AGR Credit Card change (October 2022)

[Shanson]

they will not accept ACH direct transfer from my bank

I did set up a recurring payment from my credit union account. How is that different from ACH?

Has anyone tried signing up for both the regular no AF card and the preferred card?

Our existing accounts moved over; we applied to BOA one for me, one for my wife in order to get the 50,000 promotional points. We each have a card on the other's account, and use hers for Amtrak purchases for the higher point rewards. BOA didn't seem to care that the same SSNs were on both accounts, just flipped for the main applicants. Not sure if Omaha will be more thorough.

 

[TinCan782]

They've really been pushing auto pay and eliminate options. Since they will not accept ACH direct transfer from my bank I'm experimenting with my bank mailing them a check. Seems like a primitive option in order to force auto pay. I will not do it.

This appears when you go to the "Make Credit Card Payment" and "Select Account" and "Add Account".
This can be for a "scheduled" payment, maybe not auto-pay but it does ask for Bank routing and account numbers.
Wouldn't this be an ACH transfer?

 

[joelkfla]

I did set up a recurring payment from my credit union account. How is that different from ACH?

AutoPay is set up on the biller's site. The credit card company, or other biller, draws the payment from your checking account via ACH. Usually you can specify whether you want to pay the minimum payment, the statement balance, or some fixed amount not to exceed the outstanding balance. The amount paid varies depending on your credit card balance.

Recurring payments are set up in Bill Pay with the bank that holds your checking account. They can be paid either by ACH transfer or by a mailed check. When you add the payee, Bill Pay will tell you whether it's available for ACH; if not, they'll mail paper checks. It's generally a fixed amount.

A third option is E-Bills, which is also set up in Bill Pay on your checking account. When you add the payee to Bill Pay, it may tell you that the payee offers E-Bills. If you choose to accept E-Bills for the payee, the bill will be viewable on your Bill Pay account. Depending on your bank, you may also be able to set up automatic payments of the statement balance or minimum payment, similar to AutoPay on the credit card site, but pushed by the payer instead of being pulled by the payee.

This appears when you go to the "Make Credit Card Payment" and "Select Account" and "Add Account".
This can be for a "scheduled" payment, maybe not auto-pay but it does ask for Bank routing and account numbers.
Wouldn't this be an ACH transfer?

View attachment 30450

Yes, most likely, but if it's a 1-time payment, it's not AutoPay.

As I understand it, anytime money is moved between financial institutions, and you're not using a wire or a 3rd-party service like Zelle, it's an ACH transfer (although I'm not quite sure whether that includes E-checks, and paper checks converted by the bank to E-checks.)

 

[AmtrakBlue]

This appears when you go to the "Make Credit Card Payment" and "Select Account" and "Add Account".
This can be for a "scheduled" payment, maybe not auto-pay but it does ask for Bank routing and account numbers.
Wouldn't this be an ACH transfer?

View attachment 30450

I think he’s trying to use his bank’s website to pay the bills, not FNBO’s.
Back in the early days of ePayments I set up accounts on my bank’s website to pay my bills - either by ACH or paper check.

 

[PaTrainFan]

This might be helpful information for some. I use my bank's bill pay for most bills, including credit card. When I searched to add FBNO, it required me to include an address, and my bank issued a check by mail, which certainly is antiquated. I called FBNO about this and was advised to search by the full name...First National Bank of Omaha, and sure enough she was right. That will allow ACH payments.

 

[Trollopian]

One hilarity of FNBO's website is its clumsy attempt to categorize our spending in an effort to, I dunno, help us analyze our budgets? In the last week, for example, I bought a lot of groceries. The purchase from Giant Food (dominant local chain) is classified by FNBO as "everyday spending," that from Target as "merchandise." Of the two farm-market vendors from whom I bought my big weekly haul of antioxidants (see https://www.amtraktrains.com/threads/whats-cooking.72881/post-985257), one was labeled "everyday spending" and the other as "professional services." ????! That's okay, I doubt that any credit-card company does a better job.

Luckily, booze from the neighborhood liquor store is also classified as "everyday spending" so FNBO need not know I'm a lush.

 

[joelkfla]

One hilarity of FNBO's website is its clumsy attempt to categorize our spending in an effort to, I dunno, help us analyze our budgets? In the last week, for example, I bought a lot of groceries. The purchase from Giant Food (dominant local chain) is classified by FNBO as "everyday spending," that from Target as "merchandise." Of the two farm-market vendors from whom I bought my big weekly haul of antioxidants (see https://www.amtraktrains.com/threads/whats-cooking.72881/post-985257), one was labeled "everyday spending" and the other as "professional services." ????! That's okay, I doubt that any credit-card company does a better job.

Luckily, booze from the neighborhood liquor store is also classified as "everyday spending" so FNBO need not know I'm a lush.

But if you look at the "Classic View", it's completely different.

On the "New look" site, my cable bill is "Everyday spending," and my insurance bill is just "Other". On the "Classic View" site, the cable bill is correctly categorized as "Communications", but the insurance bill is strangely "Mail/Television Orders".

 

[CharlesBeasley]

I set up my payments just like all my other credit cards with the site at FBNO withdrawing the payment when due. First payment has to be over the phone or check sent to them. Took about 10 minutes.

 

[UserNameRequired]

But if you look at the "Classic View", it's completely different.

On the "New look" site, my cable bill is "Everyday spending," and my insurance bill is just "Other". On the "Classic View" site, the cable bill is correctly categorized as "Communications", but the insurance bill is strangely "Mail/Television Orders".

I am a non-Amtrak AGR card customer of FNBO since I was a teenager. They gave me my first card when the credit card compnaies used to target university students heavily. Do they still do that, I don't know (I should)? I am not sure what data they are using for the catagorization, but they do get it right for some items. The one I had that most comes to mind that was wildly off was Avgas at airports. They will/should produce a nice PDF report at the end of the year that can show you this catagorized data all in one report (with the miscatagorization intact ). I download it every year and look it over to see how my costs trended for the year.

 

[oregon pioneer]

This might be helpful information for some. I use my bank's bill pay for most bills, including credit card. When I searched to add FBNO, it required me to include an address, and my bank issued a check by mail, which certainly is antiquated. I called FBNO about this and was advised to search by the full name...First National Bank of Omaha, and sure enough she was right. That will allow ACH payments.

I just looked. That's the way mine is set up (full name spelled out). I copied the name directly off the pdf bill that I downloaded from FNBO. My bank sent them a check the first time. I just looked on my bank's site, and it is still set up that way. I'd love any other suggestions, as this seems like a horrible way to do it in the digital era.

 

[PaTrainFan]

I just looked. That's the way mine is set up (full name spelled out). I copied the name directly off the pdf bill that I downloaded from FNBO. My bank sent them a check the first time. I just looked on my bank's site, and it is still set up that way. I'd love any other suggestions, as this seems like a horrible way to do it in the digital era.

I don't have an explanation other than perhaps the first time they do it by check and subsequently it is direct ACH. CR folks aren't alaways correct, of course, but she seemed very positive that using the full name was the answer. I can tell you that when I first set mine up using FBNO, a p.o. address was required and when I set up using the full name, there was no address field.

 

[pennyk]

I just received my "Annual Credit Report" from Transunion and the account information provided by FNBO included my history with BOA (for my AGR credit card) with an opening date many years ago. It also showed a inquiry from BOA in October 2022.

 

[erinch13]

The last time points transferred into my AGR account from the AGR credit card was 10/29 called Amtrak Credit Card Spend-Earn. Nothing has come in from November and it is now 11/29.

What should I do? Wait? Contact Amtrak? or contact FNBO?

 

[Shanson]

It was my understanding that points are sent from the bank to Amtrak the date the statement closes, i.e. monthly.

I believe that BoA was sending points daily the final month of their stewardship of the accounts, but someone can surely correct me.

 

[TinCan782]

It was my understanding that points are sent from the bank to Amtrak the date the statement closes, i.e. monthly.

I believe that BoA was sending points daily the final month of their stewardship of the accounts, but someone can surely correct me.

Yes. For the last few weeks BofA was sending points as transactions were made (until then, they were sending them on the closing date).
FNBO IS sending points on the closing date. My wife and I both have had points posted from FNBO when the closing date was reached (and current statement available to download).

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Yes. For the last few weeks BofA was sending points as transactions were made (until then, they were sending them on the closing date).
FNBO IS sending points on the closing date. My wife and I both have had points posted from FNBO when our accounts closed.

Might want to clarify that with “statement closed” or “billing cycle closed”

 

[TinCan782]

Might want to clarify that with “statement closed” or “billing cycle closed”

Edited...Better now?

 

[Chellerz]

I didn't have the BofA AGR card but I got the new FNBO one which I've been using for the last month.

My statement closed 5 days ago. It says on the PDF of the statement that I earned almost 40k AGR points (bought 3 LD Amtrak tickets and got my bonus!)

But...the points didn't post to my AGR account.

I just called FNBO and they were super nice. The gent said my points had been credited to some other AGR account, but he put in my correct AGR number and told me the points would be transferred. I had called about this several weeks ago and they weren't able to do it at that point. Now it seems they can.

Fingers crossed! I'll report back...

 

[TinCan782]

First scheduled payment (one time) happened yesterday, for both my wife's and my card.
ACH from my home bank to FNBO.

 

[Bonser]

They've really been pushing auto pay and eliminate options. Since they will not accept ACH direct transfer from my bank I'm experimenting with my bank mailing them a check. Seems like a primitive option in order to force auto pay. I will not do it.

I set up auto pay no problem. How is that different from ACH transfer?

 

[joelkfla]

I didn't have the BofA AGR card but I got the new FNBO one which I've been using for the last month.

My statement closed 5 days ago. It says on the PDF of the statement that I earned almost 40k AGR points (bought 3 LD Amtrak tickets and got my bonus!)

But...the points didn't post to my AGR account.

I just called FNBO and they were super nice. The gent said my points had been credited to some other AGR account, but he put in my correct AGR number and told me the points would be transferred. I had called about this several weeks ago and they weren't able to do it at that point. Now it seems they can.

Fingers crossed! I'll report back...

I opened the FNBO card after having cancelled my BofA card a month earlier, and I'm eagerly awaiting my first statement. I fear they may have also messed up linking to my AGR account, because I haven't seen any coupons or the lounge pass added. Same email was used for both cards. They really should have provided a place to enter an existing AGR account number on the application, or at least when logging on to the online system to set up the profile.

 

[Bob Dylan]

I set up auto pay no problem. How is that different from ACH transfer?

Autopay used to be called "Drafting", in practice they both achieve the same thing IINM.( Im not a Banker!!)

 

[TinCan782]

I set up auto pay no problem. How is that different from ACH transfer?

I would guess that auto pay uses ACH to complete the transaction.

 

[joelkfla]

I would guess that auto pay uses ACH to complete the transaction.

It depends.

 

[MccfamschoolMom]

Got my first FNBO AGR credit card statement last week. Not a huge bill (haven't booked any Amtrak travel yet), but I did try to remember to use it for dining purchases (for the double AGR points).