How to Add a Debit Card to Venmo

Beating out rivals like Cash App and PayPal, Venmo has risen to the top of the highly competitive world of money transfer apps. This tool has long surpassed its modest beginnings as a way to send your friend money for snacks or movie tickets — a huge percentage of Americans are now using Venmo to pay the rent, bills, and even receive paychecks.

However, there’s no point in downloading the app without connecting it to a funding source like a debit card. In this article, we’ll explain how to connect your debit card to your Venmo account and troubleshoot any issues you may come across.

Adding a Debit Card to Venmo: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you’re picturing (and dreading) a long, drawn-out battle with a digital bureaucracy, your fears are outdated. Venmo’s user interface has made it super simple to get your debit card into its ecosystem. Follow the steps below and your debit card will be active in no time:

1. Log into your Venmo account.
2. Open the menu by tapping on the hamburger icon in the top left corner of the screen.
   
3. Tap on “Settings.”
   
4. Scroll through the settings and select “Payment Methods.”
   
5. Under the “Payment Methods” section, tap on “Add a Bank or Card,” and then select “Card.”
   
6. From here, enter your debit card number, expiration date, security code, and your name.
   
7. All that’s left is to verify your card: As a security feature, Venmo won’t let you use this card without verifying your identity. Depending on how you registered, check your email or texts for a message from Venmo containing a verification code and enter it on the app.

Congrats! Your debit card is now linked, and you’ll be able to send money for coffee or pay back that loan to your roommate in no time.

Troubleshooting

If you’re still having trouble, don’t stress: there are some likely explanations for why your card isn’t connecting and easy fixes for each of them.

• Verify Card Details: By far the most likely error is mistyping your card details. — Fortunately, the solution is as simple as double-checking or re-entering your card number and details.
  Make sure they’re accurate, and you’ll have fixed your problem.
• Check Card Compatibility: Ensure that your bank is actually compatible with Venmo. While most U.S. banks accept the service, it’s still worth googling if your bank is one of them.
• Update Venmo: it’s always possible that the mistake is on Venmo’s side of things, not yours or the bank’s. Navigate to the app store and confirm that you’ve downloaded the most recent version of the app.
• Clear Cache and Data: If you’re experiencing persistent problems, clearing the cache and data of the Venmo app can help resolve any temporary glitches.
  To do so, find Venmo in your device’s settings and select the option to clear its cache and data, and everything should run a bit smoother.
• Contact Venmo Support: If you’ve tried absolutely everything and still can’t add your debit card to Venmo, your best option is getting personal help from the company’s customer support team.
  They will know whether the incompatibility lies with your hardware or your debit card and will likely know how it can be fixed.

Alternative Options

1. Add a Debit Card via Browser

If you’re not making any headway adding your card through the Venmo app, you can always try going through their website payment page instead. Simply sign in to your account, head to “Edit payment methods,” and click “Add Debit or Credit Card.”

2. Link Your Bank Account Instead

While this option lacks some of the convenience that comes with having a debit card on Venmo and your transfers may take a day or two longer, you’ll at least have a means of transferring funds between the app and your bank account until everything has been sorted out.

3. Get the Venmo Debit Card

If there’s one debit card that’s guaranteed to work on the app, it’s Venmo’s own. This card works like any other and can be used to withdraw funds from ATMs or buy drinks and groceries.

4. Download Another Payment Transfer App

While Venmo has become one of the most downloaded payment apps, there are other hugely popular options that offer the same ease and security. PayPal, Cash App, Google Pay, and Zelle are all fantastic choices if Venmo proves impossible to use.

5. Speak with a Rep at Your Bank

If you think the problem lies on your card’s end of things, it’s always worth reaching out to the customer service department at your bank and asking if there should be any issues linking your debit card to Venmo. They may be able to offer advice and resolve any compatibility problems from their end.

Setting Your Debit Card as Your Primary Payment Method

So you’ve finally got your debit card added to your Venmo account. But how do you actually use it? Just because you’ve attached your debit card, it doesn’t mean that Venmo will automatically understand this is the payment method you want to source funds from.

1. The first step to make your debit card your primary payment method is to complete a payment.
2. After selecting a recipient and amount and adding a note to your payment, tap the green”Pay” button.
   
3. On the next page, you’ll see a screen asking you to select a payment method: your Venmo balance will most likely be the default option. Go ahead and tap on the card that you would rather use instead.
   
   

That’s all! Now your debit card will be your default for future payments — you won’t have to re-select it next time you owe a friend for cab fare.

Why Link Your Debit Card to Venmo?

You may be wondering why go you’ve gone through all the trouble of having your debit card on Venmo. While it’s far from the only way to send cash through the platform, there is one reason it has become the most preferred option for money transfers: Instant transfers. Connecting your debit card comes with a huge perk, which is Venmo’s instant transfer feature. Connecting only a bank account works fine for lots of people, but you may have to wait between one to three days for funds to arrive in your account.

Have you ever added a debit card on Venmo? If so, did you use any of tips and tricks featured this article. Let us know in the comment section below.