FAQ
How do I text in to pay rent?
In order to text in to pay rent, you need to create your mobile wallet profile first. Once you have created a profile with your banking information and subscribed to a property keyword, you are able to initiate a payment from your mobile phone. To begin a new payment, open a new text message. Where you would normally enter a contact's phone number in the TO: field, enter the number 84464. In the body of that message you want to enter the keyword that you subscribed to on your profile. In the following text you will enter the numeric dollar amount you would like to send. Words are not case sensitive. Do not enter any special characters such as a dollar sign in the numeric amount. For example, if the keyword you subscribed to was "Apartment" and your rent was $1050.00, you would send a first message to “Apartment” receive a return message recognizing your profile and then you would reply the dollar amount (i.e. 1050).
What is the advantage, to me, for using this service?
There are quite a few advantages to using your phone to make rent payments. No cash, no checkbook, no problem! Can’t make it to office? Easily pay rent from anywhere. Pay rent right here, right now, via text. Don’t feel like going through the lengthy process of an online payment? Pay rent in 10 seconds. Sending that text message will send an ACH/CC payment from your bank account to the apartment property. Pay from anywhere, anytime, any amount just by sending a text message. Simple, Secure, Convenient.
What is a SMS text message?
An SMS, or a text message is the ability to send a text based message from a cell phone. Consisting of 160 characters these messages are used for quick pieces of conversation that can be sent to any text capable phone. 99% of all cell phones are capable of sending a text message, and 77% of users have an unlimited text messaging plan from their carrier. Airtouchsms uses text messages to tell your bank to send an ACH/CC payment to your biller. No banking information is ever sent over an SMS.
What format do I use for amount, when I am texting in a rent payment?
The format used for the amount section of your rent text message is as follows: for example if your rent due was $1050.00 you would use 1050 to represent the amount in your text message. BE SURE TO USE THE CORRECT AMOUNT, THIS MONEY WILL BE TAKEN FROM YOUR ACCOUNT. You may only pay whole numbers with no decimal places. Any numeric value will work, as long as there is no $ or other special characters in the message.
Who sees my banking information?
Your banking information is never viewed by anyone. Your information is fully encrypted from the time you enter it on the website or mobile site to the time a transaction is executed. No banking information is ever sent over a text message.
Where is my private information stored? Who has access to it?
Your private information is stored with a payment gateway that is a level 1 PCI facility. It is encrypted from the time of receipt on the website, and is never viewed by anyone in our company. Your information is stored with a trusted, PCI compliant 3rd party ACH payment processing company. Our ACH processor is held to the same PCI compliant standards as all U.S. banks, and will never use your information for anything other than processing your payment. No one other than you as the user has access to your banking or personal information. This information is protected by your personal password.
What is a digital wallet?
A digital wallet (also known as an e-wallet) allows users to make mobile transactions quickly and securely. A digital wallet functions much like a physical wallet. The digital wallet was first conceived as a method of storing various forms of electronic money (e-cash). The digital wallet has evolved into a service that provides mobile payments with a convenient way to store and use banking information to execute transactions. A digital wallet is created in your profile, when you enter your banking information, and is used to execute those transactions when you send text messages.
I create a profile, will my Account be charged?
No, creating a profile and subscribing to a payment keyword will not charge your account. You may be charged the associated transaction cost when making a payment depending upon whether or not your apartment complex is passing that transaction cost onto the user. You will never incur any other charges for subscribing or joining the program.
If I subscribe to a Mobile Pay Option, what charges will I incur?
As with creating a profile, you will not be charged for a subscription. Charges are only ever incurred for making a payment, and even then, most properties pay that cost so the end user doesn’t have to.
What are transaction costs? When will I be charged this cost?
Transaction costs represent the cost for making a payment. A transaction cost will be charged additionally to the amount of the payment. If you are making a $1050 payment, you may be charged a small transaction fee for making that payment. Most properties will absorb the transaction cost, and the end user will simply be charged their original payment amount.
Is there a monthly cost to this service?
There are no monthly service charges, or any other recurring charge for using our product. Property managers can chose to pass the fees for this service on to their tenants, but that is not recommended.
If I make a payment, via mobile, what charges will I see in my bank statement?
If you make a payment via mobile, you will see a charge for the amount that you are sending to the property you are subscribed to.
When will my banking account be charged, once I make a payment?
Once you make a payment via text you will see the charges in your account when the ACH/CC payment has cleared and the funds have been delivered to the property. Making an ACH payment from your cell phone is like handing a merchant a check, without having to give it to them in person. ACH payments work on the same processes as checks, it typically takes the network 3-5 business days to process a check and releasing funds may take a few additional days.
Will I be charged for Notifications?
You are not charged any money for receiving messages, alerts, and notification text messages. You will however, be charged standard messaging / data rates for receiving a text message through your carrier.
What are msg and data rates?
Message and data rates are the rates the cellular carriers charge an end user for sending or receiving text messages. Typically a user will purchase a bank of text credits from the carrier on a monthly basis. For example if a user purchases 200 messages for $5/month and that user receives 1 text message from Airtouchsms, that user will now have 199 text messages available for the month. Every time you send or receive a message from Airtouchsms you will be utilizing 1 of your allotted messages from your cellular plan.
Can I have more than one payment method?
Yes, you may have multiple payment options on file with us. To add another payment option to your profile, simply click the new button under your current record you have stored on the payment options page. From there, you can enter a new payment option with another account and or routing number.
Can I use a credit card to make a payment?
Yes, and it is the property manager's decision on what options they will allow tenants to pay. ACH debits typically cost the property manager less to process than credit card payments.
TESTIMONIALS
"textyourrent.com rocks!" - Jessica Ryan - Property Manager at GreyStar