How to Add and Verify a Facility's Customer's Bank Account for Autopay

Overview

This article provides step-by-step instructions on how to add and verify a facility's customer's bank account to use for autopay.

Preconditions

The following conditions must be met before starting on the instructional steps below: 

• Your facility must already be signed up and verified with a foreUP ACH account (see the following article: Sign Up for a foreUP ACH Account).
• The backend setting, micro-deposit verification, must be turned on for your facility (reach out to foreUP Support to verify that this setting has been enabled for your facility). Without this setting, your customers cannot verify the bank account they add through the online portal.
• Your customer must already have an online account with your facility (see FAQ section below on how to validate your customer already has an online account)

Adding a Bank Account to a Customer Profile

A bank account can be added to a customer's profile through two methods: 

• The customer gives your facility their routing and bank account numbers, and you enter this information for them in their customer profile
• The customer logs into the online portal and adds the bank account themselves

Regardless of the method, the customer MUST log into the online portal to verify their bank account through micro-deposit verification. The facility CANNOT verify a bank account on behalf of their customers. Only the customer can do this by logging into the online portal and completing the micro-deposit verification steps listed in the Verify a Bank Account through Micro-Deposits section below.

Customer Provides Routing and Bank Account Information to the Facility

If your customer provides you with their routing and bank account information, follow the steps below to add a bank account to the customer's profile: 

1. Log into your foreUP account
2. Navigate to the Customers module by clicking on the module dropdown in the top left and selecting Customers
3. Search for the applicable customer using the search bar in the top right
4. Once the applicable customer shows up, click the Actions arrow on the far right and select Edit
5. 
6. Once the customer profile pulls up, click on the Billing tab at the top and select Add Bank Account in the Payment Methods section
7. 
8. Fill in the Routing Number, Account Number, Account Type, and Account Nickname fields
9. Click Save in the bottom right. Two micro-deposits (less than $0.10 each) will be deposited into the customer's bank account in the next one to three business days. Once deposited, the customer MUST log in to the online portal and enter those amounts to verify this account. Payments cannot be processed until the customer has verified the bank account through the online portal (see the Verify a Bank Account through Micro-Deposits section below for the micro-deposit verification steps)

Customer Adds Bank Account Through the Online Portal

If you or your customer would prefer to add their bank account themselves, the customer must follow the below steps:

1. The customer must navigate and log into your facility's foreUP online customer/booking portal
2. Once logged in, the customer will click My Account in the top right
3. 
4. The customer will then click the Billing dropdown on the left and select Manage Payment Methods
5. 
6. The customer will then click Add Payment Method in the top right
7. 
8. A box will pop up, and the customer will need to agree to the terms of service by checking the I agree to the above documents box and clicking Agree & Continue
9. The customer will then fill in the Name, Type, Routing Number, and Account Number fields and click Submit
10. 
11. The customer will receive the following confirmation message:
12. 
13. The customer will then need to log back in to verify the micro-deposits once they see those hit their bank account (see section Verify a Bank Account through Micro-Deposits below)

Verify a Bank Account through Micro-Deposits

Once the above steps are completed and the customer receives the two micro-deposit amounts in their bank account, they are now ready to log into your facility's foreUP online customer/booking portal to verify their bank account by following the steps below: 

1. The customer must navigate and log into your facility's foreUP online customer/booking portal
2. Once logged in, the customer will click My Account in the top right
3. 
4. The customer will then click the Billing dropdown on the left and select Manage Payment Methods
5. 
6. Under the Bank Account section, the customer will click on Verify next to their bank account
7. 
8. The customer will then enter both of the micro-deposit amounts that hit their bank account and click Verify
9. 
10. The customer's bank account is now verified and ready for use!

FAQ

Q: Can I verify my customer/member's micro-deposits for them? 

A: No, the customer or member must log into your facility's online portal and verify the microdeposits themselves.

Q: What if I try to use the customer's bank account before it is verified? 

A: The transaction will fail. The bank account cannot be used for payment until it is verified.

Q: How can I tell if my customer already has an online account? 

A: You can check this by pulling the customer's profile in the Customers module. Under the Information tab of the customer profile, click Login Creds on the left. This will bring you down to the Login Creds box of the customer profile. The customer has an online account if there is a valid email in the Email field. If this field is blank, add the customer's email to that field and give them a password. Once you have added a password and confirmed it, click Save Changes. The system will then send an email to the customer letting them know their online account has been updated and provide them a link to allow them to reset their password and log into the online portal.

Q: What if my customers get a message in the online portal about micro-deposit verification not turned on? 

A: Please contact the foreUP Support Team, and we can assist with turning on the micro-deposit verification backend setting for your facility

Q: When can I expect to see those funds hit my facility's bank account once a customer's bank account has been charged? 

A: The funds will be deposited into your bank account the next business day.

Just so you know, each bank account transaction will hit your bank account as a separate deposit rather than getting lumped into one deposit. For example, two customers' bank accounts are charged today, one in the amount of $500 and another in the amount of $1,000. (the 1% ACH processing fee will be deducted before the funds hit your bank account). You would not see a lump net deposit of $1,485 hit your bank account the next business day but would see two separate deposits, $495 and $990, hit your bank account the next business day.

Q: How long does it take for an ACH transaction to settle fully? 

A: Seven business days. foreUP is pre-funding all of your facility's ACH transactions by offering next-day ACH deposits for all bank account transactions. If the transaction does not fully settle for whatever reason in those seven business days (e.g.: the customer has insufficient funds, the customer put a stop to the transaction, etc.), foreUP will immediately withdraw those funds from your facility's bank account and reverse the sales transaction in your foreUP reports.

You can find a report of all ACH transactions and their statuses by going to Billing > Actions > foreUP ACH Transactions. This report will list all ACH transactions, the status, and how much was deposited into your bank account after removing the 1% ACH fee.

For additional assistance or questions, please contact our Support Team at [e-mail] or [phone]