Using Accounts Payable, you can pay most of your business bills. You can pay via Capital One Business card, ACH bank transfer, or other debit cards - even if your vendor only accepts paper checks or bank transfers.
This article explains how to create and pay a new bill in Accounts Payable step-by-step.
It contains the following sections:
- How does it work?
- Creating your payment
- Adding vendor information
- Adding bill details (optional)
- Selecting payment and delivery methods
- Scheduling and finalizing the payment
How does it work?
The entire process can be described in 3 steps:
1 - Create a new payment or pay a saved bill.
2 - Choose how you'd like to pay: Capital One Business card, bank account (ACH), or another debit card - and choose how your vendor receives the payment, all on the same Pay screen.
3 - Review the details and confirm. We pay vendors on your behalf with a bank transfer (ACH), virtual card, or a mail-delivered paper check.
First Time Making a Payment?
Your first payment might take 3-5 minutes to set up. You'll be asked to:
- Set your preferred payment and delivery methods
- Add your business information
Once completed, future payments will be much faster.
Creating your payment
1 - Log in to Accounts Payable.
2 - Select + New Payment. This button will always be at the top right of the Pay dashboard.
Alternatively, to pay a bill you've already added: go to the Bills tab, find the bill in your list, and select Pay next to it. This takes you to the same Pay page described below.
3 - In the Pay page, begin adding your payment information under Payment details.
Adding vendor information
4 - Add the Vendor business name. Start typing the vendor's business name in the search field:
- For existing vendors: Select the vendor from the dropdown list that appears as you type.
- For new vendors: Type the full business name and select +Add new vendor to create a new vendor profile.
5 - Enter the payment amount.
6 - Select the payment frequency. You can choose between a one-time payment and a recurring payment.
Adding bill details (optional)
7 - To include an invoice with your payment, select Add bill details.
This opens the Create bill page, where you can:
- Upload your invoice image/file to upload an invoice from your device. The invoice will be uploaded and then scanned for information to add to the payment.
- Review the automatically scanned details and make any necessary edits.
- Select Continue to pay once all details are correct. This will return you to the Pay page.
We accept PDF, JPEG, JPG, and PNG files up to 10MB. Upload one invoice per file. The system will scan your invoice and autofill payment details, but always review for accuracy. Use Replace to upload a different file or Cancel to remove it entirely. To learn more about creating the bills, check our dedicated guide.
Making a payment of over $10,000?
To avoid delays in payment processing, attach the invoice from your device as described above.
Selecting payment and delivery methods
8 - On the same Pay screen, select how you want to pay.
You can pay with:
- Capital One Business card
- Bank account
- Other debit card
Need help adding a payment method? Check out our setup guides:
Payments over $3,000
Card payments over $3,000 can't be processed until the goods or services have been received. When you select to make such payments with a Capital One Business card or other debit cards, you'll be asked if you have already received the service or goods.
If you haven't received the goods, and the payment exceeds $3,000, you can only pay it via a bank account.
9 - Choose how your vendor receives the payment. We pay vendors on your behalf. Vendors don't need to sign up or pay any fees.
There are different ways your vendor can receive the payment:
- ACH bank transfer: You'll need to fill in the vendor's routing number and bank account details.
- Paper check: You'll need to fill in the name on the check and the vendor's business address.
- Virtual card: You can only pay a vendor with a virtual card when using your Capital One business card. Make sure your vendor accepts virtual cards before choosing it.
- You can let the vendor choose their delivery method.
For existing vendors:
- Use the dropdown menu to choose from saved delivery methods.
- To add a new method or edit an existing one, select Manage delivery methods. This will open the Delivery methods window.
- Select +Add another to add a new delivery method. Select the additional delivery method and enter the details.
- To edit an existing delivery method, select Edit. You can now edit the details for that delivery method.
- Select Save when done.
For new vendors:
- Select the Add delivery method box. This will open the Delivery methods window.
- In the Delivery methods window, you can add the delivery method details of your vendor.
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Add delivery methods by selecting +Add details next to the desired method. Next, follow the prompts to fill in those delivery method details.
- If you don't have vendor delivery details, select the option to send a payment method request to your vendor.
If you send your vendor a request asking how they'd like to receive payment, you can still complete the payment immediately - no need to wait for their reply. However, scheduled payments will be automatically canceled if the vendor doesn't respond within 7 business days. You can cancel the delivery method request anytime by editing the vendor details and selecting Cancel request.
- Select Save when done.
Scheduling and finalizing
10 - Choose when funds will be delivered to your vendor. You can select from preset delivery dates or choose a custom date.
- To select a custom date, select the Custom date option, then select the calendar icon to choose your preferred delivery date. Select Apply when done.
The fees shown in the screenshots are for illustrative purposes only. For the specific fees associated with your transactions, please refer to the payment summary within your Accounts Payable before confirming any payment.
- When selecting a delivery date in the calendar pop-up, federal holiday dates will be blocked. When you try to select the date, it'll display a Federal Bank Holiday.
- The delivery speed depends on multiple factors: selected payment method, amount, delivery method, day, and time when you make the payment. Learn more about typical delivery timelines in this guide.
11 - Add a memo to your payment (optional). This memo will appear on printed checks and in the email notification your vendor receives. This will help the vendor understand the purpose of the payment. When delivered via ACH bank transfer, it will show if your vendor's bank enables memos.
12 - Review all payment details carefully to ensure accuracy.
13 - Select Confirm and pay to schedule your payment.
14 - Your payment is now successfully scheduled! From the success screen, you can do the following:
a. You can download or print your payment summary.
b. To email your vendor a detailed summary of the payment, select Notify vendor.
c. Select Go to dashboard to return to your main account view.
That's it! You've successfully created and scheduled a vendor payment. You can find your new payment in the Payments tab. Your payment details are saved, and funds will be delivered according to your selected timeline and method.