Business Services
Emma B. Lommasson Center
University of Montana
Missoula, Montana 59812-2304
Phone: (406) 243-6260
Fax: (406) 243-2529
University of Montana’s ePayables Program
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions
Answers

What are the benefits of
signing up for the
program?



Expedited payments. Payments are made electronically and guaranteed funds are deposited
directly into your designated bank account approximately 24 to 48 hours after invoice approval. In
most cases, our vendors will be paid within 15 business days through the program.
Increased efficiencies. The program will eliminate AR costs associated with paper check
acceptance.
Enhanced reporting. You will receive enhanced remittance information to speed up
reconciliation.
Preferred vendor status. Enjoy priority status for invoice approval and future sourcing decisions.
Who is WEX?
Headquartered in Portland, Maine, WEX has been a leading global provider of payment processing
and information management services for over 27 years and issues MasterCard® branded credit
products through its wholly owned industrial bank, WEX Financial Services Corporation. The AP
Direct program is offered through a license with MasterCard.
What is AP Direct?
AP Direct is WEX’s electronic payments platform and is the basis for our ePayables Program. Once
you are enrolled, AP Direct seamlessly “pushes” payments through the MasterCard® network into
your designated account. AP Direct does not require any action on your part, as you are simply the
recipient of a payment from UM.
Who is Boost Payment
Solutions?
Boost is the industry leader in business-to-business payment processing. They work with
corporations, institutions, banks and global card networks to provide seamless electronic payment
solutions to the B2B market. Boost Payment Solutions has been engaged by UM to enable its
vendors with electronic payment acceptance capabilities. You will need to speak with Boost in order
to get set up for our ePayables Program.
We have an existing
merchant account. Can
it be used for UM’s
payments?
No. Even if you already accept credit card payments today, you will need to be issued a new and
unique Merchant ID from Boost for our ePayables Program.
Frequently Asked Questions (Cont.)
Questions
Answers
How is this new process
different from how we
currently accept
payments?
WEX’s electronic payments platform enables your company to accept funds through a buyer-initiated
procurement card program. Once enrolled, payments are “pushed” through the MasterCard ® network
into your designated bank account. This process does not require any manual entry of payment
information into a terminal, as you are simply the recipient of a payment from The University of
Montana.
Who do I contact at UM
if I have questions?
Ian Robbins, Director of Procurement Services, [email protected], (406) 243-2204
Yes. There are always costs associated with accepting commercial credit cards.
Is there a fee to accept
these payments?
For all payments greater than $7,255, the all-in rate is 1.68% + a $40 MasterCard sales transaction
fee. For transactions less than $7,255, the rate is 2.23% + a $0.10 MasterCard sales transaction fee.
Authorizing, settling, and processing an ePayment via the MasterCard network incurs costs just like
other credit card based transactions. However, most vendors that already accept credit cards will
benefit from lower rates through this program. In addition, there are numerous benefits that UM is
providing to participating vendors that in many cases offset the fees. These include:
Why is there a fee to
accept ePayments?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Expedited receipt of payment, improving DSO
Elimination of check processing costs
Elimination of costs of lost or misplaced checks
Reduced use of factoring or line of credit
More efficient handling of exception items
Significantly reduced exposure to payment fraud
Enhanced remittance data transmitted with payment for more efficient reconciliation
Compliance with “Green” initiatives or mandates
How and when are our
fees deducted or
charged?
All fees will be automatically deducted from your designated account at the end of the month and you
will receive a statement from Boost detailing the fees associated with each transaction. The “gross”
amounts of all payments made by UM through this method will be deposited into your account for ease
of reconciliation unless other arrangements are made with Boost.
Do I have to do this?
Our ePayables program is a major and important initiative of the university. Based on information we
have received, the vast majority of our vendors are current card acceptors. If you accept cards from
other customers, we expect you to take our card-based payment, as well. If you do not yet accept card
payments, we ask that you register for card acceptance through this program because participating in
our program will be a key consideration in our future procurement decisions. In the interim, any
vendors that do not enroll in the ePayables Program may have their payment terms changed to net 60
days where contractually applicable.
The enrollment process is short and simple:
How do I enroll?
 Please call Boost Payment Solutions at (888) 222-7122 to assist you and answer any questions.
 Boost will provide you with the documentation for enrollment.
 Return completed and executed documentation to [email protected] for Merchant ID
(MID) set up.
 Once your MID has been secured, you will be notified that you are ready to receive payments from
UM.
Should you have any questions for Boost throughout the process, please call them at (888) 222-7122.
How does the ePayables
Program differ from the
University’s ProCard
program?
The University of Montana’s Purchasing Card Program (aka ProCard) utilizes physical plastic
purchasing cards that various University personnel use to purchase goods and services. ProCard
transactions are processed by your current credit card processor. The University of Montana’s
ePayables Program administered by WEX does not contain any physical plastic credit cards as all
card numbers are virtual and use MasterCard technology for payment processing. Both the University
of Montana’s ProCard Program and the ePayables Program are intended to run in parallel. The
ePayables Program is directed at replacing the University’s paper based check payments to vendors.