Virtual Card Payments with BILL

When you process Payment Assistant payments through BILL, BILL can pay a vendor that accepts cards with a virtual card. This topic explains how virtual card payments work for your organization and your vendors.

Note: Don’t see this yet? The ability to use BILL with Payment Assistant is currently in an Early Adopter Program (EAP) for some of our customers. Look for full support and general availability in a future release.

Virtual Card Payments in Payment Assistant with BILL

A virtual card payment is a single-use card number that BILL creates for one payment to one vendor. The card is good for the exact payment amount, and it expires 20 days after BILL issues it. BILL emails the card to the vendor's remittance email address, and the vendor runs the card the way they run a card payment. The vendor receives the funds when they run the card.

What Vendors Do to Receive a Virtual Card Payment from BILL

Vendors don't need to do anything beyond running the card the way they run a card payment. BILL sends the card by email, so the vendor needs only a way to process card payments. After the vendor runs the card, the payment is complete.

When BILL Pays a Vendor by Virtual Card

BILL identifies vendors that accept cards when it matches your vendors against the BILL Network in the background, and it pays those vendors by virtual card unless your organization or the vendor opts out. For vendors that don't accept cards, BILL pays by ACH when the vendor has bank information that is shared with BILL, and by check when the vendor has only an address. BILL connects vendors to its network automatically.

Time Vendors Have to Run a Virtual Card from BILL

Vendors have 20 days from the day BILL issues the card. After that, the card expires. The processing timeline shows when BILL emails the card after your organization approves a payment run.

Virtual Cards That Vendors Haven't Run

Before the card expires, BILL emails the vendor a reminder. In rare cases, BILL also calls the vendor. If the vendor still hasn't run the card within 20 days, BILL voids the card and sends the payment again by ACH when the vendor has bank information, or by check when the vendor doesn't. BILL emails your organization and the vendor when this happens. BILL also voids other stale payments, such as checks that aren't cashed within 90 days.

Partial Use of a Virtual Card Payment

A vendor can use up to the full card amount across several charges before the card expires. If the vendor uses only part of the amount, BILL automatically refunds the remainder to your funding bank account after 20 days. BILL emails your organization a summary that shows the original amount, the amount processed, and the amount refunded.

In Financial Edge NXT, the Payment Assistant tile on the bank draft shows Amount available and Amount refunded for every payment, including virtual card payments. The tile also shows the last four digits and expiration date of the card. The grid on the Payments tab shows the same details as Available amount and Refunded amount. Funds that BILL returns reach your funding bank account within two to five business days.

Opting Out of Virtual Card Payments with BILL

Yes, but not on your own in Financial Edge NXT. To stop virtual card payments for your whole organization or for a single vendor, contact Blackbaud Support, and Support works with BILL to make the change. A vendor can also tell BILL that it doesn't want to receive cards. After an opt-out, BILL pays the vendor by ACH when the vendor has bank information, or by check when the vendor doesn't.

Vendors That Can't Receive Virtual Card Payments from BILL

Some vendors can't receive a virtual card. Reasons include that the vendor doesn't take cards, accepts debit cards only, charges a surcharge that BILL won't absorb, or requires an account number that BILL doesn't have. For some vendors, BILL can enter the card details in the vendor's own payment portal. Otherwise, BILL pays these vendors by ACH or check.

Fees for Virtual Card Payments with BILL

Virtual card payments are free for your organization, and your organization doesn't earn rebates on them. Vendors pay their own merchant fees for the cards they accept. BILL doesn't charge vendors for check or ACH payments. BILL does charge a fee for each check and ACH payment.

Vendor Help with Virtual Cards from BILL

Vendors contact BILL's virtual card team through the contact information in the card email from BILL.