Venmo Instant Transfer Not Working? Here's What to Do

With Venmo, you can send and receive money, facilitating peer-to-peer (P2P) exchanges with ease. Funds appear in the recipient's Venmo balance instantly. However, transferring money to a bank account takes one to three business days. If you need to add cash to Venmo right away, use Instant Transfer to shift your available balance to a Visa or Mastercard debit card in 30 minutes or less. There are a number of reasons why Venmo Instant Transfer might not work as expected.

How Do I Contact Venmo?

If your money doesn't arrive on time or if you experience another problem, Venmo offers the following contact methods and typically responds in a timely fashion.

• Chat with a support specialist in the Venmo mobile app. Select Menu > Get Help > Contact Us > Chat with Us.
• Call Venmo customer support at 855-812-4430. Their hours are 10:00 a.m. through 6:00 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday. They are closed on major holidays.
• Fill out the Venmo Support team web form.

Before you spend time calling, do some troubleshooting to make sure there's nothing off on your side of the works.

Is My Debit Card Eligible for Instant Transfer?

All United States-based Visa and Mastercard debit cards that take part in the Visa Fast Funds service or the Mastercard Send platform can be used with Venmo Instant Transfer. However, most cardholders don't know whether or not the bank associated with their card participates in the program.

The easiest way to determine if a debit card qualifies for Instant Transfer is to add it to your Venmo account. To set up a debit card in the app, go to the main menu, select Settings, then choose Payment Methods.

Once the card has been added to your Venmo account, take the steps outlined below to initiate an Instant Transfer. If your card is eligible, you can select it from the list provided. If it isn't, the card shows in your list but is greyed out and inaccessible for this purpose.

Funds from a Venmo Instant Transfer are sent to the bank account linked to your eligible debit card. Verify the account balance to determine whether or not the transfer was completed successfully before using your debit card for a purchase or withdrawal. 

Transfer Money to Your Bank With Venmo

Take the following steps from the Venmo app to initiate an Instant Transfer and see if your card is eligible.

1. Tap the Menu button, represented by the three horizontal lines located in the upper-right corner of the screen.
2. When the drop-down menu appears, your Venmo balance displays below your name. Select the Transfer Balance link, which is found to the right of your balance.
3. Enter the amount you want to transfer and tap on the drop-down menu located toward the bottom of the screen.
4. A list of available cards and bank accounts displays. Those that are eligible for Instant Transfer appear in the Instant section.

How Much Does It Cost?

Bank transfers from your Venmo balance can be initiated free of charge, meaning that all the money transfers to your checking or savings account. However, a 1% fee is incurred each time you use the Instant Transfer feature, with a minimum of $0.25 and a maximum of $10 taken from the transferred funds. For example, if you instantly transfer $50 to your bank account, a $0.50 (1%) fee is incurred, and only $49.50 is transferred.

Are Funds Always Available Within 30 Minutes?

The majority of Instant Transfer requests are completed in under a half-hour. There are rare occasions where the funds may be delayed or blocked for a variety of reasons. These reasons include potential fraud, legal roadblocks, and past issues with your account or the sender's account.

When transferred funds originate from a compromised account or card, your Instant Transfer request may be delayed and reviewed closer.