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Online Bill Pay & e-Bill
Frequently Asked Questions
Online Bill Pay
What is Online Bill Pay?
Online Bill Pay lets you pay your bills online through The RiverBank. You can pay anyone in the United States that you would normally pay by check or automatic debit, even if you do not receive bills from the company or person you want to pay.
How does Online Bill Pay work?
To pay your bills online, simply add the companies and people you want to pay. We use this information to make the payments for your bills. After you add your bills, you can go to the Payment Center. The Pay Bills section lists all of the bills you've added in Online Bill Pay. To pay a bill, enter a payment amount and the date when you want the company or person to receive your payment. You can also select this date from the calendar.
Tip: When you enter an amount, Online Bill Pay automatically displays the earliest date you can select for the company or person to receive the payment in the Pay Date box. You can either accept this date or change it to a later one. You can pay as many bills as you want at the same time from the Payment Center. After you pay a bill, it may move to either the Pending Payments section or the Recent Payments section of the Payment Center.
- The Pending Payments section provides a quick summary of the payments that have not been processed yet.
- The Recent Payments section provides a list of the bills that have been paid in the past 45 days.
You can also find a list of the pending and recent payments for a particular biller in the Payment Assistant. If you can't find a payment in the Recent Payments section, go to Bill History, which shows all of the bills you paid in the past six months, including electronic bills and the bills that you pay automatically.
Who can I pay using Online 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 companies and small companies, as well as individuals such as child care providers or family members.
When you pay a bill, Online Bill Pay sends the payment electronically whenever possible. If the company or person cannot receive electronic payments, Online Bill Pay prints a check and sends it to the address you provide when you add your bill.
To add a company or person to your list of bills, you first select one of the following options:
- Company with an account number
- Company without an account number
- Person
Company With an Account Number
If you have a bill, statement, or invoice from the company you want to pay, select the option Company with an account number. Check your statement for the company's name and your account number. If the biller has a unique identifier for your account, please enter it as your account number. Your account number provides the most important information that your biller uses to credit your payments properly.
When you select the option Company with an account number, 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 your account number.
When you add a company with an account number, you may be able to add an electronic bill. An electronic bill typically contains the same information as the printed bill that is mailed to you.
Company Without an Account Number
If you want to make payments to a company that has not provided you with an account number, we can send payments with your name and address as identifying information. For example, if you make payments to a lawn service, they may only require your name and address information to credit your payments properly.
When you select the option Company without an account number, you can either:
- Search for the company's name and address based on the company's phone number. If possible, please do not type a wireless or an unlisted phone number.
- Enter all of the information we need to make your payments: the company's name, address, and phone number.
Person
You can take advantage of the same Online 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 your bill payments at the Payment Center.
- You can set up an automatic schedule for your payments.
For example, you may make weekly or monthly payments to a person for housecleaning or child care services, or you may send an allowance to a child at college. If you pay the same amount each period, you can set up an automatic schedule for your payments to avoid writing checks for each payment.
When you select the option Person, you can either:
- Search for the person's name and address based on the person's phone number. If possible, please do not type a wireless or an unlisted phone number.
- 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 Online Bill Pay?
You cannot use Online Bill Pay to pay any company or person with an address outside the United States or its territories.
You can use Online 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.
Do I need to contact the companies or people that I pay if I choose to pay my bills with Online Bill Pay?
No, you do not need to contact the companies or people that you pay if you use this service. We make the payment based on the information you provided when you added your bill. If we have already established a relationship with a company or person you want to pay, we may send the payment electronically or to a location specified by the biller. Otherwise, we print and mail a check to the address you provided. If you enter your account information, we send it with your payment so that the company can credit your account properly.
What should I do if I pay more than one bill to the same company?
Add a bill for each separate account you have with the company.
For example, if your phone company provides your home phone service, your wireless phone service, and your Internet service, you can add the company to your list of bills three times, each time with a different account number. If your phone company consolidates all of the information on one bill and provides you with one account number, you only need to add the phone company to your list of bills once.
How secure is my bill payment and personal information?
Online Bill Pay uses several methods to ensure that your information is secure.
- SSL—Online Bill Pay uses SSL (secure sockets layer) which ensures that your connection and information are secure from outside inspection.
- Encryption—Online Bill Pay uses 128-bit encryption to make your information unreadable as it passes over the Internet.
- Automatic Sign Out—Online Bill Pay automatically signs you out of a session if you are inactive for a predefined time (usually 10 minutes). It is best if you sign out immediately after you finish your tasks in Online Bill Pay.
Which browsers should I use to access Online Bill Pay?
For best performance, we recommend you use one of the following supported browsers:
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 (Windows Vista and XP)
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 (Windows XP)
- Firefox 3 (Windows XP)
- Apple Safari 3 (Mac OS X 10.5.x)
While other browsers may work with Online Bill Pay, these supported browsers provide the highest level of security, accuracy, and functionality. We also recommend that you enable JavaScript in your browser. JavaScript is required for certain Online Bill Pay features to function properly.
What are Terms & Conditions?
The Terms & Conditions are a complete and exclusive statement of the agreement between you and The RiverBank regarding your Online Bill Pay service. The Terms & Conditions document contains information about authorization, liability, and limitation issues when using Online Bill Pay. In the event of a dispute regarding Online Bill Pay, you agree to resolve the dispute by looking to the Terms & Conditions document. The Terms & Conditions document provides details about the following items:
- Payments that are prohibited.
- Password and security information.
- Your liability if unauthorized transfers occur.
- Errors or questions about your transactions.
- Situations in which your account information can be disclosed to third parties.
- Charges assessed based on services provided.
- Service transactions that are returned.
- Notification requirements for termination or discontinuation of the service.
- Types of payments and limitations on billers.
How do I know if the company or person received my payment?
Look for the payment to move from the Pending Payments section to the Recent Payments section.
- You can see a list of pending and recent payments for a particular biller in the Payment Assistant.
- You can see a list of pending and recent payments for all billers in the Payment Center.
If the payment was processed normally, you see the amount of the payment. If you canceled the payment, or if it failed during processing, you see the status of the payment.
You can also check the status of the payment in Bill History. If the status is Paid, the payment has been sent to the biller. In some cases, you may see the date when the biller posted the payment to your account.
When you set up your bill reminders, you can select an option to receive an e-mail message when the payment is sent. The message contains any posting information that the biller sends us. If you want to confirm that the payment has been posted to your account, contact the biller. It can take a few days for the biller's payment system to show the credit to your account.
You can check the account statement from your financial institution to see if the funds were withdrawn from your payment account.
You can always contact your biller directly regarding payments to your account.
What is a preferred account?
A preferred account is the payment account from which you pay most of your bills. When you designate an account as your preferred account, it appears first in the Pay From list by default.
To change your preferred account, simply select another account in the Pay From list. When you choose a different account, the Make Preferred Account check box appears so that you can select it for the new preferred account.
Note: You must make a payment to designate a preferred account. If you select the Make Preferred Account check box but don't make a payment, the previous preferred account selection continues to appear as your preference.
What is the confirmation number?
The confirmation number is a unique identifier that Online Bill Pay automatically assigns to each payment. If you have a problem with a payment, use this number to refer to the payment when you contact customer service. However, if you send us a payment inquiry, the confirmation number is automatically associated with the payment in question.
The confirmation number does not indicate that the company or person has received the payment. Please refer to the previous question to learn how to verify that a company or person has received the payment.
What is the difference between a note and a memo?
A note contains descriptive information that you want to keep on file with the payment. Online Bill Pay does not send the note to the company or person with your payment. You can add a note to any payment in Online Bill Pay. You can review the note when you view the details of your payment on the Bill Detail page. The maximum length of a payment note is 256 characters.
A memo contains information that is printed on the memo line of a check that Online Bill Pay sends to the company or person. You can only add a memo to payments that Online Bill Pay sends by check. The memo is also kept on file with the payment, so you can review the memo when you view the details of your payment on the Bill Detail page. The maximum length of a memo is 34 characters.
Can I change a payment?
Yes. If the payment has not started processing, you can change the:
- Account from which to make the payment.
- Date you want the biller to receive the payment.
- Amount of the payment.
How do I change the Biller?
If you made a payment to the wrong biller, you can cancel the incorrect payment and make another one to the correct biller.
How do I change a processed payment?
If the payment has started processing, or if the status is Paid, call the biller's customer service.
Tip: If you want to change a payment that has been scheduled automatically, consider setting up bill reminders instead of an automatic payment schedule. The reminder appears below the bill in the Pay Bills section of the Payment Center for a certain number of days before the due date. You can check the reminders to ensure you're making payments on time. Automatic payment schedules work well for bills that are a set amount paid at regular intervals, such as your mortgage, rent, or car loan.
What happens when I cancel a payment?
After you cancel a payment, its status changes to Canceled and it is not processed. Canceled payments appear in:
- The Recent Payments section of the Payment Center.
- Bill History.
Note: If you cancel an automatic payment, only the selected payment is canceled. You do not cancel any future payments in the payment schedule. To cancel all payments that you've scheduled to be paid automatically, go to Manage My Bills and delete the automatic payment.
e-Bill Frequently Asked Questions
What is an electronic bill?
An electronic bill, which is also called an e-bill, is a bill that you can view and pay online at the Payment Center. It typically contains the same information as a paper bill or statement.
Quick Facts About Electronic Bills
- When you add an electronic bill, we send the information as a request to your biller. After your request has been processed, you receive an electronic bill in a month or more, depending on your billing cycle.
- You can access your electronic bills online at the Payment Center. Some billers can also send electronic bills to your e-mail address.
- Some billers stop sending paper bills when they start sending electronic bills. Other billers continue to send paper bills in addition to your electronic bills.
- When you receive electronic bills, a reminder appears below the bill in the Pay Bills section as soon as we receive it from your biller.
- Some billers let you pay your electronic bills automatically. You can go to Manage My Bills to add an automatic payment. For more information, see the FAQs for Setting Up Automatic Payments for an Electronic Bill.
- After you add an electronic bill, you cannot change your biller account number. If the biller has changed your account number, check your Online Bill Pay biller information to see if it has been updated automatically. The biller generally sends us any account number changes. If the account number has not been updated by the biller, however, you must delete the biller and add the bill again.
How do electronic bills work with Online Bill Pay?
We can receive electronic bills from hundreds of companies nationwide. When you add a company that can send electronic bills, the following icon appears next to the biller name in the Pay Bills section of the Payment Center: 
. Click the icon to go to the Add an Electronic Bill page. Enter the information that your biller requires to set up electronic billing service, and we send your request to the biller.
After you request an electronic bill, a different electronic bill icon appears next to the biller name in the Pay Bills section of the Payment Center.
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You have an electronic bill that is due. |
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One of the following conditions is true:
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Reminders appear below the bill in the Pay Bills section as soon as we receive a bill from your biller. The reminder shows the amount due and due date from your bill.
Some billers let you select options to automatically pay your electronic bills. You can decide to always pay the amount due or set limits for automatically paying the bill. You can also decide to pay the bill on the due date or schedule the payment for the earliest date available after you receive the bill.
How do I know if my biller sends electronic bills?
When you add a company that can send electronic bills, the following icon appears next to the biller name in the Pay Bills section of the Payment Center: 
. Click the icon to go to the Add an Electronic Bill page.
The Add an Electronic Bill page provides a list of all your billers that can send electronic bills. When you complete the information required for one biller, you can sign up for other available bills as well.
Electronic bill information appears in the Payment Assistant. When you select a biller that can send electronic bills, you see links to sign up for electronic billing service or to view, pay, or file your bill.
You can also go to Manage My Bills to add an electronic bill. If the biller does not offer electronic bills, the option does not appear on the Add and Change Bill Options page.
What is a trial period?
Some billers offer a trial period for electronic bills. For a limited time, usually 90 days, you can receive both electronic and paper bills. During the trial period, you can choose to stop receiving your paper bills. If you don't stop paper bills by the end of the trial period, your biller will no longer send electronic bills. You can sign up again for electronic bills; however, you won't be eligible to participate in another trial period with that biller.
Trial information is available in the Payment Assistant and when you view the details of your bill. You can see the status of your trial period and stop your paper bills.
Why do you need information from a biller's Web site to add some electronic bills?
When you add an electronic bill, the biller requires certain information to send and process electronic bills for your account. Some billers require more information than others, and this information may include the user name and password you use to access your account online at the biller's Web site.
I've forgotten my sign-in information for a biller's Web site. What should I do?
Go to the biller's Web site and follow the procedures to get your user name and password. In some cases, you may have to request a new user name, or you may have to change your password. Once you have the correct information, return to Online Bill Pay to complete the process of adding an electronic bill.
Why do I have to enter my account number again?
Some billers require you to enter your account number again to verify your account information and activate electronic bills for your account. In some cases, the biller may require additional information along with the account number. For example, a phone company may simply require your 10-digit phone number when you pay your bills, but require additional numbers to activate your electronic billing service. In other cases, the biller may require the account number in a slightly different format.
If the biller has specific requirements, they are described on the page when you add an electronic bill, so be sure to follow the instructions carefully when you re-enter your account number. You may find the additional account information on a bill or statement from your biller.
What does the biller use my e-mail address for?
A biller may use your e-mail address to contact you if there is a question about your payment. You can select an option to allow us to send the address to your biller. If you agree to share the e-mail address with the biller, you may receive promotional messages about products and services.
What if I have bills for an address that isn't my home address?
The address where the biller provides service is called your service address. For example, you may own rental property and pay the utilities using Online Bill Pay. In this case, the address where the utility company provides service is your rental property, not your home address.
When you add an electronic bill from your utility company, your name and home address appear on the page. In this case, you would change the address information to the address of your rental property instead of your home. The address you enter should match the address that your biller has on file.
If you have a question about the address where you receive services, contact your biller.
What if my request for electronic bills is rejected?
If the biller rejects your request to add an electronic bill, you receive a message in your Online Bill Pay inbox that provides details about the problem. To resolve the problem, you can:
- Try adding the electronic bill again. Make sure to enter your information (especially your account number) completely and accurately.
- Contact the biller to get more information about the electronic billing service. For example, some billers cannot send electronic bills to customers in certain areas of the country.
How do I receive electronic bills?
When you add an electronic bill, we send the information as a request to your biller. After your request has been processed, you receive an electronic bill from the biller in a month or more, depending on your billing cycle.
Look for a message in your Online Bill Pay inbox that lets you know when the biller has activated your electronic billing service.
When you start receiving electronic bills, an electronic bill icon appears next to the biller name in the Pay Bills section of the Payment Center. You can also find electronic bill information in the Payment Assistant. You can click the electronic bill icon or the links in the Payment Assistant to view, pay, or file your bill.
A reminder also appears below the bill that shows the amount due and due date from your bill. The reminder appears as soon as Online Bill Pay receives the bill from your biller.
Can I receive electronic bills through e-mail?
In some cases you can. Some companies that send us an electronic bill can also send you notification through e-mail.
When your electronic billing service is activated, you receive an e-mail message that contains the bill information and links to view and pay your bill.
To add e-mail notification of electronic bill, you can go to Manage My Bills and select the bill.
How long does it take to receive electronic bills from a biller?
It can take a week for the biller to process your request for electronic bills. After your request has been accepted, it can take a month or more to receive your first electronic bill, depending on your billing cycle.
How do I know when a bill is due?
The following icons appear next to the biller name in the Pay Bills section of the Payment Center.
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You have an electronic bill that is due. |
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One of the following conditions is true:
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Reminders appear below the bill in the Pay Bills section of the Payment Center. A reminder appears as soon as Online Bill Pay receives the bill from your biller. A reminder shows the amount due and due date from your bill.
Will I still receive a paper copy of the bill through U.S. mail?
It depends on the biller. Some billers stop sending you paper bills when they start sending electronic bills. For these types of billers, you must agree to receive only electronic bills to activate your service. Other billers continue to send paper bills in addition to your electronic bills. Some billers let you choose whether you want to receive just your electronic bills or both electronic and paper bills.
Some billers offer a trial period for electronic bills. For a limited time, usually 90 days, you can receive both electronic and paper bills. During the trial period, you can choose to stop receiving your paper bills. If you don't stop paper bills by the end of the trial period, your biller will no longer send electronic bills.
How do I pay my bills before I receive electronic bills from my biller?
Because it can take more than a month or two to receive electronic bills in Online Bill Pay, you need to take the bills you receive directly from your biller and pay them at the Payment Center. Have the bill on hand so that you can find the payment amount and due date.
What happens if I pay a bill and then receive an electronic bill from my biller?
If the payment has not been processed, you can cancel it. You can then view the electronic bill and pay it. The new payment is associated with the electronic bill.
If the payment has already been processed, simply wait for the next bill to arrive and pay it. The processed payment won't be associated with an electronic bill, but your subsequent payments are.
If the payment was not associated with the first electronic bill you received, that bill has an Unpaid status and the electronic bill due icon appears next to the biller name. To change the status, you can file the bill and add a note about the payment.
I was receiving electronic bills, but I haven't received any lately. What should I do?
Check the biller information in Online Bill Pay. The information must match your biller's records. For example, if you change your sign in information at the biller's Web site, you must make the same changes in Online Bill Pay.
Check your Online Bill Pay messages. You receive notification when Online Bill Pay cannot retrieve a bill from your biller or the biller cancels your electronic billing service.
If the biller information is correct and you didn't receive any messages about the bill, contact the biller.
My electronic bill is late. What should I do?
If your normal billing cycle has passed and you still have not received your electronic bill, contact your biller. Depending on billing cycles, the exact day you receive your bill each month may vary. Also remember that it can take over a month before you receive your first electronic bill from a biller.
Note: If Online Bill Pay has a problem retrieving your bill, you receive a message in your Online Bill Pay inbox that provides details about the problem and instructions for resolving it.
How can I stop receiving electronic bills from a biller?
You can stop receiving electronic bills in Online Bill Pay anytime after the biller processes your request for them. Go to Manage My Bills, select the bill, and then select the option to stop an electronic version of your bill.
What happens when I stop receiving electronic bills?
You discontinue your electronic billing service and you start receiving your bills directly from the biller again.
Quick Facts About Stopping Your Electronic Bills
- It can take an entire billing cycle to receive bills directly from your biller.
- You may receive one or more electronic bills before the biller stops sending them.
- When you stop receiving electronic bills, you also stop any automatic payments that you set up to pay them.
- You can still pay your bills using Online Bill Pay, but you won't be able to access your bill online at the Payment Center.
- Stopping your electronic bills does not prevent you from adding them again in the future.
Trial Period
If you don't stop paper bills by the end of the trial period, your biller will no longer send electronic bills. You can sign up again for electronic bills; however, you won't be eligible to participate in another trial period.
Service Cancellations
Your biller may cancel your electronic billing service. In this case, you receive a message in your Online Bill Pay inbox that provides an explanation for canceling the service. You must contact the biller to get your service reactivated. Online Bill Pay may also cancel your electronic billing service if it has tried unsuccessfully to retrieve your bill several times. In this case, you receive a message with instructions for resolving the problem.
What happens if I choose to stop receiving paper bills?
We notify the biller to stop sending you your bills directly.
When you start receiving electronic bills, an electronic bill icon appears next to the biller name in the Pay Bills section of the Payment Center. You can also find electronic bill information in the Payment Assistant. You can click the electronic bill icon or the links in the Payment Assistant to view, pay, or file your bill.
A reminder appears below the bill in the Pay Bills section of the Payment Center as soon as Online Bill Pay receives the bill from your biller. It shows the amount due and due date from your bill.
If the biller sends your electronic bills in an e-mail, you'll continue to receive the e-mails. You'll also receive e-mail reminders for your bill.
I stopped receiving paper bills, and now I want to have them mailed to me again. How do I do that?
You must stop your electronic bills. You can stop receiving electronic bills in Online Bill Pay anytime after the biller processes your request for them. Go to Manage My Bills, select the bill, and then select the option to stop an electronic version of your bill.
What happens when I delete a biller that sends me electronic bills?
We automatically remove the biller from your bills list and notify the biller to stop sending you electronic bills. You cannot pay any unpaid electronic bills you've received from the biller.
If you receive an electronic bill after you deleted the biller, you can pay the bill using Online Bill Pay by adding the bill again. To have the payment associated with the electronic bill, you must also add the electronic version of the bill. You can also pay the bill by some other means, such as sending a check.
