How do I send and receive money on Venmo?

Venmo makes it easy to send, request, and receive money from friends, family, and eligible businesses right from your phone. Whether you’re splitting dinner, paying your share of rent, reimbursing a friend, or getting paid back, you can complete most transfers in just a few taps.

This guide explains how Venmo transfers work, how to send money, how to request and receive funds, how to transfer your Venmo balance to your bank account, and how to use Venmo safely.

How Venmo transfers work

Venmo works like a digital wallet. You can link a bank account, debit card, or credit card to your Venmo account, then use the Venmo app to send and receive money with other Venmo users.

Instead of exchanging bank details, you can find people on Venmo by scanning their QR code or searching for their:

• Venmo username
• Name
• Phone number
• Email address

When someone sends you money, it appears in your Venmo balance. From there, you can use that balance for future Venmo payments or transfer it to a linked bank account.

What you need before you start

Before you send or receive money on Venmo, make sure you have:

1. The Venmo app downloaded on your mobile device.
2. A Venmo account with your basic profile information.
3. A linked payment method, such as a bank account, debit card, or credit card.
4. Identity verification is required for certain transfer limits or account features.

If you need help getting started, you can learn more on Venmo’s send and receive page or review how to add a payment method.

How to send money on Venmo

To send money to someone on Venmo:

1. Open the Venmo app.
2. Tap Pay or Request.
3. Search for the recipient by username, name, phone number, email, or scan their QR code.
4. Enter the amount you want to send.
5. Add a note describing what the payment is for.
6. Confirm the recipient, amount, and payment method.
7. Tap Pay to send the money.

Before you complete the payment, double-check that you selected the right person. Venmo payments are designed to move quickly, so it’s important to verify the username, profile photo, or other identifying details before you tap Pay.

For more detailed help, visit Venmo’s guide to sending and requesting money.

Choosing your payment method

When you send money, Venmo may let you choose from your available payment methods, including:

• Venmo balance, if available (ID Verification required)
• Linked bank account
• Linked debit card
• Linked credit card

You can review or change the payment method before sending the transaction. If you use a credit card, Venmo charges a 3% fee. Bank account, debit card, and Venmo balance payments have different fees, so it’s a good idea to review Venmo’s current fees before sending.

How to request and receive money on Venmo

Venmo also lets you request money from another user. This is useful when someone owes you for a shared bill, group trip, rent payment, or other expense.

To request money on Venmo:

1. Open the Venmo app.
2. Tap Pay or Request.
3. Find the person you want to request money from.
4. Enter the amount.
5. Add a note explaining the request.
6. Tap Request.

The other person will receive your request and can choose to pay it in the app.

What happens when someone pays you

When someone sends you money on Venmo, the funds appear in your Venmo balance. They do not automatically move to your bank account.

Once the money is in your Venmo balance, you can generally:

• Keep it in Venmo for future payments.
• Use it to send money to other Venmo users.
• Transfer it to your linked bank account.

You can view incoming payments and past activity in your Venmo transaction history. You may also receive app notifications when someone pays you, depending on your notification settings.

For more details, see Venmo’s payments and requests FAQ.

How to transfer money from Venmo to your bank account

If you receive money on Venmo and want it in your bank account, you’ll need to transfer it out of your Venmo balance.

To transfer money from Venmo to your bank:

1. Open the Venmo app.
2. Go to your Me tab.
3. Tap Transfer or Transfer to bank.
4. Enter the amount you want to move.
5. Choose your linked bank account or eligible debit card.
6. Select either a standard transfer or instant transfer, if available.
7. Review the details and confirm the transfer.

Venmo offers two main transfer options: standard transfers and instant transfers.

A standard transfer is a good option if you do not need the money immediately and want to avoid a transfer fee.

An instant transfer may make sense if you need access to the money quickly and are comfortable paying the fee.

You can learn more about instant bank transfers and standard bank transfers in Venmo’s Help Center.

How to add money to Venmo from your bank

You do not always need to preload your Venmo balance before sending money. In many cases, you can send a payment using a linked bank account or card.

If you want to add money to your Venmo balance from a bank account, you can do so in the app if the feature is available to you:

1. Open the Venmo app.
2. Go to your wallet area.
3. Look for Add money.
4. Choose your linked bank account.
5. Enter the amount.
6. Review and confirm the transfer.

If you do not see the Add money option, review Venmo’s guide to adding money to your Venmo balance.

Help keep your account information secure when sending and receiving money

Venmo is designed to make money transfers fast and convenient, but it’s still important to use good security habits whenever you send or receive funds.

Here are a few ways to help protect your account:

• Use a strong password that you do not use on other sites.
• Turn on PIN or biometric login, such as fingerprint or face recognition, if available on your device.
• Use two-factor authentication to add another layer of protection.
• Verify the recipient before sending money. If Venmo asks you to confirm a phone number match before you pay, check it carefully, since this only confirms the number is linked to that account, not that you know the person behind it. For extra assurance, especially with first-time or larger payments, verify who you're paying directly, such as by calling or texting them outside the app.
• Be cautious with urgent or unexpected requests, especially from people you do not know.
• Do not share verification codes with anyone.
• Review your transaction history regularly.
• Only send money to people and businesses you trust.

Be especially careful if someone asks you to send money outside the normal flow of a transaction, claims there is an emergency, or pressures you to act immediately. Scammers often create urgency to get people to send money before they can verify the request.

Venmo also offers the benefit of Purchase Protection for eligible transactions. Terms & limitations apply.

Start sending and receiving money with Venmo

Venmo makes it simple to send, request, receive, and transfer money from one place. Once your account is set up and your payment method is linked, you can pay friends, request money, receive funds into your Venmo balance, and move money to your bank when you need it.

Ready to get started? Download or open Venmo and visit the Venmo send and receive page to begin making fast, easy transfers.