Credit card frequently asked questions  

Things to remember

• for payment of tuition, room, board, or other charges:
• credit and debit cards are only accepted on LOUIE 
• Visa brand credit cards, debit cards, and check cards are not be accepted
• eChecks/ACH are accepted through LOUIE; there is no service fee for eCheck payments
• the credit card service fee is not refundable

FAQs

Why is the university charging a service fee for credit card payments?
Why is Visa no longer accepted for tuition and other charges posted to the students account?
What credit and debit cards are accepted for tuition and other charges posted to the students account?
What if I only have a Visa card?
Has Northern Arizona University stopped accepting Visa altogether?
What is an eCheck?
What happens if I pay by debit card?
How can I pay without a credit card at no cost?
Can I use any check as an eCheck?
Will the user fee that I am charged be included on my student account breakdown and statement?
How will this appear on my credit card statement?
Can I make a credit card payment over the phone or by mail?
Can I pay in person at the cashier window using a credit card?
Are other colleges and universities making similar changes?  

Why is the university charging a service fee for credit card payments? 

As you may know, the State of Arizona budget challenges have affected public universities.  In our effort to keep costs down, we’ve had to change credit card payment policies for student account charges. 

Currently, we pay a fee for each credit card payment we receive. This adds up to over $700,000 per year in fees for tuition payments, and costs continue to rise. The service fee you pay will benefit both you and other students by allowing the university to use these funds for academic programs and services.

Why is Visa no longer accepted for tuition and other charges posted to a student’s account? 

Visa’s rules do not allow the university to charge a percentage fee—they require a flat fee for all payment types, including e-Check payments.

What credit and debit cards are accepted for tuition and other charges posted to a student’s account? 

• MasterCard
• Discover Card
• American Express
• JCB

What if I only have a Visa card? 

You can make a payment:

• directly from your personal checking or savings account
• with check or cash, by mail or in person at the cashier window (in the Gammage Building)
• by eCheck (no charge for processing)

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.  Northern Arizona University also offers a low enrollment fee and an interest-free monthly payment plan.

Has Northern Arizona University stopped accepting Visa altogether?

No. Various departments on campus such as the bookstore, Fronske Health Center, and others accept Visa as a form of payment.

What is an eCheck?

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.

What happens if I pay by debit card? 

Debit cards are treated like credit cards and charged a service fee. If there is a Visa logo on your card it cannot be used to make the payment as we do not accept Visa.

How can I pay without a credit card and at no cost? 

• electronic check: because we understand that you need payment options, the university will continue to allow you to pay by eCheck with no service fee charge. EChecks are easy to create: simply enter your bank account and routing numbers (you can find these on one of your personal checks) into the secure payment page, and the funds will be subtracted from your bank account within 1-2 days.
• cash
• in person at the Flagstaff campus university cashier window (in the Gammage Building) between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
• at the Yuma location
• check
• in person at the Flagstaff campus university cashier window (in the Gammage Building) between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
• at any of the other campuses statewide 
• by mail: payable to Northern Arizona University; please write the student’s name and ID number and what you are paying for on front of check

Can I use any check as an eCheck?

eCheck 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 eCheck. These types of checks will still be accepted by mail or in person.

Will the user fee that I am charged be included on my student account breakdown and statement? 

No. A third-party company, Touchnet/PayPath, charges the service fee. It will not appear on your student account or university bill. Your receipt will show the payment amount, the amount of the service fee, and the total amount paid.

How will this appear on my credit card statement? 

Two separate transactions will appear on your credit card statement: one for the student account payment and one for the service fee.

Can I make a credit card payment over the phone or by mail? 

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.

Can I pay in person at the cashier window using a credit card? 

While you can’t pay with a credit card at the cashier window, there are computer workstations near the cashier’s office in Flagstaff where you can make an online payment using MasterCard, Discover Card, or American Express. At our other campus locations, you can pay online at a terminal in the office.

According to credit card rules, service fees must be charged for all payment types for a given payment location. If we allowed credit card payments at the cashier’s window, we would also have to add the service fee to check and cash transactions. To help keep costs down for our students, we moved all credit card payment processing to a third-party credit card processor.

Are other colleges and universities making similar changes? 

Yes. Many colleges and universities both within and outside of Arizona have already made similar changes regarding credit card payments.