Pennsylvania College of Technology is committed to managing funds entrusted to the institution as efficiently as possible. During 2011-12, the cost to the College for providing an option for students and parents to use credit and debit cards to pay tuition bills exceeded $460,000. In order to continue providing an option for credit and debit card payments, card payments will be processed through a third-party vendor, who will assess a convenience fee for each transaction. This will ensure the cost of the service impacts only those who choose to use it.
Debit cards are treated like credit cards and charged a service fee.
No, a third-party company, Touchnet, charges the service fee. It will not appear on your student account or bill. During payment, the amount of the convenience fee being charged will show in advance and the convenience fee will be included on your receipt.
Two separate transactions will appear on your credit card statement: one for the student account payment and one for the service fee.
The service fee is non-refundable, even if the payment to which it relates is canceled, refunded, credited or charged back.
No, credit card payments cannot be made over the phone or via mail. This is a security measure to make sure your payment information stays private.
While you can’t pay with a credit card at the Bursar’s Office counter, there is a payment kiosk in the Bursar’s Office where you can make an online payment using Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express.
According to credit card rules, convenience fees must be charged for all payment types for a given payment location. If we allowed credit card payments at the Bursar’s counter, we would also have to add the convenience fee to check and cash transactions. To help keep costs down for our students, we moved all tuition and room & board credit card payment processing to a third-party credit card processor.
There are a variety of payment options available to you that do not incur a convenience fee. These include:
Students and families may also wish to view alternative financial aid options. Government or alternative loans typically have much lower interest rates and may be a better choice than paying by a credit card.
Yes, you must pay by electronic check using your BankMobile Vibe Account. Login to your BankMobile Vibe Account , go to the dropdown box under the My Account tab, and select Account Statements. Your bank account and routing information is listed there.
Instead of writing a check from your personal checking account, you can process one electronically. You will need your bank account number and routing number, located on the bottom of your personal check.
Electronic check payments can be made from US checking accounts in US 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 electronic check. These types of checks will still be accepted by mail or in person. If you are unsure of whether or not your check can be used or what routing/transit and account numbers to enter, call your bank, ask them if your account can be used for ACH, and verify the correct numbers to use.
Yes, most colleges and universities in Pennsylvania and throughout the country have already made similar changes regarding credit card payments.