A “PENNSYLVANIA-AME” charge on your bank or credit card statement is a payment to Pennsylvania American Water, the regulated water and wastewater utility that serves roughly 690,000 customers across the state.1Fox 56. PUC Approves $18 Million in Refunds for Pennsylvania American Water Customers The descriptor is cut off because electronic payment systems limit how many characters a merchant name can use, so “Pennsylvania American Water” gets trimmed to “PENNSYLVANIA-AME.” If you don’t recognize it, the usual explanation is an autopay enrollment, a one-time online or phone payment, or a payment someone else in your household made on the water bill.
Why the Descriptor Looks Cut Off
Pennsylvania American Water runs its card and electronic check payments through Paymentus, a third-party payment processor.2Pennsylvania American Water. PAAW Payment Options When Paymentus submits the charge, the merchant name is abbreviated to fit the character limit on the descriptor field, which is why your statement shows “PENNSYLVANIA-AME PAYMENT” or something close to it.3South Fayette Township. South Fayette Township Bank Statement Records
Variations you may see include:
- CHKCARD PENNSYLVANIA-AME PAYMENT
- POS Debit PENNSYLVANIA-AME PAYMENT
- PRE-AUTH PENNSYLVANIA-AME PAYMENT
- Visa Check Card PENNSYLVANIA-AME PAYMENT MC
- PENNSYLVANIA-AME PA PREAUTHORIZED ACH DEBIT
All of them point to the same merchant.
How to Confirm the Payment Is Yours
Log in to your Pennsylvania American Water account through the MyWater portal at mywater.amwater.com and open your payment history.4Pennsylvania American Water. Billing and Payment Info If the date and amount match the charge on your bank statement, you’ve found it.
No online account? Call customer service at 1-800-565-7292, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.5Pennsylvania American Water. Contact Us A representative can look up recent payments on your account and tell you whether autopay is turned on.
Before you treat the charge as unauthorized, check with anyone in your household who might have paid the water bill with your card. The utility accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express for one-time and recurring payments by phone and online.4Pennsylvania American Water. Billing and Payment Info
Does the Amount Make Sense?
For the largest service area (Rate Zone 1), current residential rates include a monthly service charge of $18.80 for a standard meter plus about $1.88 per 100 gallons used.6Pennsylvania American Water. Your Water and Wastewater Rates Customers who also get wastewater service pay an additional monthly service charge of $15.00 plus roughly $2.95 per 100 gallons. A combined water-and-sewer bill for an average household usually lands between $50 and $150 a month, though actual bills vary by usage and rate zone. A PENNSYLVANIA-AME charge in that general range is consistent with an ordinary utility payment.
Paymentus adds a $1.95 transaction fee to credit and debit card payments, so the amount on your bank statement may be slightly higher than the balance in your utility account.2Pennsylvania American Water. PAAW Payment Options E-check payments through the MyWater portal don’t carry that fee.
If the Charge Isn’t Yours
If no one in your household has a Pennsylvania American Water account and the charge doesn’t match any service you’ve used, treat it as unauthorized and dispute it. The route depends on whether it hit a credit card or a debit card, because different federal laws apply.
Credit Cards
The Fair Credit Billing Act caps your liability for unauthorized credit card charges at $50.7FTC. Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges Send a written dispute to your card issuer’s billing-inquiries address within 60 days of the statement date. Include your name, account number, and a description of the charge. The issuer must acknowledge your letter within 30 days and resolve the dispute within 90 days or two billing cycles.8Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. How Do I Dispute a Charge on My Credit Card Bill You don’t have to pay the disputed amount while the investigation is open, though you still owe the rest of your balance.
Debit Cards and Bank Account Charges
Debit card and ACH transactions fall under Regulation E of the Electronic Fund Transfer Act. Report the charge to your bank within two business days of discovering it and your liability is capped at $50. Report between two days and 60 days after the statement is sent and the cap rises to $500. Miss the 60-day window and you can face unlimited liability for unauthorized transfers that happen after that point.9Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Regulation E – Section 1005.6 The bank generally has 10 business days to investigate, or it can take up to 45 days (90 days for point-of-sale debit transactions) if it provisionally credits your account.10Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Regulation E – Section 1005.11
Watch for Impersonation Scams
Pennsylvania American Water has warned customers about callers who impersonate utility workers and threaten immediate shutoff unless the customer pays right away with a prepaid debit card, gift card, or cryptocurrency. The company says it will never demand payment through those methods.11Pennsylvania American Water. Pennsylvania American Water Raises Awareness of Utility Scams A legitimate PENNSYLVANIA-AME charge on your statement is a real payment the utility received through Paymentus; it isn’t a scam fee. If someone calls pressuring you for immediate payment, hang up and dial 1-800-565-7292 to check your actual account balance.