How To Set Up and Use IREA’s Automatic Bill Pay

As an IREA customer, I love the convenience of having my electric bill automatically paid each month. It’s one less thing to worry about! With IREA’s automatic bill pay option, called AutoPay, your bill gets drafted from your bank account or credit card on the due date like clockwork. No more late fees or service interruptions from forgetting a payment.

In this article, I’ll walk through everything you need to know about signing up for automatic bill pay with IREA and making the most of this handy feature. Let’s dive in!

What is IREA AutoPay?

IREA’s AutoPay program automatically pays your monthly electric bill on the due date without you having to do a thing Here’s an overview

• Works by drafting payments from your bank account or credit/debit card monthly
• Can be set up for full or budget billing amounts
• Drafts payment on your bill’s due date around the 9th of each month
• Free to enroll and use with no IREA fees
• Avoid late payments, freeing up time and saving on fees/penalties

Once enrolled AutoPay handles your bill every month like clockwork. The amount due gets withdrawn on the due date and you’re done! It’s a simple, hassle-free way to pay.

How to Enroll in AutoPay

Signing up for IREA’s AutoPay is quick and easy to do online:

1. Login to SmartHub or the IREA mobile app
2. Under Billing & Payments, select AutoPay Enrollment
3. Enter your bank account or credit/debit card information
4. Agree to the terms and conditions
5. Verify your enrollment details and submit

That’s it! The enrollment can take 1-2 billing cycles to take effect, so you may need to manually pay your next bill. Going forward, AutoPay will kick in and payments will process automatically each month.

To enroll by phone, you can call IREA at 303-688-3100 and speak with a customer service rep to sign up. They’ll walk you through the steps.

Pick Your Payment Method

When signing up for AutoPay, you’ll need to choose whether to pay from your bank account or a credit/debit card. Here are the differences:

• Bank account – Payments are drafted as an electronic funds transfer (EFT) from your checking or savings account on your due date. No fees.

• Credit/debit card – Charges your Visa, Mastercard, Discover or American Express card monthly. Credit card fees apply.

I prefer using my checking account for AutoPay since it’s free. But credit cards can help you rack up rewards points if that’s your thing! Choose the method that works best for your situation.

Know Your Monthly Draft Amount

With AutoPay, you have options when it comes to the amount withdrawn each month:

• Pay the total amount due – Covers your full balance each month. Varies based on usage.

• Pay a budget billing amount – Locks in an even monthly payment amount to help you budget. Adjusted quarterly based on usage.

• Pay a fixed amount – Choose a set dollar amount ($50, $150, etc) to be drafted monthly. You’ll still owe any remaining balance.

I stick with paying the total due to stay on top of my usage. But budget billing is great for managing costs in unpredictable weather! Choose what meets your needs.

When Will Payments Draft from My Account?

For AutoPay, IREA will withdraw your monthly payment on the bill’s due date around the 9th of each month.

So if your due date falls on the 10th, expect the AutoPay transaction to hit your bank account or credit card on the 10th like clockwork.

The payment typically takes 1-2 days to fully process and post to your IREA account. Log into SmartHub regularly to verify payments.

Use AutoPay With eBill for Added Convenience

To maximize convenience, pair AutoPay with IREA’s free eBill service.

Instead of mailed paper bills, eBill emails you a monthly notification when your new bill is ready to view and pay online.

Combined with AutoPay, you’ll get an email that your eBill is ready while your payment happens automatically in the background. Streamlined billing at its finest!

Change Your AutoPay Details Whenever You Need

Over time your banking or credit card details may change. If so, be sure to update your AutoPay payment method to avoid any payment issues.

To change your bank account, debit card, or credit card details, simply log into SmartHub or contact IREA. This allows AutoPay to continue withdrawing monthly payments from the new account.

It’s also easy to temporarily suspend or permanently cancel AutoPay at any time if you decide to switch back to manual payments.

Monitor Payment History to Confirm Transactions

An important tip is to periodically check your AutoPay payment history. This ensures payments are being made as scheduled without any missed or duplicate drafts.

Log into SmartHub and navigate to Billing & Payments > Payment History to see your last 18 months of IREA payments, amounts, dates, and statuses.

Scan for any discrepancies and contact IREA right away if you notice a problem so they can investigate.

Enjoy the Bill Paying Convenience

Paying your monthly IREA electric bill used to be a tedious chore. But thanks to AutoPay, it’s now a completely hands-off process!

Sign up once and then sit back while your bill gets paid on time, every time. Avoid late fees, free up your time, and reduce financial hassles.

Need more bill paying flexibility? IREA offers convenient options like budget billing, guest pay, and ways to pay your bill online or by phone.