Checking and Savings - ESL Courtesy Pay FAQs

• ESL Courtesy Pay is an overdraft protection service for personal and business accounts that can be used in conjunction with an ESL Cash Reserve Account, Business Overdraft Line of Credit, or CheckOK. Courtesy Pay allows eligible checking account holders to overdraw their checking account up to a specified limit to avoid bounced checks, returned automatic withdrawals (ACH), and ESL bill payments.
• Registration is required if you want Courtesy Pay to cover ESL Visa® Debit Card transactions. View registration information.
• ESL Visa Business Debit Card transactions do not require additional registration to be covered.

ESL Courtesy Pay offers personal or business overdraft coverage in addition to Cash Reserve and CheckOK. For members who do not have Cash Reserve or CheckOK, ESL Courtesy Pay helps to avoid overdrawn checks, rejected ACH payments, bounced ESL Bill Pay transactions, and declined ESL Visa Debit Card transactions.

Benefits include:

• Avoids late fees
• Avoids embarrassment
• Avoids additional charges from the payee for a bounced check or failed transaction
• No need to make alternative payment arrangements
• Eliminates blocked ESL Bill Pay accounts due to insufficient funds
• Avoids being reported to a credit agency for poor payment behavior

ESL strives to meet our members' needs so we offer our members a variety of ways to manage their checking accounts. Courtesy Pay offers an additional overdraft option to our personal and business checking account holders who may not qualify for a Cash Reserve Account, Business Overdraft Line of Credit, or CheckOK services.

Courtesy Pay is not a loan or other credit product so an application or credit approval is not required. All new checking accounts are automatically enrolled to cover checks, automatic withdrawals (ACH), and ESL bill payment transactions as soon as they meet the enrollment criteria below. To add Courtesy Pay to cover ESL Visa® Debit Card transactions, you must register (registration details) and meet the enrollment criteria:

• Be a member in good standing;
• Be 18 years of age or older (custodian and guardian accounts are not eligible);
• Your checking account must be open for a minimum of 30 days;
• You cannot have any delinquent, late, or charged-off loans;
• You cannot have any legal or administrative orders, including attachments, garnishments, or levies against your accounts; and
• You cannot have any pending bankruptcies or financial counseling arrangements.
• To remain eligible for ESL Courtesy Pay, you must bring your account balance positive once every 10 days.

Courtesy Pay is not a loan or other credit product so an application or credit approval is not required. All new business checking accounts are automatically enrolled as soon as they meet the enrollment criteria:

• Be a member in good standing;
• Your checking account must be open for a minimum of 60 days;
• All loans are current and in good standing;
• You cannot have any legal or administrative orders, including attachments, garnishments, or levies against your accounts; and
• You cannot have any pending bankruptcies or financial counseling arrangements.

Courtesy Pay will cover overdrafts for checks, automatic withdrawals (ACH), ESL bill payments, and ESL Visa® Debit Card transactions (registration required).

Courtesy Pay will cover checks, automatic withdrawals (ACH), ESL bill payments, and ESL Visa® Business Debit Card transactions.

• Each checking account has a $250 limit. When there are insufficient funds for a transaction presented for payment, Courtesy Pay allows the transaction to be processed. The account is overdrawn by the amount of the transaction PLUS the fee which could take the account above the Courtesy Pay limit.
• ESL Courtesy Pay works in conjunction with any other overdraft protection option on the account. It takes effect if your CheckOK Account and/or your Cash Reserve Account have insufficient funds or credit.

• Each business checking account is assigned an overdraft limit, based on the checking account type.
  • Business Classic Checking - $500
  • Business Premier Checking - $1,000
  • Business Analyzed Checking - $1,000
  • Business Analyzed Checking Plus - $1,000
• When a check, automatic withdrawal (ACH), ESL bill payment, or ESL Visa® Business Debit Card transaction is presented for payment and there are insufficient funds to cover the item, Courtesy Pay allows the transaction to be processed. The account is overdrawn by the transaction amount PLUS the fee which could take the account above the Courtesy Pay limit.
• Courtesy Pay works in conjunction with any other overdraft protection option you have. It takes effect if your CheckOK Account and/or your Business Overdraft Line of Credit have insufficient funds or credit.

No. ESL Courtesy Pay is not a loan and cannot be advanced by writing a check to yourself. 

If you have Cash Reserve set up as overdraft protection, Courtesy Pay would perform as a backup to that service only if the Cash Reserve line was fully drawn.

To be automatically enrolled in Courtesy Pay to cover checks, automatic withdrawals (ACH), and ESL bill payments, you must meet the following criteria:

• You must maintain your membership in good standing;
• Your checking account must be opened more than 30 days;
• Your checking account must be funded with at least $1.00 for a period not less than 30 days before the item was presented to ESL for payment;
• Your ESL loans and credit cards must be current;
• There cannot be any legal or administrative orders, including attachments, garnishments, or levies against your accounts with us;
• There cannot be any pending bankruptcies or financial counseling arrangements with us; and
• The primary account holder must 18 years of age or older (custodian and guardian accounts are not eligible).
• To remain eligible for ESL Courtesy Pay, you must bring your account balance positive once every 10 days.

If you want your ESL Visa® Debit Card transactions covered by ESL Courtesy Pay, you must meet the above criteria and contact an ESL Representative to register. ESL Visa Business Debit Card transactions are automatically covered at enrollment.

If you opt out of Courtesy Pay, your items will be returned to the payee if there are not enough funds to cover them. ESL won’t charge you a fee, but the payee may charge you a fee.

To opt out of Courtesy Pay for personal accounts:

• Sign in to online banking.
• Mouse over Manage Money.
• Click Manage Overdraft Services.
• Click ESL Courtesy Pay Registration/Decline Form.
• Complete and submit the form.

To opt out of Courtesy Pay for business accounts, please complete the Courtesy Pay Opt-Out Form.

Courtesy Pay limits are defined based on the checking account type. If you have more than one checking account, each account is covered by a separate Courtesy Pay limit. These limits include any fees charged for each item that overdraws your account. Fees can take you above your ESL Courtesy Pay limit.

• Free Checking:  $250
• Premier Checking:  $250
• Business Classic Checking:  $500
• Business Premier Checking:  $1,000
• Business Analyzed Checking:  $1,000
• Business Analyzed Checking Plus:  $1,000

If you have CheckOK set up as overdraft protection on your checking account, Courtesy Pay performs as a backup to that service when there are not enough funds in the CheckOK account to cover a transaction.

Yes, ESL Courtesy Pay acts as additional coverage once your Cash Reserve, Business Overdraft Line of Credit, or CheckOK have reached their limits.

No, each individual personal or business checking account receives an ESL Courtesy Pay limit based on the account type.

• ​If you do not want ESL Courtesy Pay on a personal checking account, contact an ESL Representative or follow these steps to decline the service for that account:
  • Sign in to online banking.
  • Click Manage Money.
  • Choose Manage Overdraft Services.
  • Select ESL Courtesy Pay Registration/Decline Form.
• If you do not want a business account to be automatically enrolled in Courtesy Pay, please submit an ESL Courtesy Pay Decline Form.

Please contact an ESL Representative. When a personal or business checking account becomes enrolled in Courtesy Pay, you will receive an enrollment notification.

If you meet the criteria for ESL Courtesy Pay, you are likely to qualify.

No, there is not a limit to the number of transactions that can be covered by Courtesy Pay. Each checking account type has a Courtesy Pay dollar limit, and there is a daily limit of seven fees that will be charged for overdrawing the account.

We will mail you a notice when your ESL Courtesy Pay was used, and tell you whether the item was paid or returned and the associated fee for the service. You will also see a negative balance and the fee in your transaction history.

If you have a Business Overdraft Line of Credit set up for overdraft protection, Courtesy Pay serves as a backup to that service only IF the overdraft line has insufficient credit to cover the transaction.