eCheck (electronic check aka e-check) is an electronic version of paper check. This type of payment usually takes 3 business days to clear unless it is deposited by the recipient. A bank account number, routing number and name are always needed for this transaction to go through.
How To Get Started?
To get started, you need to verify your bank account and routing number. Once you get that done, you can start doing eCheck transactions.
eChecks are not like instant payments like Bank Wire Transfer or Credit Card payments. It has a 3 business day clearing period for the funds to hit your account with zero confirmation from the user’s side.
There are tons of online payment processors that allow eCheck payments. PayPal is one of the popular ones. There are even many eCommerce providers that offer it as a preferred payment type for their customers to buy stuffs.
Fees For Using An eCheck As A Payment Option :
The fees charged depend on the amount you are sending and whether you are using it for personal or business purposes.
It is usually free if the amount of your transaction is under $10,000. Your bank might charge a fee of around $5 for this type of transactions though. If you use eChecks to process payments of about $10,000 or more, then the charges are about 6% of the total amount.
Similar charges apply for personal or business funds transfer via eCheck. The fees however depend on the payment services you use. For Paypal, the transaction fee is 2.9% plus $0.30 USD per transaction. PayPal also imposes a limit of $5,000 USD per transaction.
What Are The Benefits Of Using A Service That Provides eChecks?
Speed of Payment
The time taken for the eCheck funds to reach your account is around 3 business days. It is faster than most other payment methods except wire transfers. There are some providers that even offer same day funding. These transactions, however, come with added fees.
Reliability
Electronic transactions are more reliable than other methods because the chances of your account getting compromised is very rare. The funds are received safely to your own bank account, so you can rest assure that no one else will be able to use it apart from you.
How To Make Online Payments Using eChecks?
Step 1 : Verify Your Bank Account And Routing Number.
There are tons of payment services that allow you to make payments via eCheck. PayPal is probably the most known one. If you use PayPal, here’s how you can do it:
Go to PayPal.com and sign up for an account if you don’t already have one.
Go to Tools > Account information in the menu at the top of any page.
Click “Add bank account” under the section labeled “Bank accounts”. Fill out your bank account name, number, and routing number (ABA/routing number). The ABA (American Banking Association) number is the nine-digit number that’s printed on the bottom of your cheques.
If you plan to use eChecks, don’t forget this step! An eCheck transaction can not be processed until you have verified your bank account with PayPal first. You will not be able to log in to PayPal until the verification process is done.
Step 2 : Make A Purchase You Want To Pay For With An eCheck.
Once you have verified your bank account with PayPal, it’s time to buy goods and services (like selling on eBay or bidding on an online auction).
To make a purchase: Simply login to your PayPal account, go to the “Send Money” tab, and select “eCheck” as your payment option.
You will be shown a list of what you can buy with eCheck. Click on the item/service you want to buy and proceed to checkout. A popup window will appear where you fill out information about your purchase and the address where you want the item shipped. Just fill out the blanks and click “Continue” to complete your PayPal purchase.
Step 3 : Receive The Payment And Match It With The Transaction Details Sent By Us.
eChecks usually take about three business days to be processed by PayPal and deposited in your bank account (except for same day funding). Once the payment is deposited in your bank account, you need to verify that it is actually PayPal that sent you the money. It might take an hour or two before the money shows up in your bank account because of some security checks done by PayPal.