Electronic check payments

Use this page for information about electronic check payments.

Overview

  • The SIVR can take payments without verification, but it will not say the account balance.
  • Payments are immediately sent to the bank for processing.
    • If you search a payment transaction and the status shows as "unsettled," this just means that our payment processor has not received money from the customers bank. The payment is not be eligible for refund, but it is allowed to be canceled.
    • Banks may not be able to tell the difference between a customer's savings or checking account. When a checking account number is identical to a savings account number, then funds come out of the checking account or the bank may decline the transaction.
  • Checks that are returned as NSF (insufficient funds) are sent one more time to get the funds from the bank account before charging a fee.
  • Customers receive a free text message for their ECP payment.
    • The message refers to the payment as an ACH (Automated Clearing House) transaction.
    • You may give the transaction ID number from the confirmation page of the submitted form.
    • The transaction ID number is a payment reference and pending settlement with their financial institution.
  • Requests for the T-Mobile Payee ID or Company ID:
    • Financial institutions can use Tax ID 1912159335 to verify T-Mobile and whitelist T-Mobile to take payments from the customer's account.
    • If the tax ID does not work, then provide the customer with 0000450304.

Restrictions

  • Never write down, email, instant message, memo in Samson, or keep (in any other form) bank account information.
    • When corresponding with a customer or employee through email, remove any customer-specific payment information (credit card number, bank number etc.) before replying.
    • When email correspondence is complete, delete the customer's emails from your inbox and empty your deleted items.
  • Never use self-service systems on behalf of the customer to make a one-time payment or set up a payment arrangement to avoid fees (Guest Pay, SIVR, etc.)
  • ECPs are not available for:
    • Prepaid customers (Prepaid customers can make a payment by calling *ADD, visiting My T-Mobile or at any T-Mobile store.)
    • No Credit Check (NCC) customers
    • EIP balance payments in Care or My T-Mobile
    • Desposit payments in Care
    • Foreign bank accounts
    • Cashier's checks
    • Retail stores (ECPs and paper checks are not supported in Retail locations.)
  • ECP for $500 or more over the current balance:
    • These payments will be declined.
    • T-Mobile.com and the T Life app also block a customer from making ECP payments that create a credit balance of $500 or more over the current balance.
    • Recommend customers to use a credit or debit card to make an overpayment to create a credit balance for $500 or more.
  • Collecting information:
    • Never process a payment with information a customer has sent by email.
    • Do not use Google or other search engines to look up bank routing numbers.
    • Do not conference call the bank on the customer's behalf. Advise the customer not to conference call their bank when speaking with us.
  • Never assist customers who ask to pay with an account that they admit is invalid or is lacking enough funds.
    • Tell your customer: "Given that you have indicated that your payment method is not good, we will be unable to process your payment using this [checking account/credit card/debit card]. Please provide me with an alternative form of payment to complete your transaction today."
    • Memo the account that we shouldn't take the same payment information again from this customer. (Do not include account or routing numbers.)
  • Care/RSL processing limit permissions
    • Most profiles: $9,999
    • Super users: $75,000

 

Process a payment

  1. Verify that the customer is T-Life Ready.
    • Using self-service means the customer doesn't need to pay the $10 payment support fee or $5 payment support charge in Retail.
    • Walk the customer through the T-Life steps or use the Atlas Messaging tool to send an SMS for "Pay my bill." The SMS provides a link that takes the customer directly to the T-Life "Pay my bill" screen or to the app store to download T-Life.
    • Internal Care can use Screen Share to help a customer learn how to navigate to "Pay my bill" in T-Life.
    • If the caller is unverified, they must pay in self-service. (Unverified callers cannot consent to the payment support fee, so they must use self-service.)
  2. If the customer refuses to use self-service, then tell them about $10 payment support fee.
  3. Access the Payment Form using either:
    • The Make a Payment button in the Atlas account overview section
    • The Magenta Pulse Payment Form link (Use Chrome to access the link.)
  4. If they are suspended review Restore involuntary suspensions for payment processing and advisements. 
  5. Atlas will automatically populate the BAN information when an account is already accessed.
    • Enter the account number or mobile number, select search. Always use the account number for canceled accounts.
    • Select the customer’s account from the results list.
  6. The past due or minimum amount to restore will be automatically selected.
  7. You can select balance in full or enter a different amount. You must use the decimal when manually entering the payment amount.
    • Minimum payment amount: $1
    • Maximum payment amount: $9,999.99
  8. Verify if the customer has a stored payment method on the account.
    • If not, encourage the customer to save a payment method so that future one-time payments will be easier.
    • If the customer wants to save the payment method, select Save this payment method for other future transactions. This does not set up on AutoPay.
  9. If the customer has a stored payment method, the last stored payment method will be selected as the default payment option if available
  10. You can select "change method" and select a different payment source.
  11. Choose a payment source:
    • If a stored bank account number is available in the Method on File tab:
      • You may proactively offer the last four digits to verify the account if they have only one account stored.
      • If they have more than one stored account, your customer must give the last four digits of the account number they want to use. Representatives can't offer this information.
      • If they have multiple accounts listed and can't give the last four digits of the checking account on file, the stored ECP information can't be used.
      • They must give new checking account information.
    • If no bank account number is available:
      1. Select New bank account.
      2. Enter the name as it appears on the bank account.
      3. Enter the routing number. If your customer has paid by check before, you may confirm the last four of the routing number found in the Method on File tab.
      4. Review http://us-routing-numbers.com to find their routing information, ask for the name of their bank to verify you have found the correct routing number.
      5. Enter the bank account number. Do not include the check number.
      6. If desired, add a nickname.
      7. Repeat all information back to your customer to verify it is correct.
  12. Review the AutoPay option with your customer:
    • If they don't want to be enrolled in AutoPay continue to the next step.
    • To set up AutoPay, click the Use this payment method for AutoPay. 
  13. Ask if they would like a receipt. If yes, enter an email address in the Send receipt field. (This step must be completed in the payment form.)
  14. Select the language preference for the receipt
  15. Review the Terms and Conditions for Payment. You must get the customer's permission to process the payment and click the Customer agreed to Terms and Conditions box before submitting.
  16. Click Submit Payment and give the transaction ID number upon request. Tell them an SMS notification will be sent.

Incorrect payment amount

  • If an incorrect payment amount was made same day, check to see if the payment is eligible to be canceled in Atlas. Follow Cancel a Same Day Payment.
  • The customer can choose to do the following if the payment is not eligible to be canceled:
    • Submit another payment for the difference, if they want to pay more. Waive the Payment Support Fee in this instance.
    • Review Refunds support Payment refunds T-Mobile error, if they want to pay less.
      • If the incorrect amount processed was more than your customer intended to pay, confirm the amount will clear their bank and not come back returned for insufficient funds before proceeding with a refund request.
      • If they don't have funds available to clear, don't submit a refund request.