Payment Methods

Payment Methods

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. What are my payment options?

Effective July 6, 2010, the following payment methods are accepted by the Cashier Office. The most significant change in payment methods are highlighted in red. ECU, as well as other UNC System schools, has elected to make these changes in an effort to increase security over credit card payments and in response to on-going budget cuts from the State of North Carolina. We regret any inconvenience.

Payment Type	Payment Methodology	Payment Location
Cash	In person	Cashier Office
Check Money Order Certified Check	In person US Mail Other mail package delivery services such as UPS, etc	Cashier Office
Wire Transfer	Bank Transfer	N/A
Web Check (tentative)	On line only	One Stop – Tuition Statements and Payment Option
Debit Cards PIN based only	In person	Cashier Office
Credit Cards American Express Discover Master Card	On line only	One Stop – Tuition Statements and Payment Option
All credit card payments will be assessed a 2.75% convenience fee
ECU NO LONGER ACCEPTS CREDIT OR DEBIT CARD PAYMENTS BY TELEPHONE, MAIL OR BY FAX
ECU no longer accepts VISA branded credit cards

Computer access is available in the Cashier Office and Cashier staff will be available to assist with the on-line payment process.

For more information about all payment options, please reference the Cashier Office web page at http://www.ecu.edu/cs-admin/financial_serv/cashier/Method-of-Payment.cfm.

2. “Free” On –Line Payment Options

Effective July 15, 2010, students and authorized users can pay on line with E-check without incurring any additional costs. Students and authorized users will be prompted to enter a valid bank routing and account number and to authorize the payment from the checking or savings account associated with the banking information provided. Bank drafts returned for Non Sufficient Funds will result in a returned check charge of $25.00 and this charge will post to the student’s account.

The Cashier Office continues to accept Pin Based Debit Cards at no additional costs in the Cashier Office located at G120 Old Cafeteria.

3. How do I make payments online?

Students will log into Onestop using their PirateID and Passphrase. Students will then click on the “Tools” tab and select the “The Tuition Statements and Payments” link in the “Courses” box.

This will log users directly into the e-Billing web portal where users can make payments online, view eBills, and view current account activity.

4. Can I make a partial payment on line?

Yes. Prior to July 6, 2010 payments made on line had to be for the full amount displaying as the student’s balance on account. Now the amount due will display, but the student or authorized user has the flexibility to pay any portion of the bill by typing in the amount to be paid in the space provided. Please note that students and authorized users need to verify that account balances are paid in full or secured with pending financial aid disbursements and/or other third party payments to prevent schedule cancellation.

5. Can I give online access to my eBill and student account to my parents and/or other individuals?

Yes. Once students have logged into the eBill system through ECU's OneStop, the student will select the “Authorized Users” link. On this page, the student will enter the authorized user’s email address and select what type of account access an authorized user will have. Authorized users can be given access to view billing statement and/or access to view payment history.

Once this information has been submitted, the authorized user will receive an email notification which will include the authorized user link for login, user name and password. Students can add multiple authorized users.

Please not that authorized users DO NOT have access to academic records or other personal information. In order for authorized users to be able to receive information concerning academic records or to speak with an ECU Cashier Office representative about your account balance in detail, the Buckley Form will need to be completed through your Onestop account. For more information concerning the Buckley Form please visit http://www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/registrar/FERPA.cfm.

6. Do you charge for online payments?

Payments made online by e-check (also known as electronic check, bank draft, or ACH transfer) are not assessed a convenience fee. However, credit card payments will be assessed a 2.75% convenience fee.

7. Why do you charge a convenience fee for processing credit card transactions?

The University has out-sourced credit card payment processing for tuition, fees, housing, and meal plan charges to TouchNet. To cover its operating costs associated with processing card payments and with maintaining its information and technology infrastructure, TouchNet charges a 2.75% fee on credit card transactions processed.

Within the Payment Card Industry, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover allow charging a convenience fee as a percentage of the total sales transaction. VISA allows convenience fee charges but in a different format that is not compatible with our credit card processor. So a VISA credit card is no longer an acceptable payment method with the ECU Cashier Office.

8. When will my online payment show on my account?

Online payments will post to the student’s account immediately. Other than the convenience fee charges that will calculate at payment check out, the change in credit card processor from ECU to TouchNet should be transparent to users.

9. Is it safe to make payments online?

Yes, it is safe to make payments online through ECU’s Bill Payment software. Online payment services are provided by TouchNet, a PCI-compliant software provider. The PCI Data Security Standard is a set of stringent security requirements that must be followed by any service provider (TouchNet) or merchant (ECU) accepting credit card payments. These requirements are enforced by credit card companies and are reviewed annually by a third-party auditing firm. Some of the controls in place are the use of Secure Socket Layer encryption (SSL) to protect payment information as it travels over the Internet and industry-leading encryption algorithms that render card data unreadable when stored by TouchNet.

Be sure to look for the little lock at the bottom of a browser window to ensure the web site visited utilizes encryption to protect data in transit.

10.Do you accept checks online (also known as e-Checks) from a non-United States bank account?

No. Payments made online by check must be funded from a US bank account and must be in US dollars. The Cashier office cannot accept payments on-line from a foreign bank account or in foreign currency.

11. How was the 2.75% convenience fee determined?

The percentage rate for the convenience fee was determined by TouchNet as part of the outsourcing agreement for services.

12. Why will the Cashier’s Office no longer accept VISA credit cards?

13. Can I use my VISA credit card at other offices on campus?

Yes, these changes only apply to payments made on your student account at the Cashier’s Office. Other offices, such as the University Bookstore or Central Ticket Office are not affected by this change.

14.Why am I able to use my VISA credit card at other offices on Campus?

Processing restrictions are unique to each merchant ID and ECU has over 35 active merchant ID’s on campus. For example, alumni and athletics have their own merchant ID. ECU has taken its first steps in payment type restrictions based on volume of transactions processed – which just happens to be the ECU Cashier Office.

15.Are other colleges and Universities within North Carolina making similar changes?

Yes. ECU and as well as other UNC System schools have elected to makes these changes in an effort to increase security over credit card payments and in response to on-going budget cuts from the State of North Carolina. We regret any inconvenience.