In the 1999 classic “Bills, Bills, Bills,” Destiny’s Child prudently asked, can you pay my bills? Can you pay my telephone bills? Can you pay my automo-bills?
And with Branch, the answer is YES to all of those questions. Whether it’s rent or an upcoming phone bill, there are multiple ways to pay those timely expenses using your Branch Card and Wallet.
Connecting the Branch Card
(Pay-Online-Rent, Cell Phone Bills, Utility Bills, Entertainment Subscriptions, Partial Insurance Payments, and Other Monthly Payments)
Most bills have an online portal that allows you to pay with your debit card. It’s one of the easiest ways to set up payments—simply log into the account you have set up for that bill and enter your Branch Card into the biller’s portal. (Pro-tip: tap the card number in the Branch Wallet to easily copy your card number). You can do this manually each month or set up recurring payments.
Many landlords and almost all cell phone and utilities providers have websites where you can make payments this way. This is also a handy option if you make monthly car or insurance payments. Entertainment subscriptions like Netflix and Amazon offer this option too.
Conducting Electronic Fund Transfer
(Rent, Utility Bills, Pay-in-Full Insurance, and More Traditional Billers)
Your landlord won’t accept debit cards? Not to fret, you can also provide your Branch Wallet account and routing number to pay. This allows them to make automatic withdrawals of your rent from your account. Most billers, including utilities and insurance providers, offer this option as well. This is an especially helpful way to send money for larger amounts, like when you want to pay your car insurance in-full.
Want to make the transfers on your own rather than having it pulled from the account? You can also transfer up to $1,000 from your Branch account for free. Note, this still takes 3 business days to process.
Paying with P2P Payments Apps
(Roommates, Select Landlords)
Branch-friendly peer-to-peer (P2P) payment apps like Venmo, PayPal, and Cash App have become increasingly popular ways not just to pay friends and family, but landlords. You can link your Branch account to Venmo, Paypal, or Cash App and send payments to landlords who have those apps or roommates you share bills with. These connected apps will just draw the funds from your Branch account.
Paying with Cash
(Some Rental Agreements, Emergencies)
Some landlords have the option of paying rent in cash. Keep in mind that this is a riskier option; cash transactions aren’t easily traceable. You’ll need to make sure you’re handing the cash over to an authorized recipient and get a receipt. But sometimes, cash may be your only option in case of an emergency. Using your Branch card, you can take out up to $1000 in cash at any Allpoint ATM for free* simply by adjusting your ATM limit up in the app. Note, you can do this twice per month, and the limit increase is temporary for your security.
Not only are there multiple ways to pay with your Branch account and card, but also payments made with Branch are recorded onto your account statements, which you can view and download account statements through Wallet settings. Having that (digital) paper trail along with auto-budgeting can help you keep track of bills, payments, and other spending.
Ultimately how and when you want to pay your bills is up to you. Your billing preferences can be updated easily with Branch’s range of payment methods. Still hesitant? To answer DC’s questions, we’re confident we could chill—stay tuned for more updates as we’re always adding new options. If you have questions about any of these available ways to pay your bills or figuring out how to set them up, reach out to support@branchapp.com.
*Up to 8 free ATM transactions per month in the Allpoint network. A $2 fee will apply per transaction after 8 transactions until the next month.
