[scarface_74]

I’m going to lose $30 a month in discounts with T-mobile if I don’t switch to debit card or checking account. T-mobile has a horrible history when it comes to security. I definitely don’t want to give them access to my checking account

[js2]

Create an account just for T-mobile. With someone like Fidelity setting up a new account is a few clicks. Ally makes it pretty easy too. Then set it up to fund automatically from another account within a certain limit. Or if your monthly bill is stable, setup a schedule to fund it monthly.

[Symbiote]

What are the rights of the T-mobile customer in the USA, if they somehow do mess up an automatic bill payment?

I'm searching using the European/international term for this sort of payment ("direct debit usa") which gives me API documentation from many American payment providers, but nothing about the customer's rights. I assume it's the technical term there, and there's another term used with the public.

(In Britain and the EU this kind of bill-paying agreement has very strong rights for the payer, they can ask their bank to reverse any transaction for a long time without giving a reason. My online banking interfaces have easy buttons to do this, or to block future transfers.)

[scarface_74]

I’m not sure about ACH (directly from your checking account) rights. But, debit cards issued with the Mastercard, Visa, Amex logos give you the same rights as credit cards. Where you can get the charge reversed.

However there are a lot more knock on effects while you’re waiting for actual cash to be put back into your account than there are when you’re just waiting to get a credit card transaction reversed.

Not only can they potentially drain your checking account. They can also drain any linked Savings account that you have to cover overdrafts.

I only keep $500 in my linked Savings account to cover any of our accounts.

[kaiuhl]

ACH has many of the same consumer protections as credit card networks. The window is 60 days instead of 90 days and the dispute outcome is always in your favor—merchants cannot respond to the dispute or win.

[Schiendelman]

What do you mean by "cannot respond to the dispute or win"? Is there some documentation of the rules/laws for a layman?

[ezfe]

You can easily create an account just for T-Mobile and auto-deposit into it monthly.

[epcoa]

But then they wouldn’t have anything to complain about.

[scarface_74]

I still don’t get the phone warranty that comes by just charging the bill to my Amex card (potentially saves about $500 a year) or the close to 5000 Amex points per year (worth about $75)

[ezfe]

Right, but that phone warranty and 5000 Amex points is being funded by T-Mobile paying CC processing fees