Venmo has become one of the most popular peer-to-peer payment apps, with over 60 million active users. With Venmo, you can easily send money to friends, split bills, and even pay merchants securely from your phone. But what if you want to use Venmo without a bank account or credit card? Enter: prepaid cards.
Prepaid debit cards have gained popularity as a flexible and convenient way to make digital payments. Many people now receive prepaid gift cards or use reloadable prepaid cards to better manage their finances. The big question is – can you connect these prepaid cards to Venmo to send and receive payments?
In this complete guide, we‘ll cover everything you need to know about using prepaid cards with Venmo:
- Benefits of Using Venmo for Payments
- Which Prepaid Cards Work with Venmo
- Step-by-Step Guide to Adding a Prepaid Card
- Troubleshooting Issues When Using Prepaid Cards
- Related Questions and Alternative Payment Options
Let‘s start with a closer look at why Venmo is so popular as an easy way to exchange money with friends or pay for things online or in apps.
Why Use Venmo for Digital Payments?
Venmo appeals to users of all ages due to its convenience, cost savings, ability to pay bills and businesses, convenient features like purchase protection, and even fun social elements. Here are some of the main benefits of paying with Venmo:
Quick, Convenient Transfers
Venmo makes is incredibly easy to pay anyone else who uses Venmo, with money transfers happening instantly between accounts. You can send and request money seamlessly in just a few taps. It‘s much faster than using cash or checks.
No Fees for Standard Transfers
There are no fees to send money from your Venmo account balance or linked bank account to another Venmo user. You also don‘t get charged for receiving money or standard bank transfers. It‘s completely free!
Pay Bills and Make Purchases
In addition to paying your friends, you can use Venmo to pay your bills, buy things online, and scan to pay in apps like Uber. Over 2 million US merchants and websites now accept Venmo payments.
Split Payments Easily
The app makes it a breeze to split payments and bills between multiple people. There‘s a split payments tool that evenly divides the amount between friends. No more IOUs or money requests.
Social Newsfeed
Venmo includes a newsfeed feature where you can see payments happening in your network, similar to a social media feed. You can also add comments, emojis, and more to payments.
With so many benefits to paying with Venmo, it‘s easy to see why it has surged in popularity. Now let‘s discuss which types of prepaid cards can actually be used with Venmo.
What Prepaid Cards Work with Venmo?
The good news is you can use select prepaid debit cards with Venmo. But not all prepaid cards will necessarily connect.
Venmo specifies that they accept network-branded prepaid cards from providers like Mastercard, Visa, American Express, and Discover. So if your card is issued by one of those major providers, you should be able to add it to Venmo.
Some specific examples of popular prepaid cards known to work with Venmo include:
Vanilla Visa Gift Cards
These widely-available Visa gift cards work seamlessly with mobile wallets like Venmo. You can even create a customized design. It‘s easy to reload this card as needed.
PayPal Mastercard
For those who already have a PayPal balance, you can withdraw money to a reloadable PayPal Mastercard for use anywhere Mastercard is accepted, including Venmo.
Netspend/Brinks Prepaid Mastercards
Major prepaid card providers like Netspend and Brinks offer online account management and apps to conveniently control prepaid Mastercards that work with Venmo.
As you can see, many standard Visa, Mastercard, Amex, or Discover network prepaid debit cards should let you connect to a Venmo account. Just make sure to register the card fully under your personal name and required information.
Now let‘s go over how to actually add one of these supported prepaid cards within your Venmo account.
Step-by-Step Guide to Adding a Prepaid Card on Venmo
Adding a prepaid card on Venmo only takes a minute. Just follow these steps:
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Open Venmo App & Tap Menu Icon – Launch your Venmo mobile app and tap the three-line "hamburger" menu icon in the upper left corner.
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Tap Payment Methods > Card – Scroll down and tap the "Payment Methods" option. On the next screen, choose the "Card" option to add a new card.
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Enter Prepaid Card Details – Carefully enter your 16-digit prepaid card number, expiration date, CVV code, and ZIP code associated with the card (if available).
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Use Camera to Scan Card – To save time, tap the camera icon on the right side of the card number field. You can scan your actual card to have the details auto-fill.
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Review Details & Tap Add – Double check that all card details are correct. Then tap the blue "Add Card" button.
That‘s it! Your prepaid card will instantly be linked to your Venmo account for sending payments or withdrawing money into the card balance.
However, sometimes you may run into issues getting a prepaid card approved by Venmo. Let‘s break down some common problems and solutions.
Troubleshooting When Your Prepaid Card is Declined
While many major prepaid card brands can work on Venmo, you might get notified that your card was declined when trying to add it. There are a few possible reasons for this.
Lack of Funds
Just like a debit card, most prepaid cards need to have money in the account balance for Venmo to approve them. If your card has no funds or is below the minimum, try adding money to get it working.
Fraud Prevention Measures
Venmo‘s risk algorithms may flag certain prepaid cards as high risk if the card is new or lacks identity verification. You may need to go through further ID checks for approval.
Card Not Registered to You
As per Venmo‘s terms for prepaid cards, the card must be registered under the name and identity details you provided within Venmo. Using someone else‘s card could trigger a decline. You‘ll want to register the prepaid card properly first before attempting to link again.
While it can be frustrating to get a prepaid card declined by Venmo, just follow the troubleshooting tips above to get things squared away. Reaching out to Venmo support directly can also help identify any issues.
Related Questions About Prepaid Cards and Venmo
As you navigate using prepaid cards with Venmo, here are answers to some other common questions that arise:
Can I use a Venmo prepaid card issued by Venmo? Yes! If you apply and get approved for one of Venmo‘s own prepaid debit cards (a standard Visa or premium Mastercard version), these obviously integrate directly with the Venmo app. Just be aware of fees based on card type.
Are there any fees to use my prepaid card? Usually not, beyond if you opt for instant transfers to your bank for a small percentage fee. Just watch for things like ATM withdrawal fees based on your prepaid card program.
Can I make purchases from online stores? Absolutely! Just make sure your prepaid card is properly activated and loaded so online retailers can process the payment. The steps are the same as using a bank debit card.
Can I still send to friends who don‘t have an account? Yes, Venmo gives you a few easy options to pay anyone, even if they haven‘t signed up for Venmo. You can instantly send funds to their bank, email or text the money, or request a physical check sent to them. Super convenient.
What if Venmo still won‘t verify my prepaid card? In some rare cases, Venmo may continue having trouble verifying your identity or prepaid card legitimacy. It‘s best to reach out directly go Venmo Support via email or phone in these situations to get personalized help troubleshooting your account.
Conclusion – Prepaid Cards Offer Flexibility
To wrap things up – yes, you can successfully use prepaid debit cards with Venmo as long as they are supported network brands that you have registered properly under your name and account details within Venmo.
Following this guide, you now understand:
- The many benefits of sending payments via Venmo
- Exactly which prepaid card brands work with Venmo
- How to directly add a prepaid card within the Venmo app
- Common issues and troubleshooting tips when linking prepaid cards
- Helpful answers around using prepaid cards with Venmo
The ability to easily link select prepaid cards gives added flexibility in how you handle money transfers with Venmo. While there are occasional verification issues or declines to watch out for, overall prepaid cards offer a convenient option for both sending funds and receiving payments via Venmo.
Have any other questions on using prepaid cards with the Venmo app? Let me know in the comments!