Will Bank of America write checks again

Question

Now that we’ve reauthorized all Merrill Lynch and Bank of America accounts, will Bank of America resume handling the CheckPay service as they did prior to the switch to the current provider? I certainly hope so.

Bank of America was flawless in providing that service for over a decade. Unfortunately, the change to whoever currently handles check payments through Quicken has felt like a major step backward — almost like going back in time.

Bottom line: the current check payment service simply doesn’t measure up to what we had before.

Will Bank of America be handling check payments going forward?

Fred Flintstone · Answer

Thank you for your detailed comments and solutions. Consider me enlightened. I don’t like the answer, but we’ll find a way to adapt. It was so much easier when I only had to interface with Quicken instead of juggling N different payee accounts.

UKR · Answer

If your bank (the one that runs your checking account) recently required you to reauthorize your checking account and/or your bank has changed from "Direct Connect" to "Express Web Connect" or "Express Web Connect+" you can no longer use Online Bill Pay direct to the bank or Quicken Bill Manager's Quick Pay function. The bank or biller no longer supports this function through Quicken.

IMHO, you have these alternatives (in no particular order of preference):

* Set up and use Quicken Bill Manager's Check Pay making sure to submit payment early enough (at least 3 weeks before due date) to allow time for delivery and processing of a paper check. Note: limited number of free transactions per month.
* 
Every month logon to the bank's website and, using the bank's Online Bill Pay service, schedule your bill pay payments to be executed by the bank from your checking account. In parallel to that, in Quicken use a regular Scheduled Reminder to record your payment. Repeat both actions every time another payment is due.
* 
Bypass Bill Manager. Automate the process. Let the biller's (or credit card company's) computer system do all the work for you.

Logon to the biller's website once and set up their Autopay, APS, Direct debit, etc. service to make the current payment and all future payments on Due Date directly from your checking account. In parallel to that, in Quicken, every month, record a regular Scheduled Reminder to keep track of your payments before they come due.
* 
Write (or print with Quicken) a paper check and mail it to the biller, making sure to mail payment early enough (at least 10 days before due date) to allow time for delivery and processing.

I've been using method #3 for decades, since before the Internet and transaction download capabilities were even introduced. It's easy to get used to this process. And I have yet to miss a single payment.

Boatnmaniac · Answer

Will Bank of America be handling check payments going forward?

BofA is the one who decided to drop support for the Direct Connect connection method.  DC is required for the Bank Bill Pay process.  Unless BofA decides to add support for DC, again, the Bank Bill Pay process will not be possible.

Will BofA ever add DC support, again?  That is something you will need to ask BofA since they own making that decision.  But I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you.  The general trend in the financial industry is to move away from DC and EWC connection methods and replace them with EWC+ which does not support Bank Bill Pay.  In all my years of using Quicken I cannot recall one instance of where a financial institution discontinued support for DC and then later added support for DC, again.

If you wish to use the Bank Bill Pay process, again, you should probably be considering setting up a checking account at a bank that still supports DC.  Just know that no one knows which of the DC-support banks will keep DC or will replace it with EWC+.  Currently, I have DC Bank Bill Pay set up with PNC Bank.  See the Support Article at this link for a list of banks that still support DC with Bank Bill Pay:  List of banks that support Bank Bill Pay in Quicken .

Alternatively, you can always log into your online BofA checking account and schedule your bill pay transactions there.  When those payments are processed and completed they will be downloaded into Quicken.