Tip of the day: Sign up for e-statements, get free Bill pay

You probably know that when you sign up for American 1’s e-statement service, you can take advantage of our online Bill Pay services for no charge.

Some members, however, have noticed that they still get charged for using Bill Pay after signing up for e-statements.

Here’s the fix: after you sign up for e-statements, log on to our A1@home home banking system, and then head to the Bill Pay area. Bill Pay recognizes that you are enrolled in the system and stops the monthly fee.

The issue seems to be with members who rarely use Bill Pay. Regular Bill Pay users never recieve a charge; it’s only members who haven’t used the system that seem to get charged.

So remember: after signing up for e-statements, immediately head to the Bill Pay site, and everything should be automatic. Check out our Bill Pay page for instructions on how to get set up.

Bill Pay down this Sunday morning

Just a quick heads-up: our Bill Pay services will be down Sunday, November 2, from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. local, Eastern time.

Bill Pay will be unavailable during those hours, so all your super-early-morning bill payers will have to hold out for just a bit. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Have a great Halloween weekend everyone.

Update: Bill Pay on the iPhone

After some experimentation, I found out that our online banking service, A1@home, works just fine in the iPhone’s Mobile Safari browser, but I wondered how Bill Pay would work.

It turns out it works just fine (see above). You can zoom in to input your bill pay amounts, and while it lacks the fancy features like pop-up calendars, Bill Pay works like a charm.

So there you have it. Pay your bills anywhere you have a cell connection with American 1’s online Bill Pay and your iPhone.

American 1 available on the iPhone

If you were one of the brave folks who ventured out Friday to grab a new iPhone 3G – you survived the crowd, the lines, the servers crashing – you may wonder whether your American 1 A1@home online banking services are available through the phone’s internet browser, Safari.

Rest assured: accessing A1@home is easier than activating your phone was.

I pulled up our homepage and placed it as a bookmark on one of my home screens. Logging into A1@home works just like it does on your computer, and you’re able to view your accounts and balances.

We don’t have the fancy-schmancy mobile banking platforms some bigger banks do (must be all those fees they charge), but knowing you have access to your online banking anywhere you go is a good feeling. I still have to try out Bill Pay, but I’ll let you know as soon as I test it.

Bill Pay maintenance on these dates

Just a heads up: Bill Pay will be down from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. the following dates for maintenance.

• Sunday, June 8
• Sunday, Aug. 10
• Sunday, Sept. 7
• Sunday, Oct. 12
• Sunday, Nov. 2

All you late night/early morning bill payers will have to wait until a decent hour Sunday morning. Sorry for any inconvenience!

Bill Pay down on these dates.

Just a heads up: our Bill Pay service will be down from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. the following dates:

• April 27, 2008
• May 11, 2008
• June 8, 2008
• August 10, 2008
• September 7, 2008
• October 12, 2008
• November 2, 2008

So if you plan on doing any late-night bill paying, don’t try it on the above dates.

Sorry for any inconvenience!