pay by

pay by

1. To use a particular payment method when making a purchase. Can I pay by card, or do you only accept cash? I hope they let me pay by check.
2. To make a payment (to someone) by certain day, date, or time. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "pay" and "by" to specify who is being paid. The deadline was originally last month, but they're letting me pay by the end of next week due to my circumstances. I promise I'll pay you by the end of the day!
See also: by, pay
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

pay by something

 
1. Lit. to use something as a medium of payment. Will you pay by cash or check? The bill was paid by check.
2. Fig. to pay by a certain time. You will have to pay by the end of the month or we will cancel your lease. I promise I will pay by the end of the month.
See also: by, pay
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • pay (for something) cash on delivery
  • pay the freight
  • pay (for something) collect on delivery
  • pay (for something) out of pocket
  • pay out of pocket
  • pay-to-play
  • pay (for something) COD
  • pay-for-play
  • put (one) to great expense
  • bread
References in periodicals archive
A significant number of employers were miscalculating the employees' regular rate of pay for purposes of overtime pay by not including items such as shift differential on-call pay or bonuses.
Are you in compliance with the FLSA?
Organizations know variable pay by different names: profit sharing, group/team incentives, gains sharing, variable merit pay or performance sharing incentives What these programs have in common is they are incentive plans that cover most (if not all) employees while focusing on productivity objectives.
Variable pay: linking salary to performance