Non-Electronic Online Bill Pay Question
Tip It!Over the last couple of years, I’ve really embraced the idea of paying our bills online. Nowadays, you can pay just about anything online, and if the recipient can’t accept an electronic payment, most banks will simply print a check and mail it to them on your behalf. While I’ve never had problems with paying bills in this way, a couple of recent medical bills that we’ve received got me to wondering… Both bills had something along the lines of the following printed on them:
To ensure that your payment is credited properly, please enclose the bottom portion of this bill in the envelope provided.
I’ve never really worried about this, as you can specify the account number when you set up the payment, and this info gets printed into the memo field. That being said, it does seem more likely that things could go awry if they received a check sans the bill itself. Have any of you had trouble with payments of this sort being credited improperly (or not at all)?
Published on August 16th, 2006 - 10 Comments
Filed under: Banking, Online
About the author: Nickel is the founder and editor-in-chief of this site. He's a thirty-something family man who has been writing about personal finance since 2005, and guess what? He's on Twitter!
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August 16th, 2006 at 7:30 am
I have done this smany times. I include the account number, invoice number and date of service on the memo line and things seem to go through OK.
August 16th, 2006 at 9:05 am
I, too, have done this many times without problems. I had trepidations first time paid a medical bill without using the enclosed envelope and the stub at the bottom of the bill, but after that first time, I got over it.
August 16th, 2006 at 9:18 am
I have paid medical bills along with e-zpass violations and have not had a problem.
August 16th, 2006 at 9:59 pm
I just had this problem w/ our opthamologist’s office. They received the payment but didn’t credit it properly even though I provided the bank w/ the account number. When we received a bill showing a balance several weeks after payment was made, I had to call and tell them that I paid via electronic check. Later that day I got a call back saying that they had traced the payment and credited our account. So at least in my case it was a minor irritation to have to call but turned out not to be a big deal at all.
August 16th, 2006 at 10:23 pm
Here’s a great way to find out. Make the cheque out for the amount due. Fill in the payment coupon for a nominal amount greater than the amount due. Wait and see what happens.
In the interests of a clear conscience, you should call and correct any “problems” that may arise.
August 17th, 2006 at 10:06 am
Never a problem. We pay EVERYTHING using BillPay and never have had to make a notation, altho many of them have the same line you mentioned. BTW, I also use it to buy savings bonds and to fund investment accouts. No problems at all. We never buy stamps anymore and write very few checks.
August 18th, 2006 at 1:09 pm
I’d actually think that it’s better to have a check with an account number on it than a check with no account number and a bill stub. Two pieces of paper can become separated.
The stub does let them verify that they have the right account when the name on the check isn’t the same as the name on the account, but if the name’s the same both places you shouldn’t have a problem.
August 18th, 2006 at 2:36 pm
For things like medical bills and other things out of the ordinary, I normally just mail a check with the stub.
September 16th, 2006 at 2:59 am
I have done this many times and have not yet had a problem.