Blue Shield of California payment system updates coming in April 2017

Blue Shield of California is updating our online payment system, which affects approximately 45,000 Individual and Family Plan members and 99,000 Medicare Supplement members.

Beginning in April, we will transition to a new payment system that will offer our members the same convenient choices with an improved online payment experience. Members will notice some changes if they pay their bill online or are enrolled in Easy$PaySM, our automatic payment program.

Please read below to find out what actions members need to take to continue making timely payments during the transition to the new system. Members who are affected by this transition will receive notifications from Blue Shield in the coming days.

Important dates to be aware of:

• In preparation for this transition, it is important that members whose bill is due on the 1st of the month make their payments for their April bill by March 30.
• If their bill is due on the 15th of the month, they need to make their payments for their April bill by April 15.
• The payment system will be unavailable from Friday, March 31 to Monday morning, April 3, and we are unable to accept or process online payments or payments by phone during this time.

Members who receive a paper bill each month:

• There is no impact to members who pay by check or through their bank or financial institution. They can continue to pay their bill as usual.
• There are no changes to their monthly bill.

Members currently using Easy$Pay or who want to sign up:

Members whose bills are due on the 1st of the month

• We will process their automatic payment on March 30 to pay their April bill.
• To ensure that the payment for their May bill will be automatically deducted, they need to re-enroll in Easy$Pay and establish their payment preferences between April 3 and April 9.
• After April 9, they will need to make a one-time payment for their May bill by May 1, and then sign-up for Easy$Pay by May 9 to pay their June bill.

Members whose bills are due on the 15th of the month

• We will process their automatic payment on March 15 to pay their March bill.
• Members will need to make a one-time payment for their bill that is due April 15.
• To ensure their payment for their next bill will be automatically deducted, they need to re-enroll in Easy$Pay by April 23.

Members who use our online payment option for one-time payments or pay by phone:

• In preparation for this transition, it is important that members make their payments for their April bill by March 30 if their bill is due on the 1st of the month, and April 15 if their bill is due on the 15th of the month.
• If a member has scheduled a one-time payment in the current system to be delivered after March 30, it will be cancelled. Members can:
  • Log in to the current payment system prior to March 30 and change the date their payment is scheduled.
  • Send a check to pay their April bill.
• Members can log in to the new system beginning April 3 to schedule a new payment for their next bill.

Members who pay by phone:

These members can continue to call the customer service phone number on the back of their Blue Shield member ID card to pay their bill. No payments can be processed from Friday, March 31 to Monday morning, April 3.

More information

For more information, please see our frequently asked questions.