Courtesy Pay

Unforeseen circumstances seem to always pop up at the worst possible time.

That’s why we offer Courtesy Pay, an added protection for your account when an accidental overdraft occurs. We’ll cover shortages in your account so your transaction can be processed as you requested.

Courtesy Pay is a service that allows us to pay an item presented for payment against your checking account even if it causes the account to become overdrawn. This may include checks, ACH, in-person withdrawals, ATM withdrawals, debit card transactions, and Bill Pay transactions.

Courtesy Pay may cover your insufficient funds transactions, up to your approved limit, for one low fee per covered overdraft transaction. That means, instead of returning a check to the merchant or declining a transaction because of insufficient funds, the credit union may pay your transaction, saving you additional charges from the merchant collection companies. It saves you the embarrassment an inadvertent overdraft can cause. It also helps protect your credit rating.

When a check or ACH withdrawal is presented for payment against your USCCU checking account, it may be paid using:

  • The funds in your checking account
  • Through the available balance in your Line of Credit (if applicable)
  • Overdraft Protection from a savings account (if applicable)
  • Through Courtesy Pay, up to a limit of $535

Once the first three options have been expended and Courtesy Pay is used to pay a check or ACH withdrawal, a fee of $35 will be assessed to your account for each item that draws your account negative based upon your available account balance. You then have up to 30 days to bring the account current, either through a direct deposit, transfer of funds, or a deposit at one of our branch offices.

This is the same fee that would have been incurred if the check or ACH withdrawal were returned for insufficient funds. But with Courtesy Pay, you will avoid the extra charges merchants would add to a returned check or ACH withdrawal. Courtesy Pay is offered as a privilege and USCCU reserves the right to return check or ACH requests when available sufficient funds are not available in your account.

The chart below shows which items are covered by Courtesy Pay versus the items covered by Courtesy Pay Advanced.

Transactions Covered with Courtesy Pay Courtesy Pay
(No action required to activate)
Courtesy Pay Advanced
(Your consent is required to activate)*
Checks
ACH
Bill Pay
Zelle®
External Transfer
In-person Withdrawals at a USCCU Branch
ATM Withdrawals* ✓*
One-Time Debit Card Transactions* ✓*

*Choosing Courtesy Pay Advanced allows USCCU to cover ATM withdrawals and one-time debit card transactions.

There is no cost difference between Courtesy Pay and Courtesy Pay Advanced. While Courtesy Pay Advanced offers you more coverage, your consent is required to activate. If you would like to activate, Click Here to download the consent form. Once form is completed, bring it to any USCCU branch or mail it to USCCU, P.O. Box 140570, Nashville, TN 37214.

Courtesy Pay is available for the following USCCU checking accounts:

  • Six Star Checking – $535
  • It’s on US Checking – $535
  • Foundation – $335

Other checking accounts no longer offered by USCCU might be eligible for Courtesy Pay. Contact US for more information on your account.

If you have established other overdraft protection methods, such as a line of credit or automatic transfer from your other savings accounts, we will always look to pay any overdraft by those other methods first before paying your overdraft utilizing Courtesy Pay and imposing a fee for each overdraft we pay.

No. As long as you are a member in good standing, which includes having a checking account with us for at least 30 days, Courtesy Pay service will be added to your checking account automatically. If you make regular deposits to that account, bring your account back to a positive balance regularly, and there are no legal orders against the account, your Courtesy Pay service remains activated.

Yes. Courtesy Pay service is discontinued if you are not in good standing or if you tell us not to pay your overdrafts. There may be other reasons we need to discontinue Courtesy Pay. Courtesy Pay is a way for us to provide a higher level of service to our members by helping protect your account and reputation when an inadvertent overdraft occurs.

NOTE: Courtesy Pay is subject to a 30 day waiting period for new accounts and member must meet Courtesy Pay Qualifications. Ages 17 and under not eligible.