Valet Bill Center Frequently Ask Questions

Most Frequently
Asked Questions

Getting Started

How the
Service Works

Service Capabilities

Privacy & Security

Customer Support

Most Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to some commonly asked questions about Valet Bill Center.

Please look through the categories below. If you do not find the answer to your specific question, or would like additional information, simply contact us at valetbillcenter@billsupport.com.

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How is Valet Bill Center different from online banking?
How much does it cost to subscribe to Valet Bill Center?
Who authorizes payment amounts and dates?
Can I use Valet Bill Center to pay anyone?
Can I still see the details of my bill before I approve it?
Can I print a copy of my bill?
Is Valet Bill Center compatible with Quicken, Microsoft® Money and Excel?
What happens if I have a dispute with a payee?
Can anyone see my personal financial information?
Is Valet Bill Center available in my area?
How can I get help or have a question answered?
What is my billing address with Valet Bill Center?

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Getting Started With Valet Bill Center

How do I get started with Valet Bill Center?
Can I print out the Payment Authorization Form online?
What Web browsers do you support?
How is my User ID and Password assigned?
Can I set up a joint account in Valet Bill Center?
Do I have to change banks?
Do I have to have online banking to use Valet Bill Center?
How do my payees know I am using Valet Bill Center?
How long before I begin to get my bills through Valet Bill Center?
Do I have to use Valet Bill Center for all my bills?

How the Service Works

How does Valet Bill Center get my bill information?
How will I know when I have new bills?
How soon after Valet Bill Center receives a bill will I be notified about it?
What happens if I don't pay a bill?
What happens to the hard copies of my bills after they have been scanned?
What if some piece of important information, other than a bill, is sent to Valet Bill Center?
Do I have to pay the whole bill amount?
How are the payments issued?
When are checks issued to my payees?
When are electronic payments issued to my payees?
When is my last chance to stop a payment?
How long does it take for a Valet Bill Center payment to be received?
How will I know when payment has been sent?
When will the amount on the checks I authorized be deducted from my account?
What if my payee cannot accept electronic payments?
How is my Valet Bill Center service fee handled?
Do I have to use Valet Bill Center for every bill?
Can I still write paper checks?
What happens if I do not have enough money in my checking account to cover my bills?
Does Valet Bill Center support bill payment by credit card?
Can I pay all of my bills at one time?
What is the Personal Notes feature, and how is it different from the memo field on a check?

Service Capabilities

What is an automatic payment?
What is a recurring payment?
What is the "manual" payment rule?
Can I pay my bills from multiple bank accounts?
How long will you store my records?
Can I pay my bills from my savings account?

Privacy and Security

Are Internet transactions safe?
How secure is Valet Bill Center?
Who can access my secure Valet Bill Center and other information?
Does Valet Bill Center have access to my checking account?

Customer Support

What happens if I forget my User ID?
What happens if I forget my password?
What happens if a bill gets lost?
What happens if I can't get Internet access?
What if I have questions about my online bills?
What happens if my bill is paid late through Valet Bill Center?
How do I prove I made a payment?
What happens if I change bank accounts?
What if my email address changes?
How do I cancel my membership with Valet Bill Center?
How do I handle credit card orders since I have started using Valet Bill Center?

How is Valet Bill Center different from online banking?

Valet Bill Center is a complete Internet solution for bill delivery, payment and management. It works with any bank and any payee you may have. While many banks offer the ability to issue payments online, you're still required to track and manage all of the paper bills that come to your house. By receiving your bills and managing the process online, Valet Bill Center truly removes the burden of handling monthly bill payments. And Valet Bill Center allows you to make payments to anyone -- even someone who doesn't normally send you a bill. So you can have fewer headaches, fewer worries and a lot more free time.

How much does it cost to subscribe to Valet Bill Center?

Valet Bill Center is available for just $7.50 per month for complete bill management, and just $5.00 a month for pay only service. The monthly fee includes up to 25 transactions. If you need to process more than 25 transactions, they are billed at just $0.50 each for bill management and $0.40 each for pay only service.

Who authorizes payment amounts and dates?

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 regularly occurring bill that you would like to have paid each month, Valet Bill Center can be instructed to do it for you automatically. Please note, for your convenience, the process of paying your monthly service fee is automated. Seven days prior to the due date, you will receive an email notice from Valet Bill Center and you can review the detailed statement in your Outbox. At any time during the seven days prior to the due date you have the capability to stop the payment by clicking on the Stop Payment button in your Outbox. On the day your payment is due, we will debit your default payment account via Electronic Funds Transfer (or issue a check on your behalf if your bank doesn't offer EFT). In accordance with the Terms and Conditions of the service, this monthly fee will be deducted from the checking account you designate as your "default" payment account.

Can I use Valet Bill Center to pay anyone?

Absolutely. You can use Valet Bill Center to pay anyone with a U.S. mailing address. To issue a payment you will need to set up a Payee Profile. Most payees are Business Payees, and many of them can be found in our Common Payees database. For Common Payees, all you have to do is tell us your account number. Some payees may be a little more unique, such as a neighborhood lawn service or a friend you wish to give a gift check. You can enter complete contact information into a Personal Payee Profile, and we can issue payment to anyone you want.

Can I still see the details of my bill before I approve it?

Yes, Valet Bill Center provides both summary and detail information for your bills. You can view or print a full image of the bill at any time. Bills accessible in Valet Bill Center include all the same billing information that you'd receive on a typical paper bill.

Can I print a copy of my bill?

Yes, it is easy to print a copy of any of your bills. Just click on your browser's Print button.

Is Valet Bill Center compatible with Quicken, Microsoft® Money and Excel?

Valet Bill Center integrates with leading personal financial management software, including Quicken, Microsoft® Money and Excel. It's simple to merge your bill payment data with the rest of your financial records. From Valet Bill Center, select the format that you would like to download your payment data into. You can choose the Quicken; and Microsoft Money QIF file format, or the Microsoft Excel CSV format.

What happens if I have a dispute with a payee?

If you have an issue with a specific charge on a bill, you will need to contact your payee directly, just as you do today. You can pay whatever amount you like while you are disputing a specific item or charge, or even decide whether to pay the bill at all.

Can anyone see my personal financial information?

Valet Bill Center is completely committed to safeguarding your personal information and protecting your privacy. Valet Bill Center will never divulge any of your personal information -- contact, financial, bill history -- to anyone else, period. Click here to read more about our Guaranteed Privacy Pledge.

Is Valet Bill Center available in my area?

Valet Bill Center is currently available anywhere in the United States. Due to banking rules and Internet security restrictions, the service is not currently available in any other countries. U.S. subscribers can access the service to receive and pay their U.S. bills, even while traveling abroad.

How can I get help or have a question answered?

You can email us at valetbillcenter@billsupport.com or call us toll free at 1-866-742-8245. Valet Bill Center also features rich, context-sensitive online help that can answer most typical questions.

What is my billing address with Valet Bill Center?

Upon enrollment, you will be assigned a unique P.O. Box number at Valet Bill Center's state-of-the-art mail processing center in Sioux Falls, SD.

For bills you have redirected to Valet Bill Center, this will be your billing address. Your unique address can be found by clicking on the Profile button in Valet Bill Center. Some merchants ask for a billing address to confirm credit card purchases made by telephone or over the Internet. In addition, your payees may reference this address when verifying your account or identity with them.

For SmartBills and bills you receive at home, your billing address will not change.

How do I get started with Valet Bill Center?

You can enroll in Valet Bill Center by clicking on the Enroll Now tab at the top of this page or by calling toll free at 1-866-742-8245. After you enroll, you'll have to complete the Payment Authorization Form. Simply download the PAF during the enrollment process and return it to us via fax or mail along with a blank voided check. Upon receipt of your voided check, your secure Valet Bill Center will be fully activated and you can begin issuing payments to any of your payees.

Can I print out the Payment Authorization Form online?

You can print the Payment Authorization Form during the enrollment process. Then fax it back to Valet Bill Center with a voided check for rapid activation of your account.

What Web browsers do you support?

Valet Bill Center supports the most popular Web browsers, including Internet Explorer 4.0 and above, Netscape 4.0 and above, and AOL. If your browser is not version 4.0 or above, you can update it by clicking on one of the links below:

Internet Explorer users click here.
Netscape users click here.
AOL users click here.

How is my User ID and Password assigned?

Valet Bill Center creates a User ID by combining the first four letters of your last name and a four-digit numeric code. This prevents anyone from trying to guess your User ID, and is much more secure than using a publicly available user name, like your email address. Your Valet Bill Center Welcome Kit contains your User ID and other important information. Your password is any word or code you choose, as long as it is greater than 6 characters and contains at least one numeric and one alphabetic character. Your password is known only by you and is never mailed or transmitted through email. If you forget your password, the Online Password Help feature or customer service can assist you with obtaining a single use, temporary password. You can also change your password at any time.

Can I set up a joint account in Valet Bill Center?

Yes, you can have a joint account with Valet Bill Center. Valet Bill Center even lets you pay bills from multiple bank accounts, if you would like. For joint accounts, each subscriber must have check writing privileges and sign a Payment Authorization Form for each account used.

Do I have to change banks?

No. Valet Bill Center works with any bank or transaction account that allows check writing privileges.

Do I have to have online banking to use Valet Bill Center?

Valet Bill Center works with your current bank and does not require online banking.

How do my payees know I am using Valet Bill Center?

When you enroll in Valet Bill Center, and any time afterwards, you can select which of your bills you would like to receive online. The service works with any of the payees you have today. Valet Bill Center will assist you in notifying your payees to send your bills, either electronically or by mail, for online delivery to your Valet Bill Center Inbox.

How long before I begin to get my bills through Valet Bill Center?

You can immediately register a payee, and as soon as we receive your Payment Authorization Form, you can make a payment through Valet Bill Center. However, it typically takes a few weeks, or until the next bill cycle, for your first bill to arrive online through Valet Bill Center.

Do I have to use Valet Bill Center for all my bills?

No, Valet Bill Center is compatible with all of your current payment processes, including traditional paper checks and online banking. You decide which bills you want to receive and/or pay through Valet Bill Center.

How does Valet Bill Center get my bill information?

To issue payments through Valet Bill Center, you must register your payees by providing their name, billing address, account number (if applicable) and other pertinent information. For bills that you choose to receive at home, this is the only information you need to make available to Valet Bill Center. If you choose to receive bills online, your payees will be notified to send your bills, either electronically or by mail, to one of the Valet Bill Center Processing Centers. Electronic bills are posted immediately to your account. Paper bills are scanned and posted to your account within 24-48 hours of receipt.

How will I know when I have new bills?

Valet Bill Center uses email to let you know the status of your bills. You control how the service notifies you, and can choose to be notified every time a new bill is posted to your account, seven days before a bill is due to be paid, and when a bill is about to go overdue. You can also check Valet Bill Center at any time to verify the status of your bills.

How soon after Valet Bill Center receives a bill will I be notified about it?

Email notification is automatically sent to your attention as soon as a bill is posted in your Valet Bill Center Inbox. Paper bills are posted within 24-48 hours from when they arrive at the Valet Bill Center Processing Center.

What happens if I don't pay a bill?

Valet Bill Center will continue to send you email notifications that a bill is overdue. Bills are never paid unless you authorize them. If you choose not to pay a bill, or pay by some other means, bills can be filed in Valet Bill Center without issuing a payment.

What happens to the hard copies of my bills after they have been scanned?

Your original paper bill is stored for three months from the day of receipt, after which it is shredded for security purposes and recycled. Paper bills received from your payees are converted into electronic form within 24-48 hours from when they are received at one of the Valet Bill Center Processing Centers.

Summary and transactional information is always available online. Bill images are maintained online for one year from the date the bill is posted online. After one year, your bill images are archived offline for up to eight years.

Each year in January, Valet Bill Center offers you the option to purchase a personalized end-of-year CD-ROM that contains all of your previous calendar year's bill history information. On the CD-ROM you can access all of your bill images from the previous year, and all of your summary information. This CD-ROM is an optional benefit, which we provide at an additional cost.

What if some piece of important information, other than a bill, is sent to Valet Bill Center?

Any non-bill notices, such as a rate change, will be scanned and delivered through Valet Bill Center. Account-related items sent to Valet Bill Center, such as a calling card, are immediately forwarded to your home mailing address. All other items received, such as merchandise ordered online, cannot be accepted and will be returned to sender. Please be sure to indicate your home as the shipping address when ordering items online, through catalogs, etc.

Do I have to pay the whole bill amount?

No. You decide and approve the amount of payment for every bill.

How are the payments issued?

Only you can authorize a payment from Valet Bill Center -- 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 the payment has been made for your account.

When are checks issued to my payees?

Most payees do not currently accept electronic payments. Therefore, Valet Bill Center recommends that you set the payment date 5-7 business days in advance of your bill due date. Valet Bill Center cuts paper checks twice a day, Monday through Friday. If you set payment in advance, your check is cut at 6:00 a.m. EST on the day you designated the payment to be sent. To have a check sent out the same day that you authorize payment, you must authorize the transaction by 3:00 p.m. EST.

So, for example, if your payment is due to the payee on the 15th of the month and you set the payment date in advance as the 10th, Valet Bill Center will draft a check from your bank account on the 10th, at 6:00 a.m. EST and mail the check via first class mail to your payee.

If you wait until the 10th to set the payment to go out, you must authorize your payment before 3:00 p.m. EST. (If you schedule the payment after 3:00 p.m. EST, your payment will be issued the following morning.) The money will not be deducted from your bank account until the payee cashes your check.

When are electronic payments issued to my payees?

For payees who can accept Electronic Funds Transfers (EFT), Valet Bill Center recommends that you set the payment date four days in advance of the due date. If you authorize payment in advance, your EFT will be sent at 3:00 p.m. EST on the day you designated for the payment to be sent. To have an EFT issued on the same day you authorize payment, you must authorize the transaction by 3:00 p.m. EST. Please note: some EFT transactions may clear your bank account the same day they are issued. Be sure your account is funded in advance to avoid bounced payments.

When is my last chance to stop a payment?

You can choose to stop a payment up until 12:00 midnight EST on the night prior to the day you have designated for your payment to be sent. For example, if you have designated that your payment should be sent out on the 10th, you can stop the payment up until midnight EST on the 9th. You cannot stop a payment on the designated day a payment is to be sent.

How long does it take for a Valet Bill Center payment to be received?

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 the payment has been made for your account. Valet Bill Center recommends that you plan to allow for five working days for paper checks to reach your payees. We recommend that you allow three business days for electronic payments to reach your payees.

How will I know when payment has been sent?

You will receive a payment confirmation email on the day that your payment is sent.

When will the amount on the checks I authorized be deducted from my account?

If the payee accepts electronic payments, the amount is deducted from your account on the scheduled payment date that you have authorized. If the payee is being paid via paper check, the amount is deducted from your account when your payee cashes the check.

What if my payee cannot accept electronic payments?

Valet Bill Center will issue a paper check if your payee cannot accept electronic payments.

How is my Valet Bill Center service fee handled?

For your convenience, the process of paying your monthly service fee is automated. Seven days prior to the due date, you will receive an email notice from Valet Bill Center and you can review the detailed statement in your Outbox. On the day your payment is due, Valet Bill Center will debit your default payment account via Electronic Funds Transfer (or issue a check on your behalf if your bank doesn't offer EFT). In accordance with the Terms and Conditions of Valet Bill Center service, this monthly fee will be deducted from the checking account you designate as your "default" payment account.

Do I have to use Valet Bill Center for every bill?

No, you choose exactly which bills you want sent to Valet Bill Center. When adding a payee, you will be asked if you want to receive the bill online. If you choose yes, a change of address notification will be sent to your payee, and bills should be redirected to one of the Valet Bill Center Processing Centers. If you choose no, you will continue to receive the bill at home, and you can schedule payments through Valet Bill Center. Please note: there may be some rare instances where your bill will arrive online, but the payee will also send paper bills to your home. Please check your Valet Bill Center to ensure you do not make duplicate payments.

Can I still write paper checks?

Yes. Valet Bill Center does not replace your checkbook -- it simply makes managing your bills easier.

What happens if I do not have enough money in my checking account to cover my bills?

Valet Bill Center issues standard, approved payments against your checking account. Just as with a paper check, you have to maintain sufficient funds in the account to cover all payment obligations. Valet Bill Center is unable to notify you if you have insufficient funds.

Does Valet Bill Center support bill payment by credit card?

Valet Bill Center will only issue payments from an account with check writing privileges. You can use Valet Bill Center to pay your credit card with a check, but cannot use your credit card to pay other bills at this time. Valet Bill Center is currently exploring working with a number of payees to accept credit card payments through Valet Bill Center.

Can I pay all of my bills at one time?

Yes. You can pay multiple bills simultaneously from your Inbox. You can also pay any of your established payees by using the Make a Payment to Any Payee option.

What is the Personal Notes feature, and how is it different from the memo field on a check?

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, the occasion for a gift, or a dispute with the payee. Personal Notes are completely private, and can only be seen by you. In contrast, the memo field on a check is printed right on the check for the purpose of making and additional note to the payee.

What is an automatic payment?

An automatic payment is a payment that you set up to go out every month on a certain date without requiring your approval each time. You can pay the full bill, pay the minimum due, or pay a fixed amount that you are comfortable paying each month. For example, you could tell Valet Bill Center to pay your credit card bill automatically in three different ways:

Pay the entire bill if it is $200 or less. You are contacted for approval if it is more than $200.
Pay the minimum amount due every month.
Pay $100 every month.

You will receive an email notice when an automatic bill is about to be paid.

What is a recurring payment?

A recurring payment is a payment that you issue regularly for a fixed amount, without receiving a bill. For example, your mortgage company may have provided you with a coupon book instead of billing you monthly. You can tell Valet Bill Center to issue this payment to your mortgage company each month. An email notice will be generated each time a recurring bill is about to be paid.

What is the "manual" payment rule?

This rule means that you do not wish to set up an automatic or recurring payment. Instead, every time a bill arrives in Valet Bill Center you would like to be notified via email so that you can access your Valet Bill Center Inbox and review the bill before issuing a payment.

Can I pay my bills from multiple bank accounts?

Yes, you can pay your bills from multiple bank accounts by providing Valet Bill Center with a signed Payment Authorization Form and voided check for each account that you would like to use. Your name must be pre-printed on each check.

How long does Valet Bill Center store my records?

Valet Bill Center keeps your complete bill history online for one year, including your bill images and all transaction information. After one year, you can request a CD-ROM with your bill history to be sent to you for an additional fee. Or, you can request that Valet Bill Center store your bills online for an additional fee.

Can I pay my bills from my savings account?

Currently, United States banking regulations limit the number of transactions that can be made from a savings account. Valet Bill Center works with any transaction account that provides check writing privileges. Valet Bill Center requires receipt of a voided check that has been pre-printed with your name and has an ABA routing number in order to set up that account for payment privileges.

Are Internet transactions safe?

Electronic transactions like Payroll Direct Deposit and Valet Bill Center Bill Payment are extremely safe. Valet Bill Center is password-protected, similar to the Personal Identification Number (PIN) used at an automated teller machine. Unlike normal Internet communication, all information sent to and from Valet Bill Center is encrypted and sent through a secure communications channel. Messages cannot be redirected, read, or tampered with. Valet Bill Center also requires 128-bit SSL encryption.

How secure is Valet Bill Center?

Valet Bill Center service is highly secure, designed to fully safeguard the privacy and security of your financial information. Privacy and security are the cornerstones of Valet Bill Center's services. Valet Bill Center has been reviewed and awarded Verisign™ Secure Site status. Full details of Valet Bill Center's Security and Privacy Pledge are prominently posted on the Web site. Valet Bill Center uses the same high levels of security as other leading online banking and financial trading sites, including SSL encryption and firewall technology.

Who can access my Valet Bill Center and other information?

You are the only person who can authorize payments to be issued by Valet Bill Center against your account. Valet Bill Center Customer Service Representatives access your account information on a need-to-know basis, and only with your approval.

Does Valet Bill Center have access to my checking account?

Valet Bill Center only has access to your checking account in order to direct payments authorized by you through Valet Bill Center (including automatic debit of your monthly Valet Bill Center service fee).

What happens if I forget my User ID?

Please call us toll free at 1-866-742-8245. After your identity has been verified, a Customer Service Representative will provide you with your ID.

What happens if I forget my password?

On the Sign-In page click on the Forgot Your Password? link. For security purposes, you will be asked a series of questions to verify your identity. Once your identity has been verified, a temporary password will be sent to the primary email account on file. This password is only good for one use and must be changed once you enter Valet Bill Center. If you experience any difficulties using the online help, call Customer Service toll free at 1-866-742-8245. After your identity has been verified, your password can be reset to allow you access to your account.

What happens if a bill gets lost?

Valet Bill Center logs and tracks every bill that comes into Valet Bill Center to assure it is delivered to your account. As an added level of service, Valet Bill Center can detect if a regularly occurring bill has not been received when it was expected, and will send an automatic notification to alert you that it has not arrived.

What happens if I can't get Internet access?

If there is an emergency -- you are traveling, have an equipment problem, etc. -- just call Customer Service, toll free, at 1-866-742-8245. A Customer Service Representative will work with you to make sure all of your bills are approved and paid.

What if I have questions about my online bills?

Simply contact Customer Service by emailing valetbillcenter@billsupport.com or calling toll free at 1-866-742-8245. A Customer Service Representative will be happy to assist you with any questions you may have.

What happens if my bill is paid late through Valet Bill Center?

Valet Bill Center issues payments exactly on the date that you specify. It is important to realize that not all payees accept electronic payments. In such cases, Valet Bill Center will issue a paper check and therefore, you should select a payment date that is at least a week before a bill due date. This will allow a paper check issued by Valet Bill Center on your behalf to arrive at your payee on time. Remember, with a paper check, the money stays in your account until the payee processes the payment. For payees who accept Electronic Funds Transfers, you should schedule the payment three days in advance of the due date. However, you should be sure that your checking account is funded on the day you issue payment, as some EFT payments are posted to your payee's account on the same day. In the highly unlikely event of a payment error, Valet Bill Center will pay any penalty fees imposed by the payee.

How do I prove I made a payment?

With Valet Bill Center you can get a complete record and verification of all payments you have made through the system. And, because you are using your regular checking account, all payments will appear on your bank statement.

What happens if I change bank accounts?

Simply fill out a new Payment Authorization Form and include a voided bank check from your new account once your payment privileges are activated for the new account, you can continue to pay your bills through Valet Bill Center just as you did before.

What if my email address changes?

You can contact Valet Bill Center through email at valetbillcenter@billsupport.com or by calling us toll free at 1-866-742-8245. Upon verification of your identity, we will update your records.

How do I cancel my membership with Valet Bill Center?

Please call Valet Bill Center toll-free at 1-866-742-8245. We will assist you in contacting your payees to request that your billing address matches your service address.

How do I handle credit card orders since I have started using Valet Bill Center?

Some merchants (particularly online merchants) ask for a billing address to confirm a credit card payment. The Valet Bill Center P.O. Box associated with the Valet Bill Center Processing Center is your valid billing address if you have redirected that particular credit card bill to Valet Bill Center. If your credit card is registered as a SmartBill, your home is your valid billing address.

I am receiving an error message when I access Valet Bill Center. What can I do?

Please gather the following information and then contact us at valetbillcenter@billsupport.com or 1-866-742-8245.

Who is your Internet Service Provider?
What browser are you running?
What version of the browser is running? (Click on the browser's Help button, then choose "About" to see the version number.)
Are you running Windows 95, 98 or NT?
What type of computer are you using?