Access to online banking or online payment

Online banking is new. Like many new things, time is needed to get it running well. Setting up online banking, in preparation for this book, turned out to be anything but routine. People were generally helpful, but sometimes had to find information in order to assist me. Twice I received information which later was revised.

Learning online banking XE "on-line banking, setup" XE "banking:on-line, setup" has a limitation. A fictitious company file is useful for learning QuickBooks? , without any risk of damaging your real business file. However, online banking will not go in a “play” company. There is no funny-money bank for you to call. The illustrations printed here were obtained by opening and using new bank accounts with real money.

All of the setup screens can be followed from the instructions here, but some may not run exactly as described. To keep this book accurate, I have normally tracked along in QuickBooks? , running the actions described. Sometimes I have deleted transactions, run them again, and rewritten the narrations to match the actual events. Online banking or payment setups allow no such luxury. The setup wizard keeps track of actions. Once an online account has been set up in a company, the first online account can’t be set up again. An additional account may be set up, but with slightly different screens.

The net result is that these instructions should be taken as a general guide. The actual sequence may be different. Most of the views are not reproduced here. This should present no problem, because Intuit has been quite successful in making the screens easy to use.

Bank accounts XE "payment:online,setup" XE "online payment,setup" begin with the bank. In this case, they begin with a bank connected with QuickBooks? online banking. The bank account activity in QuickBooks? is only the tip of the iceberg. Most of the action is within the banks. As this book went to press, almost thirty banks in the US were offering online services for QuickBooks? . To see the list, click Online|Financial Institutions.

Please use the scroll bar and carefully scan the entire list. These are the banks participating when your copy of QuickBooks? went to press. By now, they may be more familiar with the operation. Clicking on one bank will display their information in inverse video.

Intuit Services Corporation (ISC) is not a bank, but a provider of financial services. The successor, Checkfree, handles online payments, for QuickBooks? (and Quicken) users, without the requirement that the bank have online banking.

Phone calls for online services are generally toll-free, either to area codes 800 or 888, or to local toll-free numbers. The exception comes if you click the Browse button (below) for Internet access.

Update List goes online and calls Intuit to get the latest list. Banks added to the list will have begun online service more recently. In other words, these banks may have less experience.

Browse provides free Internet access to Intuit’s site, http://www.intuit.com. This is a different telephone connection. In large metropolitan areas, it will be a local call. Those of you avoiding city congestion may find your phone paying for a trip to town.

This service needs a modem with a minimum speed of 9600 bits per second. When you log on, the site tries to sell you full Internet access - for a fee. Scrolling down, you can find the free services.

Within the web site, browsing will be necessary. The web site has shown frequent changes. I could write instructions now, only to have you frustrated because they no longer apply. The screen (shown above) promises more information about these banks. I found a listing of phone numbers, but little more.

Apply button can be clicked, and action will jump to the Set Up Online Banking & Payment window.

Done can be clicked when it applies.