Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I get started?
2. Where's the item I'm looking for?
3. What if I have a question about an item?
4. How will the charges appear?
5. Help - I've forgotten my User ID or password!
6. How can I be sure my transaction went through?
7. How does my school or parent organization benefit from the partnership?
8. How do parents benefit from the partnership?
9. I'm a parent - How do I sign up and get started?
10. I'm a School or Parent Organization Administrator - How do I get started?
11. How do parents know if their school or parent organization participates?
12. How can parents get their schools or parent organizations to participate?
13. What type of school stuff can parents pay for?
14. How do parents pay for stuff?
15. Are payments and information secure?
16. Can parents keep track of their payments?
17. Can parents pay for more than one child in different schools?
18. My child has changed grades - How do I change this in your system?
19. Can a parent have a child registered at more than one school?
20. My child is involved with an activity at another school - How do I register him/her for this?
21. I'm a parent without a child at the school - How do I purchase something from the school?
22. What if I need a refund?
23. I paid for the wrong thing or need to change my order - what do I do?
24. What about fees for parents?
25. What does it cost the organization to sign up?

1. How do I get started?

Getting started is easy. Parents simply complete the information located under the Parent Signup Box. Activate your account by clicking the link in the email sent to you. Login and add your student(s) associated with appropriate school to their account, and begin shopping. School or Parent-Organization Administrators click on the "Open Admin Account Now" button, and complete/submit the required information. Your application will be reviewed, and if approved, will be activated within 48 hours. Step-by-step instructions for both parents and administrators are available on the landing page under "Admin Resources.”

2. Where's the item I'm looking for?

tems are listed by your school or affiliated parent organization under the Schools' heading. Be sure you are logged in and have selected the correct student and school. Items are programmed to turn on and off at pre-described times. Items may be listed using an inventory control that will turn the item off when it has sold-out. If the item you are shopping for is not visible, it has either sold out, expired/timed-out, or has not yet been made available by the organization. If the item has sold-out or timed-out, you may see reference to it under the "[+] Preview Items Available for Purchase" drop-down.

3. What if I have a question about an item?

For questions about an existing item, you can send an email to the organization that listed the item by clicking on the "?" icon in the upper-right-hand corner of the item listing. Questions directed from similar items on the same page will be directed to the same organization representative. Pay4SchoolStuff does not list, ship, deliver, or issue refunds for items purchased through the site.

4. How will the charges appear?

Charges for items purchased through the site will appear as "Pay4SchoolStuff" on your card statement. To verify your purchases online, go to "Parent Options/Generate Reports.” Here you can see your account activity based on date ranges, students or by select item(s). Reports can be printed or exported to Excel.

5. Help - I've forgotten my User ID or password!

On the home page click the LOGIN button, then click on the "Forgot Password?" link, enter the email address (User ID) you used to create your account, and click submit. If a matching email address is found in our system, an email will be sent to the email address you entered containing your password. If you do not receive a reply email from our system, either a different or incorrect email address was used previously, or emails from [email protected] are being blocked by your provider or spam filter. If all else fails, contact us and we'll be happy to help.

6. How can I be sure my transaction went through?

Immediately after completing your transaction you will be directed to a screen confirming your successful payment. An email transaction receipt detailing the items purchased is also sent to the email address provided as your account User ID. If you do not receive this transaction receipt email, it may have been blocked, or sent to a different or incorrect email address. Be sure to check your spam folder and allow emails from [email protected]. Please also confirm the email address used for your User ID under "Parent Options/Edit Account". Online reports are available to confirm any transaction under "Parent Options/Generate Reports.” Here you can see your account activity based on date ranges or by selected item(s). Reports are available 24/7 and can be printed or exported to Excel. Charges for items purchased through the site will appear as "Pay4SchoolStuff" on your card statement.

7. How does my school or parent organization benefit from the partnership?

Use of Pay4SchoolStuff reduces administrative and support staff burdens by streamlining and consolidating payment processing. Significant time and cost savings are realized. Extensive reporting capabilities are built into the system, so administrators can easily generate itemized reports. Date, time and inventory controls allow the monitoring of registrations, purchases and spaces for programs or events. The ability to email individual or groups of parents and create/deploy forms online eliminates the need for paper transport and postage. The site is secure, and fosters convenience and accountability.

8. How do parents benefit from the partnership?

No more checks! Paying online saves you time and paperwork and eliminates the hassle of dealing with checks. With Pay4SchoolStuff you can keep track of your payments through you own secure online account so you will have a record of what you paid for, and when you paid. Account setup is easy. Using Pay4SchoolStuff also saves valuable time for school staff and volunteers alike.

9. I'm a parent - How do I sign up and get started?

Getting started is as easy as 1-2-3!

1. On the home page, under "Parent Signup Box"
2. Provide your name, contact information, and a password
3. Confirm your account via the emailed link. Add your student by entering your child's name, grade, and selecting their school.

Select your student and you can immediately start shopping for any items your school or parent organization has made available online. Quick Start Instructions are available under "Admin Resources."

10. I'm a School or Parent Organization Administrator - How do I get started?

On the home page click the "Open Admin Account Now” button and complete/submit the required information. Your application will be reviewed, and if approved, will be activated within 48 hours. Step-by-step instructions for both parents and administrators are available online under "Admin Resources" located at the footer of the home page.

11. How do parents know if their school or parent organization participates?

Your school or parent organization may elect to place our logo or a hyperlink on their website that links directly to Pay4SchoolStuff.com, or publicize the availability of the service through other means. If you select a student that is associated with a school that does not have an active account with Pay4SchoolStuff, a screen will appear indicating that the account is inactive. If there is an active account at the school, items available for purchase will be visible.

12. How can parents get their schools or parent organizations to participate?

Of course, it's a great idea! Parents should contact their school administrators, Parent Organization and Booster Club Presidents, or other school-affiliated leaders. Sign up is fast and easy. Use of the system is guaranteed to save the organization time, money, and a lot of aggravation. Promotional materials, including press articles, newsletters, brochures and testimonials, are posted online under the "Admin Resources" located on the footer of the home page.

13. What type of school stuff can parents pay for?

Virtually anything that your school or parent organization wants to offer can be listed and purchased through Pay4SchoolStuff. Items can include options to specify colors, sizes, gender, sports, seasons, choices and customized forms. Items with pre-set prices, parent-entered amounts, or "zero-cost" items can be transacted. Items can be listed that are dependent on other items being selected. List and pay for anything and everything, from AP exams to school trips. Dues, fees, after school classes, exams, tickets, donations, clothing and uniforms, fundraisers, lunches and food items, mulch sales, field trips and more.

14. How do parents pay for stuff?

Pay4SchoolStuff was designed by parents for parents. After logging in and selecting which child you would like to pay for, simply check off items you would like to buy from a menu of available items offered by your school or parent organization. At checkout, you can use any VISA/MasterCard/Discover/American Express credit or debit card to complete your purchase. A transaction receipt is emailed to you, detailing your purchases. Your personal information and payment information are secure and never shared.

15. Are payments and information secure?

Yes. Pay4SchoolStuff is a secure website and uses SSL encryption to transmit any information. Any stored personal information is also encrypted and will never be shared with any third parties. Credit/debit card numbers are not stored or maintained anywhere by Pay4SchoolStuff. Payments are secured by SecurityMetrics for PCI DSS compliance. TSYS is our back-end payment processor. TSYS Merchant Solutions is a registered ISO/MSP of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Concord, CA; Synovus Bank, Columbus, GA, First National Bank of Omaha, Omaha, NE; and Deutsche Bank, New York, NY for Visa and Mastercard transactions only.

16. Can parents keep track of their payments?

Yes. Pay4SchoolStuff tracks every purchase and provides detailed reporting capabilities for parents under "Parent Options/Generate Reports". You can track multiple children in multiple schools, and generate reports based on date ranges or selected items. Reports are available 24/7 and can be printed or exported to Excel.

17. Can parents pay for more than one child in different schools?

Yes. With Pay4SchoolStuff you can setup accounts for all of your children at once, even if they attend different schools. Shop for each child separately, and check out in a single transaction!

18. My child has changed grades - How do I change this in your system?

If you child is changing grades at the same school, you can easily edit their information under "Parent Options/Your Students". Next to your child's name and school, select "edit", change the grade, and click "Submit". There is no need to re-enter the school information. If you child is changing schools, select “edit” next to their name, search the state/county of the new school, enter the grade, and click “Submit.”

19. Can a parent have a child registered at more than one school?

Yes, your child can be registered at one or more schools. If your child is involved in activities at another school, simply add them as a new student at that school. If you child is changing schools, select “edit” next to their name, search the state/county of the new school, enter the grade, and click “Submit.”

20. My child is involved with an activity at another school - How do I register him/her for this?

Your child can be registered at one or more schools. If you don't already have an account, create your parent account by completing the information inside the "Parent Signup" box and click "Submit". Click the activation link in the email sent to the email address used for sign up. Under "Add a Student to Your Account", add your child as the student at that school.

21. I'm a parent without a child at the school - How do I purchase something from the school?

If you do not have a student at the school, you can easily self-register as an "Adult" at the school. If you don't already have an account, create your parent account by completing the information inside the "Parent Signup" box and click "Submit". Click the activation link in the email sent to the email address used for sign up. Under "Add a Student to Your Account", add yourself as the student at that school. Be sure to select "Adult" for the "Grade" field.

22. What if I need a refund?

Pay4SchoolStuff does not list, ship, deliver, or issue refunds for items purchased through the site. Please contact your school or school affiliated organization associated with the payment item in question to find out their refund policy. You can send an email to the organization that listed the item by clicking on the "?" icon in the upper-right-hand corner of the item listing. Questions directed from similar items on the same page will be directed to the same organization representative.

23. I paid for the wrong thing or need to change my order - what do I do?

Do not contact Pay4SchoolStuff. Pay4SchoolStuff does not list, ship, deliver, or issue refunds for items purchased through the site. Contact your student's School or Parent Organization representative responsible for listing the item. You can send an email to the organization that listed the item by clicking on the "?" icon in the upper-right-hand corner of the item listing. Questions directed from similar items on the same page will be directed to the same organization representative.

24. What about fees for parents?

For parents purchasing items, processing fees are applied internally and are included in the retail price. School or Parent Organizations enter items and dictate the retail price for items offered.

25. What does it cost the organization to sign up?

New Administrative accounts are subject to a one-time Start-Up Fee of BASIC (free), PLUS ($129), and PRO ($249). This fee can be paid in advance, or deducted from your bi-weekly accounting deposit. The Start-Up Fee covers account initialization, bank account verification, and dedicated technical support/training to help you get up and running quickly.