Source
r/Banking•
off-planet

Why do us cell carriers refuse

Other

to accept electronic payments from banks unless there is a term contract.

I switched carriers because they refused to provide me the necessary information so my bank could send them an electronic payments.

Then I found out the carrier I switched to does the same thing.

the sales people told me I could make electronic payments. After I switched the customer support people told me I would have to sign a term contract in order to have the bank send the carrier an electronic payment.

I don't want to put my bank account information into the carriers website. I am certain the carrier's website will be hacked.

My bank pays all my monthly bills electronically except for the phone bill.

I would like to find a solution to this problem.

Posted Apr 6, 2021, 10:17 AM UTC

315
jdsmn21•

I would like to find a solution to this problem

Pick one:

Pay with credit/debit card online

Pay with credit/debit/cash in store

Mail a check

9
SheriffHeckTate•

Do you mean you have to have a term contract for how long your cell will be with that carrier or are you just talking about the term the electronic payment is good for (X months or whatever?). The second one should be easy enough for you to set up with the bank. You'd just need to set a new one every once in awhile.

If you mean the first one then ask your carrier.

Either way it probably has something to do with fraud.

4
originalgrapeninja•

Your carrier won't take any automated payments?

2
SheriffHeckTate•

That isnt what OP is saying. They mean they want the payment to originate at the bank instead of at the carrier. Basically the bank to send the money to the carrier instead of the carrier taking it from the bank account.

3
jdsmn21•

Like billpay?

3
SheriffHeckTate•

Probably.

1
off-planetOP•

That is exactly right.

2
originalgrapeninja•

I understand, but he's looking for a solution.

-1
off-planetOP•

Each of the 3 carriers wanted the same thing. Give them permission to withdraw from my account an amout they set at a time of their choosing. I have been burned by this mechanism in the past. It was coumbersom to set right. I do not want to put my banking info on a website I am sure will be hacked.

3
originalgrapeninja•

I understand what you're saying, though I do find it a little bit paranoid.

The best tool for this situation is a credit card.

5
devman0•

Assuming this is the US, I don't think the big 3 or any prepaid MVNOs will take ACH payments or checks for prepaid service. Cash (in the form of pin cards) or Debit/Credit only.

If you want to pay with electronic bill paying or checks you have to be on a post-paid service. It is worth noting though that post-paid services can be month-to-month they don't necessarily have to be long term contracts.

What carrier are you having an issue with?

1
off-planetOP•

3 different carriers. Month to month, that is worth checking out. Thank you.

1
devman0•

for what it's worth I've been on prepaid for years now, but I used to pay Verizon with bill pay services when I used them for post-paid cell service. I have no idea if that still works or not I think they were pushing everyone hard to their "auto pay" system. Now I just pay my prepaid service with a credit card and pay the credit card with bill pay.

1
qlr1•

Yeah, you can add your Verizon bill info into your bill pay service, if you're a postpaid customer.

They are pushing the auto pay discount if you let them debit your account. I have a debit card on file, but I just pay the whole bill before the payment date to avoid the auto payment.

1
JimAkin•

Have you considered using a credit card to pay the phone bill, and then using an automatic bank payment to pay the resultant credit card charge? This may accomplish the same end result for you, with the added bonus of keeping your credit card active. If you use an otherwise dormant card, the monthly usage reduces the odds the card issuer will close the account for inactivity. (That's normally not a big concern, but I've heard anecdotal complaints since the COVID pandemic began that some card issuers are shutting down disused cards.)

1