ESSA Bank & Trust corporate offices and branches will close at 12:00 noon on December 24 and remain closed on December 25. We will also close at 3:00 pm on December 31 and remain closed on January 1. Our online banking and mobile apps for both personal and business customers are available 24 hours a day to assist with many of your banking needs. Happy holidays!
Here we have compiled answers to our customers’ most asked questions for your convenience.
A chip card – also called a smart card or an EMV card – is a debit or credit card that contains a microprocessor that enhances the security of cards during point-of-sale transactions.
These cards, already in use in much of the world, use a security standard originally developed by Europay, MasterCard, and Visa (EMV) as a way to fight card fraud resulting from theft, skimming and counterfeiting. The EMV technology has been adopted by the other major card brands and issuers.
Yes. Chip cards add an additional layer of security to the safeguards that already protect cards. Each time a cardholder uses their chip card it generates a code that is unique to that transaction. This makes it harder to counterfeit a card or to use it fraudulently for in-store purchases.
The chip contains information about a cardholder’s account and the card expiration date. It also generates a unique code for every transaction when used with a chip-enabled terminal at the point-of-sale.
Yes. Chip cards can be used virtually anywhere this brand of card is accepted in the U.S. and around the world. ESSA Bank & Trust may have some locations disabled due to high fraud in those areas. If a merchant has a chip-enabled card terminal, cardholders will insert their card during the transaction. In the U.S., cardholders will still be able to “swipe” their card to make a payment if a merchant has a regular terminal. They will need a PIN to be able to make a transaction at an ATM.
Start the payment process by swiping your card. If the merchant’s terminal is chip-enabled, you will be prompted to insert your card.
If the terminal is not chip-enabled, the transaction will process as it normally does from the initial swipe.
For merchants without chip-enabled terminals, cardholders will “swipe” their card through the terminal, just as is done today.
Yes. There is no change to that process. Chip cards can be used to make these purchases the same way as is done today.
Yes. For ATM transactions, cardholders will insert their card into the terminal and follow the instructions on the screen. Depending on the type of ATM, they might be prompted to re-insert their card. They will leave the card in the ATM until the transaction is complete and the card is released. Then they will remove their card and any money they might have withdrawn.
You may be asked to provide your signature or enter your PIN to complete a transaction when you use your card. You will need to use your PIN at ATMs and it may be required at some unattended terminals such as fuel pumps and payment kiosks. Please note that some merchants are now requiring you to use your PIN for debit card transactions (previously you could select “credit” to sign instead). This change will also impact your HSA card (if you have one). This is why it is important to select and remember your PIN.
It is fine to select either one – your transaction will work either way.
It’s important to report a lost or stolen card immediately. Keep a record of the telephone number on the back of your card and call it if necessary.
Apple Pay and Google Pay mobile payment and digital wallet services allow you to make payments in person in specific apps. The Apple app is supported on the iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad and Mac; and for Google, Android phones, tablets and watches.
While chip cards won’t prevent the types of large-scale data breaches that have hit some merchants, they do make it extremely difficult to produce counterfeit cards from that stolen data.
No. Your chip card must be inserted into a POS terminal or ATM to read the chip. Your chip card has to be within two inches of a contactless reader in order to activate. The information that can be read is limited and not sufficient to make a fraudulent card.
Some merchants that allowed cashback (e.g. supermarkets) had to disable this feature when they started accepting EMV chip cards. We expect that they will allow this feature within the next several months. Be sure to let the merchant know that you would like the option to get cashback.
You are in control because your contactless-enabled card never leaves your hand at checkout. It’s also fast and ideal at places where speed is essential, like stadiums, fast food restaurants, gas stations, and more.
To make a purchase, simply tap your contactless card on the payment reader at the checkout. You may be prompted to enter your ‘PIN’ or to select ‘Credit’. You may not have to do either and just tap and go.
Contactless cards have a chip inside them that emits radio waves. An antenna is built into the plastic to secure the connection with a contactless reader. This is known as radio frequency identification (RFID) technology.
To pay for something with a contactless card, you hold the card near a payment terminal (known as an RFID reader) and it picks up the signal, communicates with the card and processes the payment.
The payment terminal will say if the payment was successful or not. Sometimes it doesn’t work, and you’ll need to use your pin instead. An example of this could be gas stations pay at the pump. If it doesn’t take your contactless payment, please use your card as a chip-enabled card and if that option is not available, then swipe your card.
Typically, when you tap your card/device at checkout, it must be within an inch or two of the contactless symbol on the terminal at the counter. Please note that if you have more than one contactless card in your wallet, you should remove the specific card you would like to use rather than tapping your wallet against the reader.
Wire transfers are a method of electronic funds transfer, from one person or entity to another.
Fees will apply. You will be able to review any fees and limits before completing your wire.
Yes, someone with your account information can wire funds directly to your ESSA Bank & Trust account. You will need to provide your account number and routing number.
You can cancel the transfer by going to the nearest branch or calling us at 855.713.8001. Foreign wire transfers may be canceled within 30 minutes of initiation.
Note: Consumers may receive a refund within 3 business days provided the funds have not already been picked or deposited into the beneficiary’s account.
This is a unique identification code issued by the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications (SWIFT), used for foreign wires.
Contact us at 855.713.8001.
You can also write to us at:
ESSA Bank & Trust
ATTN: Wire Transfer Department
200 Palmer Street
Stroudsburg PA 18360
For foreign wires initiated by a consumer, primarily for personal, family, or household purposes, you must contact us within 180 days of the date we indicated to you that funds would be made available to the recipient.
Domestic or foreign requests are processed at any ESSA Bank & Trust branch location.
It is the international standard for identifying foreign bank accounts across national borders (International Bank Account Number). At present, the United States does not participate in IBAN. However, when sending wire transfers to countries that use IBAN numbers, we recommend including those numbers in your wire transfer documentation. IBAN numbers are alphanumerically ranging from fifteen (15) to thirty-one (31) characters in length.
The beneficiary’s bank will generally receive the funds within 1 to 2 business days and normally credit the account within 2 business days after receipt. There are a number of factors that could delay the credit to the beneficiary (e.g. delays by an intermediary bank or other local conditions).
Note: Some countries have been designated as slow-to-pay countries. Transfers made to or from a slow-to-pay country may experience delays in crediting the beneficiary’s account. Therefore, we recommend allowing 10 business days for funds to be paid to a foreign recipient.
eStatements are an electronic version of your monthly account statement which are accessed through Personal Online Banking or Business Online Banking.
Sign in to Business Online Banking, select the account number, and then Documents; or sign in to your Retail Online Banking account and click on Profile then Manage Statements. Read the eStatement Disclosure Agreement and click on the PDF document link to verify that you can view our eStatement format. Copy or write down the confirmation code that appears at the top of the sample eStatement and close the pop-up window; this will bring you back to the Disclosure Agreement page. Enter the confirmation code in the box under the Agreement and click the AGREE button. Follow the prompts to complete your enrollment.
No, you can enroll in eStatements without being an Online Banking customer. Enroll Now.
For Business Online Banking: Yes, each user within Business Online Banking can get a notification.
For Retail Online Banking: Yes, the account holder must first enroll and will then have the ability to invite other parties to receive eStatement notifications.
Yes, eStatements are accessed through a secure login with 128-bit encryption whether through Online Banking or the eStatement login.
No, eStatements are a free service offered by ESSA Bank & Trust.
An email notification will be sent to the email address on file.
When logged into Business Online Banking, select the account number, and then Documents. For Personal Online Banking, your eStatement can be retrieved once you’ve logged into your Online Banking account. Click on Profile, manage Statements, then View Statement for the account requested.
Your eStatement can be retrieved by logging into your Online account. Click on Profile, Manage Statements, then View Statement for the account requested.
Both business and personal checking, statement savings, and most consumer loans.
If you do not receive your email notification, you may contact us by sending a message through the ‘Contact Us’ link or by sending an email to ContactCenter@essabank.com or calling us at 855.713.8001.
No, the date will not change.
Yes, by signing up for eStatements you agree that we may provide you with any disclosures legally required in connection with your account electronically rather than in paper form.
Yes, an eStatement can be treated exactly the same as a paper statement.
Depending on when the account was opened, prior statements may be available to view up to a rolling 18 months by clicking on ‘View History’ for the account requested.
No, however, it may take up to one statement cycle to discontinue paper statements after eStatement enrollment.
You may opt-out of electronic delivery by sending a message through Contact Us, sending an email to eSolutionsSupport@essabank.com, or calling us at 1-855-713-8001.
For Business Online Banking, select Administration, Employee Profile & Permissions, then Change Employee.
For Retail Online Banking, update your new email address within the “Profile” tab of your Online Banking account.
No. You will be able to access your accounts from any computer that connects to the Internet. Simply click the “Online Banking Login” link at the top of the home page of our website.
Click on the Online Banking Login link at the top of our website and then select Personal Banking. You will then see a link for “Forgot Your Password?” A temporary password will be sent to the e-mail we have on file.
If you have been in the secure site before, follow the instructions above for resetting your password. Please note that the system locks access to accounts when there are three failed attempts to enter your password or failure to answer your three challenge questions.
If you are still unable to log in, please call our Contact Center at 855.713.8001.
Yes, it works with all current versions of Quicken®. When the correct date range is chosen for the desired account, select “Download Transactions” or “Export Selected”.
Basic Internet Banking is free.
Mobile banking is the ability to perform banking transactions through a mobile device such as a mobile phone, Smartphone or Tablet. ESSA is proud to offer our mobile banking solution. Mobile Banking offers SMS (Short Message System) messages, alerts, and a downloadable App.
You can access Mobile Banking by logging into your online banking and selecting Profile, then Manage Devices. You can also download the App by searching for ESSA Bank in your App or Play Store.
No, enrollment may be completed directly through the App.
Mobile Banking is a free product offered to all ESSA Bank & Trust customers. However, standard data & message charges from your carrier may apply.
Mobile Banking SMS text messages are compatible with all phones that can send and receive text messages. However, the mobile app will only work on Smartphones.
The carriers that support our mobile banking product include (but are not limited to) Verizon®, AT&T®, T-Mobile®, Sprint®, and MetroPCS.
In Online Banking, you will need to go into Profile, select “Manage Devices” and in the drop-down select “Stop using this device for Mobile Banking” and then you will need to re-register the phone with the services you intend to utilize. This will reset the device information that is held in the Mobile Banking Profile.
You can search for locations by current location, zip code, address, or category. The locator will display the closest locations first and the furthest last.
Alerts are sent immediately.
The mobile app has a 5-minute inactivity timer. If the user is idle for more than the stated inactivity time, the user will time out and be disconnected from the app for security reasons.
Mobile Banking uses layered security methods, transaction encryption, and SSL encryption. Personal and account information are protected by only being partially displayed.
Yes, more than one phone can be added to the account simply by going into Profile, clicking “Manage Devices” under Mobile Banking Profile, then by clicking “Add New Device”.
You can easily change your services by logging into your Online Banking account, selecting “Profile”, clicking “Manage Devices” under Mobile Banking Profile, then using the drop-down switch to “I want to: Change My Mobile Banking Services”. After switching the drop-down, click “Go” and you can select which services you would like to have.
You can remove mobile banking access by logging into Online Banking, selecting Profile, “Manage Devices”, then using the drop-down switch the option to “ I want to: Stop Using This Device For Mobile Banking”. After switching the drop-down, click “Go”, this will disable mobile banking on the phone.
When using the Mobile App, choose the Transfer & Pay option from the main screen, then select Pay my Billers.
You will then be guided through a simple process of choosing the payee, the account you wish to make the payment from, the amount, and the date of payment.
Yes, payees can be added through the Mobile App. This can be done by selecting Transfer & Pay, Manage billers then Add new biller. You will then have the option to take a photo of a bill which will automatically enter the payee information for you, or you can manually enter the information yourself.
Yes, as long as the payment is in a pending status and has not been processed.
ESSA’s mobile check deposit is free to use.
Mobile check deposit is available through the ESSA App. You must have an eligible ESSA checking account.
We recommend that you retain the check for 14 days after the funds have posted to your account. You should then properly destroy the item(s).
If your mobile deposit is received on a business day before our 5:00 PM ET cut-off time, your funds will normally be available the next business day. If we receive your mobile deposit after our cut-off time, your funds will normally be available in two business days.
Yes, checks must be endorsed with your signature and the words “For Mobile Deposit Only”.
Alerts deliver real-time, two-way actionable notifications from multiple systems, including account processing and online banking, based on your preferences.
You can set up, stop/delete and manage alerts when signed into Personal Online Banking and/or Business Online Banking. You must be enrolled in our online banking service first.
They are received via email, text, push notification or online banking alerts. *
*Standard data & message charges from your carrier may apply
A push notification is a message that pops up on a mobile device. Push notifications can be received at any time, and users do not have to be in the app or using their device to receive them; however, you must have our Mobile App to use push notifications. Push notifications are only available for retail customers. Business coming soon!
We offer a wide variety of alerts that you can set up, including but not limited to:
Security i.e. Online banking password was changed
Balance i.e. Account balance below threshold
Transaction i.e. Transaction over the threshold amount
Loans i.e. Loan is past due
Other i.e. Check was returned
Alerts are real-time, meaning they occur throughout the day for both consumers and businesses at the time the event occurs.
Alerts are beneficial in that they enable decision-making, provide information and reduce fraud risk.
You can designate a specific time that you do not wish to receive alerts. Once that time expires, you will receive all alerts for events that occurred during that window.
You can have an unlimited amount of email addresses and/or phone numbers.
If your email address or mobile number changes, you may update this information under Contact Options from within your Alerts.
There is no restriction on how many alerts you can set up, this is unlimited.
Alerts do not expire and will continue until you stop/delete them.
