Payment Options

A credit card merchant or interchange fee will now be passed through to the card holder for any payment made using a credit or debit card.

An interchange fee is designed to cover the costs associated with accepting, processing and authorizing card transactions. A small portion of the interchange fee goes toward the credit card processing service, and the rest goes to the bank or credit card company associated with the card that was used to make the purchase.

To avoid credit and debit card merchant fees, customers can opt for the following free payment methods:

• E-Check: Customers can make payments using an electronic check, which allows them to pay directly from their bank account without incurring any credit card merchant fees.
• ACH Payments: Automated Clearing House (ACH) payments are another fee-free option. Customers can enroll in ACH to set up direct payments from their bank account, ensuring timely bill payments without additional charges.
• Cash Payments: Customers can pay their bills in cash at designated BPUB payment locations. This method helps avoid any fees associated with credit card transactions.

To set up AutoPay (E-Check) bank payments, follow these steps:

1. Access your BPUB account and select "Pay Online" from the Payment Options Tab. From the "My Profile" dropdown, navigate to the payment methods section and select the ACH payment method. This option allows you to set up direct payments from your checking account.

To enroll for ACH payments, follow these steps:

• Fill Out the ACH Authorization Form: Provide your personal and bank details, including your BPUB account number, bank name, routing number, and account number.
  Download the form in English or Spanish.

• Authorize Withdrawals: Sign the form to authorize BPUB to withdraw funds for your monthly utility charges on a specified day each month.
• Attach a Voided Check: Include a voided check to verify your bank account information. BPUB also accepts your financial institution's Direct Deposit/Automatic Payment form.
• Submit the Form: Return the completed form and voided check to BPUB. Customers can email the form and voided check to [email protected] or in person at the BPUB Administration Building at 1425 Robinhood Dr.

BPUB incurs an additional cost from customers who pay their bills using a credit card. BPUB does not recover costs from customers who choose this payment method. Instead, the costs are allocated and recovered from all customers through their utility rates.

Each credit card transaction will incur a fee of 1.95% or $2.50, whichever is greater. Credit card payments made through the automated payment phone system will see an additional $0.95 charge. The reason for this surcharge is due to an additional service that is required to take the data from the automated payment phone system to BPUB's third-party payment processor.

It is not uncommon for municipalities and utilities to have merchant/interchange credit card fees in place. The merchant/interchange fee that BPUB secured at 1.95% from its third-party payment processor is one of the lowest for customers.

No, the merchant service charge will only apply when using a credit/debit card for payment. Customers who pay by cash, check, E-check, or ACH will not incur any additional fees.