How to Set Up and Manage Auto-Pay

Updated ago
7 min read
1.7K views

How to Set Up and Manage Auto-Pay

This guide will walk you through enabling automatic payments for your Zonitel account, choosing payment dates and methods, managing multiple auto-pay profiles, troubleshooting failed payments, and disabling auto-pay if needed. You'll learn how to keep your account in good standing with minimal effort.

What is Auto-Pay?

Auto-Pay is Zonitel's automated payment system that charges your selected payment method on a fixed date each month. Instead of manually paying your invoice every month, your account automatically settles your balance, ensuring your service never gets interrupted due to missed payments.

Benefits of Using Auto-Pay

  • Never Miss a Payment: Automatic processing on your specified date
  • Service Continuity: Eliminates the risk of service suspension from late payments
  • Time Saving: No need to manually process payments each month
  • Early Payment Discounts: Eligible accounts may qualify for 2-5% monthly discounts with auto-pay
  • Peace of Mind: Automatic confirmations sent to your email each billing cycle

Prerequisites

Before setting up Auto-Pay, you'll need:

  1. An active Zonitel account
  2. Access to your account portal at office.zonitel.com
  3. At least one valid payment method on file (credit card or bank account)
  4. Your billing email address

Step-by-Step: Setting Up Auto-Pay

Step 1: Log Into Your Account

  1. Go to office.zonitel.com
  2. Enter your username and password
  3. Click Sign In

Step 2: Navigate to Billing Settings

  1. From your dashboard, click Billing & Accounts
  2. Select Auto-Pay Settings
  3. If you don't see this option, click More Options and scroll down

Step 3: Enable Auto-Pay

  1. Toggle the Enable Auto-Pay switch to ON
  2. You'll see a confirmation message: "Auto-Pay is now active"
  3. The system will display your current payment methods

Step 4: Select Your Payment Method

Choose which payment method you want to use for automatic billing:

  • Credit Card: Charges to the full card number you have on file
  • ACH (Bank Account): Direct debit from your linked bank account
  • Secondary Card: If you have multiple cards, select which one

Pro Tip: ACH transfers typically have lower processing fees than credit cards.

Step 5: Choose Your Payment Date

  1. Click Select Payment Date
  2. Choose a date between the 1st and 15th of the month
  3. Recommended dates:
    • 1st of the month: Gets invoiced immediately
    • 10th of the month: Middle of the grace period
    • 14th of the month: Just before the 15th deadline
  4. Click Confirm

Step 6: Review and Save

  1. Review your Auto-Pay summary:
    • Payment Method: [Your chosen method]
    • Payment Date: [Your selected date]
    • Next Payment: [Date of first auto-charge]
    • Billing Contact: [Email that receives confirmations]
  2. Check the box: "I understand that my account will be automatically charged each month"
  3. Click Save Auto-Pay Settings

Step 7: Confirmation

You'll receive:

  • An on-screen confirmation message
  • A confirmation email sent to your billing contact
  • Your first auto-payment will process on your selected date

After You've Enabled Auto-Pay

What to Expect Each Month

  1. Billing Date (1st of month): Your invoice is generated with all charges
  2. Auto-Pay Processing (Your selected date): Your payment method is charged
  3. Confirmation Email: Sent within minutes of successful payment
  4. Statement Update: Your account reflects the payment within 2 hours

Managing Multiple Auto-Pay Profiles

If you have multiple Zonitel accounts (for different business locations or departments):

  1. Log out of your current account
  2. Log in to your second account
  3. Repeat the Auto-Pay setup steps
  4. Each account maintains independent auto-pay settings

What Happens If Auto-Pay Declines?

Failed Payment Process

If your auto-pay payment fails:

Day 1 (Initial Attempt): The system attempts to charge your primary payment method

  • If declined, an alert is sent to your billing contact

Day 2 (Retry 1): Second automatic attempt is made

  • Notification email sent if failed

Day 3 (Retry 2): Third and final automatic attempt

  • Detailed error message provided in your account

Day 4+: Manual intervention required

Preventing Failed Payments

To avoid declined payments:

  • Keep Card Information Current: Update expiration dates before they pass
  • Maintain Sufficient Funds: Ensure your bank account has adequate balance
  • Monitor Notifications: Check emails from Zonitel for payment alerts
  • Update Payment Method Immediately: If you see a failed payment attempt, update your card/bank info right away

Resolving a Declined Payment

  1. Go to Billing & Accounts > Payment Methods
  2. Click Update next to your failed payment method
  3. Enter corrected information:
    • For credit cards: Check expiration date, CVV, and billing address
    • For ACH: Verify routing and account numbers
  4. Click Save
  5. Go to Make Payment and manually process the pending invoice
  6. Auto-Pay will resume normally next month

Modifying Your Auto-Pay Settings

Changing Your Payment Method

  1. Go to Billing & Accounts > Auto-Pay Settings
  2. Click Change Payment Method
  3. Select a different payment method from your list
  4. Click Confirm
  5. Your next auto-payment will use this new method

Changing Your Payment Date

  1. Go to Billing & Accounts > Auto-Pay Settings
  2. Click Edit Payment Date
  3. Select your new preferred date (1st-15th of month)
  4. Click Save

Note: Changes take effect with your next billing cycle.

Adding a New Payment Method for Auto-Pay

If you want to use a new payment method:

  1. Go to Billing & Accounts > Payment Methods
  2. Click Add Payment Method
  3. Enter your credit card or bank account details
  4. Click Save
  5. Go back to Auto-Pay Settings
  6. Click Change Payment Method and select your new option

Disabling Auto-Pay

When You Might Want to Disable Auto-Pay

  • Switching to a different payment method later
  • Closing your account
  • Preferring to pay manually each month
  • Troubleshooting payment issues

How to Turn Off Auto-Pay

  1. Go to Billing & Accounts > Auto-Pay Settings
  2. Toggle Enable Auto-Pay to OFF
  3. A warning appears: "Auto-Pay is now disabled. Invoices will be due by the 15th. Payments must be made manually."
  4. Click Confirm Disable

Important: Once disabled, you must make manual payments each month to avoid late fees.

Understanding Auto-Pay Charges

What Gets Charged via Auto-Pay?

Your auto-pay will charge for:

  • Monthly subscription fees (based on your plan)
  • All active extensions
  • Monthly recurring add-ons (Digital Fax, SMS, etc.)
  • Any usage-based overages from the previous month
  • Taxes and regulatory fees

What Doesn't Get Charged via Auto-Pay?

  • One-time setup fees (these are invoiced separately)
  • Credits applied after auto-pay processes (credited next month)
  • Manually adjusted charges (require approval first)

Auto-Pay and Your Billing Cycle

How Auto-Pay Affects Upgrades/Downgrades

If you upgrade or downgrade during a month with auto-pay enabled:

  1. Your current plan charges normally on auto-pay day
  2. Pro-rata adjustment is calculated for the plan change
  3. The adjustment appears on your next month's invoice
  4. No additional payment is required immediately

Example Scenario

  • Current Plan: Small Business ($30/month)
  • Upgrade to: Growing Business ($25/month) on the 15th
  • Auto-pay Date: 1st of next month

Next month's charge: $25 (new rate) + ($5 pro-rata credit) = $20

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is my payment information secure? A: Yes. We use bank-level 256-bit encryption and comply with PCI-DSS standards. Your credit card information is tokenized and never stored in plain text.

Q: Can I see my auto-pay transaction history? A: Yes. Go to Billing & Accounts > Statements to view all auto-payments and their confirmation numbers.

Q: What time of day does auto-pay charge? A: Auto-payments process overnight between 2 AM - 6 AM EST. Confirmation emails are sent immediately upon completion.

Q: Can I get an email reminder before auto-pay charges? A: Yes. Go to Notification Preferences and enable "Email reminder 2 days before auto-pay."

Q: What if I want to make a payment before my auto-pay date? A: You can make a manual payment anytime. Go to Make Payment and follow the prompts. Your auto-pay will adjust accordingly.

Q: Do you offer auto-pay discounts? A: Contact our sales team at info@zonitel.com to ask about promotional auto-pay discounts for your account.

Troubleshooting Auto-Pay Issues

Auto-Pay is Enabled But Showing as Inactive

Solution: Log out completely, clear your browser cache, and log back in. Refresh the Billing & Accounts page.

Not Receiving Confirmation Emails

Solution:

  1. Check your spam/junk folder
  2. Go to Billing & Accounts > Billing Contact and verify your email address
  3. Add info@zonitel.com to your contacts to prevent filtering

Auto-Pay Settings Won't Save

Solution:

  1. Try a different browser
  2. Disable browser extensions temporarily
  3. Contact support if the issue persists

Want to Verify Auto-Pay is Active?

  1. Go to Billing & Accounts > Auto-Pay Settings
  2. Look for the green checkmark and "Active" status
  3. Your payment method and date should be displayed
  4. Check your last payment confirmation email

Need Additional Help?

If you have questions about Auto-Pay or encounter issues:

  • Call us: (833) 966-4835
  • Email: info@zonitel.com
  • Text/WhatsApp: (833) 966-4835
  • Live Chat: Available through your account portal
  • Support Hours: 24/7 (English & Spanish)

Our support team can help you troubleshoot issues, change settings, or answer any questions about automatic payments.

Was this article helpful?

Yes No

Related Articles

Getting Started

Upgrading or Downgrading Your Subscription

This guide teaches you how to upgrade to a higher plan tier, downgrade to a lower tier, add or remove extensions, understand pricing changes, manage pro-rata charges, and troubleshoot subscription modifications. You'll also learn best practices for scaling your service as your business grows or shrinks.

7min 5.7K
Getting Started

Managing Your Payments and Subscriptions

What you'll learn: This article will guide you through understanding how Zonitel billing works, managing your payment methods, setting up automatic payments, updating billing information, and handling subscription adjustments. By the end, you'll be able to confidently manage all aspects of your account finances.

7min 3.5K
Getting Started

Managing Payment Methods

This comprehensive guide teaches you how to add, update, delete, and manage payment methods in your Zonitel account. You'll also learn about security practices, payment method verification, troubleshooting issues, and best practices for keeping your payment information safe.

7min 3.3K

Still Have Questions?

Our support team is available 24/7 to help you get started

Chat with us on WhatsApp