How Bank of America Bill Pay Works With Paper Checks

Bank of America offers a convenient bill pay service that allows customers to pay bills online or through their mobile app. While most billers accept electronic payments, some still require good old fashioned paper checks. This article explains how Bank of America’s bill pay handles payments to companies not set up for digital transactions.

Overview of Bank of America Bill Pay

Bank of America’s bill pay platform enables customers to easily manage recurring payments or schedule one-time payments to thousands of billers. Key features include:

• Pay utility bills, cable, phone, rent, credit cards, insurance, subscriptions and more

• Schedule future-dated payments up to a year in advance

• Set up automatic recurring payments

• Make same-day electronic payments to participating billers

• Pay using checking or savings accounts

• Access via online banking or mobile app

• No fee for standard digital payments

Sending Paper Checks Through Bill Pay

While Bank of America bill pay primarily uses electronic transfers, they can also mail paper checks when necessary.

Reasons Bank of America may send a physical check:

• The biller does not accept electronic payments

• You requested a check payment

• The payment amount exceeds the biller’s limit for digital transactions

• Bank of America cannot verify the biller’s account information for digital transfers

• The biller is an individual person rather than a company

How Check Payments Work

Here is the typical process when Bank of America needs to mail a check on your behalf:

• You schedule the payment through online banking or the mobile app as usual

• Bank of America prints and mails a check to the biller

• Funds are deducted from your account once the check is printed (not cashed)

• The biller receives and deposits the check

• The check clears through the traditional check processing system

• The biller receives the money in 3-5 business days after depositing the check

• You can see images of cleared checks in your statement or online banking activity

With check payments, your account is debited when the check is printed rather than when it is cashed. This prevents non-sufficient funds issues if the biller holds onto the check for an extended period before depositing it.

Costs for Check Payments

There are no fees for standard consumer bill pay. However, Bank of America may charge fees in certain cases:

• Overnight Check Fee – $15 for expedited overnight check delivery

• Charitable Donation Check Fee – $1.50 for donations sent by check instead of electronically

• Foreign Currency Check Fee – $20 for checks issued in a foreign currency

Always double check for any special fees before scheduling check payments. Also, the biller themselves may charge extra fees for receiving paper checks.

Tips for Check Payments

• Build in extra processing time since checks take longer than electronic transfers

• Double check the mailing address for the biller

• Avoid using check payments for time-sensitive bills like rent or utilities

• Opt for electronic payment if the biller offers it to avoid delays

• Schedule the payment 5-7 business days before the actual due date

While check writing is fading away, Bank of America’s bill pay service keeps this option available when paying companies lacking digital payment capabilities. Allowing extra time for mailing and check processing ensures these old school payments arrive on time. Carefully reviewing fees for paper checks enables avoiding unnecessary costs as well.