to credit your payments properly. If you want to make payments to a company that has not provided you with an account number, we can send payments with your business name and address as identifying information. For example, if you make payments to a cleaning service, they may only require the business name and address information to credit your payments properly.
If your account information is not correct, it may cause the payment to be credited to your account late or not at all. This can result in late fees, finance charges, or service disconnections. The Service Guarantee only applies to payments if all the biller information provided is accurate.
When you select the Company option, you can either:
- Search for an address match based on the company's name.
- Enter all of the information we need to make your payments: the company's name, address, phone number, and the account number.
When you add a company, you may be able to add an electronic version of your bill. An electronic bill typically contains the same information as the printed bill that is mailed to you.
Person
You can take advantage of the same Branch Business Bill Pay features to make payments to individuals as well as to companies.
- You can make payments online instead of writing checks.
- You can keep track of all bill payments at the Payment Center.
- You can set up an automatic schedule for the payments.
For example, you may make weekly or monthly payments to a person for maintenance or cleaning services. If you pay the same amount each period, you can set up an automatic schedule for the payments to avoid writing checks for each payment.
When you select the Person, enter all of the information we need to make your payments: the person's name, address, and phone number.
Which bills can't I pay with Branch Business Bill Pay?
You cannot use Branch Business Bill Pay to pay any company or person with an address outside the United States or its territories.
You can use Branch Business Bill Pay to make state and federal tax payments and court-ordered payments; however, such payments are discouraged and must be scheduled at your own risk.
What should I type in nickname?
The nickname is an optional description you give to the biller that helps you organize your bills. Use the nickname as a reminder of who the biller is or, if you have more than one account with this biller, to indicate the different accounts. For example, you might type "cell phone-home" and "cell phone-work."
The nickname appears below the biller name on the Payment Center and Bill History pages and in certain e-mail correspondence. Because the nickname can appear in public communication to you, please do not enter personal or sensitive information in this field.
Why do you need the account number?
Entering the account number is the most reliable means to ensure that the biller can credit your payments properly.
When you pay bills by check, you typically send the check along with the payment portion of your bill. The biller may ask you to write the account number on the check so that the payment is credited to your account if the check is processed without the statement.
When we make payments to the biller, we don't send a statement. The payments we send have the company name, your business name and address, and the account number, if it is available.
If you don't have an account with the company you want to pay, you can still add the information that we use to make payments to that company. However, if you do have an account number available, please provide that information to expedite crediting the payment to your account.
Where can I find the account number?
The account number should be on the bill, statement, or invoice you receive from the company you want to pay.
What if I don't have an account number?
If you have an account number, please be sure to enter it. Your account number is the most reliable way to ensure that the company can credit your payments properly. If your account information is not correct, it may cause the payment to be credited to your account late or not at all. This can result in late fees, finance charges, or service disconnections. The Service Guarantee for payments applies only if all the biller information provided is accurate.
In some cases, for example, a landscaping or cleaning service, an account number might not be assigned. If you don't have an account number, you can enter other information that identifies you to the biller in the account number box. Check your bill or statement for an invoice number, your service address, or the name on the account.
If you're adding a person to pay, you won't need to enter an account number.
How do my billers get assigned a category?
Many billers have standard industry codes associated with them, and Branch Business Bill Pay uses the standard codes to assign a category to each biller. For example, you may use Branch Business Bill Pay to pay your gas and electric bills, and those billers are likely assigned the category Utilities.
If a biller or an individual isn't associated with a standard code, it is assigned the category Uncategorized. You can change the category for any biller to clearly identify the type of bill. For example, you may pay an individual for maintenance or cleaning services. You can find the person in your list on the Manage Bills page and change the category. Changing a category affects all payments for the biller.
Can I add a category?
Yes, you can add categories to organize your bills to meet your specific needs. To add a category for a biller, select Add a new category at the bottom of the Category list and type the name of the new category in New Category Name. The new category is assigned to the biller and appears in the Category list to assign to other billers as needed.
Note: Since you can't delete a category in Branch Business Bill Pay, or change the name of a category, consider carefully whether you really plan to track your bills in the new category before you add it.
What is HTML email?
HTML email supports additional features, such as graphics and links, that plain text email does not support.
To use HTML email, you need a Web-based email account that supports standard mail protocols. If your email client cannot support HTML email, the email will appear as garbled text and will be unreadable. If you do not choose to have your electronic bill email notifications sent by HTML email, they will be sent as plain text.