Why is the university charging a service fee for credit card payments?
Why is VISA no longer accepted for tuition and other charges posted to the students account?
What should I do if I only have a VISA card?
Has Northern Arizona University stopped accepting VISA altogether?
What happens if I pay by debit card?
What are my options for paying in other ways at no cost to me?
Is any type of check acceptable to use as an eCheck?
Will the user fee that I am charged be included on my student account breakdown and statement?
How will this appear on my credit card statement?
Can I make a credit card payment over the phone or by mail?
Can I pay in person at the cashier window using a credit card?
Are other colleges and universities making similar changes?
As you may know, the State of Arizona budget challenges have had a significant impact on public universities. In our continuing effort to keep costs down, we must change the way we accept credit card payment for student account charges. Currently, we pay a fee for each credit card payment we receive. This adds up to over $700,000 per year in fees for tuition payments, and costs continue to rise. This change will benefit the student’s by redirecting the funds to academic programs and services to all students.
VISA’s rules do not permit the university to charge a percentage fee. VISA rules require a flat fee to be charged for all payment types which would include e-Check payments.
• MasterCard
• Discover Card
• American Express
Students and parents will be able to make payments directly from their personal checking or savings account. There will not be a charge for processing eChecks. The university will also continue to accept check payments by mail and at the Cashier window. Cash payments may also be made at the Cashier window. Students and families may also wish to view alternative financial aid options at http://www4.nau.edu/finaid/types_of_aid/. Government or alternative loans typically have much lower interest rates than those usually found on credit cards and may be a better choice than paying by a credit card. NAU also offers a low enrollment fee, no interest monthly payment plan.
No. Various departments on campus such as the bookstore, Fronske health services and others that are not charging a service fee are able to accept VISA transactions.
Rather than writing a check from your personal checking account, you can process one electronically. You will need your bank account number and routing number, which are located on the bottom of your personal check.
Debit cards will be treated like a credit card and charged a service fee. If there is a VISA logo on your card it cannot be used to make the payment as VISA is not accepted.
Electronic Checks
We do understand that our customers need payment options so the university will continue to offer you the payment option of eChecks with no service fee charge to you. EChecks are simple to make and require no prior set up by your bank. You input your bank account and routing numbers, which you can get from one of your personal checks, into the secure payment page and the authorized payment will be subtracted from your bank account within 1-2 days.
In Person at the university Cashiers window (Gammage Building) Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
o Cash
o Check
In Person
o At any of the campuses statewide. For a list of locations see:
http://extended.nau.edu/Campuses
o Cash and check at the Yuma location only.
o Check only (no cash) at other statewide locations.
By Mail
Check only (no cash), payable to Northern Arizona University. Please indicate name and ID number of student and what you are paying for on front of check.
eCheck payments can be made from regular U.S. checking accounts in U.S. Dollars. Checks issued from money market accounts, credit card companies, mutual funds, brokerage accounts, home equity, or other lines of credit cannot be processed as an eCheck. These types of checks will continue to be accepted by mail or in person.
No. The service fee is assessed by a third party company, JP Morgan Chase/ Pay Connexion. The service fee will not appear on your student account or on your university bill. Your receipt will indicate the payment amount, the amount of the service fee, and the total amount paid.
Two separate transactions will appear on your credit card statement. One transaction for the student account payment and one transaction for the service fee. The transaction for the student account payment will appear as “NAU Office of the Bursar” and the transaction for the service fee will appear as “JPM NAU Bursar’s Office”.
No. Credit card payments cannot be made over the phone or via mail. This is a security measure to ensure confidentiality of your payment information.
No. Credit card rules say that service fees must be charged for all payment types for a given payment location. If we allowed credit card payments at the Cashier’s window, we would also have to add the service fee to check and cash transactions. Therefore, we had to move all credit card payment processing to a third-party credit card processor. Northern Arizona University does provide computer workstations near the Cashier’s office in Flagstaff for use by our walk-up customers who choose to make an online payment using MasterCard, Discover Card or American Express. In addition, each campus location throughout the state can accommodate student payments at a terminal in the office.
Yes. Many colleges and universities both within and outside of Arizona have already made similar changes regarding credit card acceptance.
SUMMARY
Questions?
Please contact:
Northern Arizona University
The Office of the Bursar
928-523-3122
bursar@nau.edu
© 2009 Arizona Board of Regents.
Northern Arizona University, South San Francisco Street, Flagstaff, Arizona 86011
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