It says "No fees apply to the first 40 ACH payments monthly, then 0.50 for each." I process ~10 a month and get billed for every single one.

Hello there, amie.

I understand and acknowledge that the first 40 ACH payments should be free each month. Since you're paying a monthly fee and incurring charges for processing ACH payments from the first one onward, I suggest contacting our Support Team to review your account and investigate it. They'll ensure you are not incorrectly billed for your ACH payments.

1. Within your QBO account, go to Help in the upper-right corner.
2. In the Search tab, click Contact us.
3. Enter a brief description of your concern.
4. Click Continue.
    

Additionally, you can visit these articles for additional information:

• QuickBooks Bill Pay.
• Learn about QuickBooks Bill Pay.

Know that you can always post in the Community if you have other questions, especially about using QuickBooks Bill Pay for QuickBooks Online. 

@amie-trinsic-id 

You can sign up for a free Melio account and pay your bills with ACH for free. Unlimited.

https://affiliates.meliopayments.com/quickbooks

You can also get the cashback to pay the first bill. Make sure to click the Get $100 cashback button to sign up.

https://affiliates.meliopayments.com/cashback