Did you just join Venmo? Wondering, ‘Do you have to be friends on Venmo to send money?’ This is one of the common questions asked by new Venmo users.
Venmo is a peer-to-peer money transfer app with social media aspect to it. You can send money to anyone on the platform as long as they are not barred from receiving money by Venmo itself. It does not matter if you are friends or not. You just need their Venmo id and a source of funding on your account. Then, you can simply send the money in a few steps.
We got this query a lot from our readers. So, we decided to do detailed research and answer your question ‘Do you have to be friends on Venmo to send money?’. We read the Venmo user guides and blogs and searched on other community forums like Reddit and quora. Please read ahead to understand more about the topic and how you can send money to non-friends on the platform.
Do You Have To Be Friends On Venmo To Send Money?
As already stated, the answer to Do You Have To Be Friends On Venmo To Send Money is a No. But being friends ensures that you send your money to the right person and not to any random individual on the platform.
It is also known that often our transactions include people we know in real life. This makes it easier to make them friends on Venmo and securely transfer money to them. This also makes it easier to contact them when you mistakenly transfer any fund to their account.
Since Venmo is a mixture of social media and payment systems, it often makes sense that we are closely connected on the platform with people we regularly transact with. Venmo friends are also like any other friends on other social media. They can see our public transactions. You can instantly transfer money to them and also request any payment you need to receive from them.
So, if you are transacting with someone regularly, splitting bills, or sharing money, it is easier and more convenient if they are already friends with you on Venmo. So, if you are not already friends with them, how do you add them as friends to make your transactions easier?
Adding Friends On Venmo To Send Money To Them
Adding friends on Venmo is easier than adding friends on any other platform. You just need their contact details on your phone, or you can save them while adding them as friends. There are also different ways you can add friends to your Venmo.
1. From Contact List
After you sign up for Venmo, you will be asked to grant permission to access the contact list on your phone. Once you grant access, Venmo will automatically add people from your contact list who are already on Venmo.
2. Using QR Codes
You can also add friends using QR codes. Simply scan the QR code with the Venmo code scanner, and you will be directed to their profile, where you can add them as friends. Here is the guide for how to send venmo link.
Send/Request Money On Venmo To/From Users Who Are Not Friends With You
So the answer to Do You Have To Be Friends On Venmo To Send Money is a No because even if you are not friends on Venmo, you can still send/request money to them with some simple steps. Venmo friends are for easier fund transfer and having interactions when doing transactions. But Venmo Friends are not important when transferring/requesting money to/from other users.
Follow the below steps to transfer/request money to someone who is not friends with you on Venmo.
Step 1: Open the Venmo app and go to the app’s home screen.
Step 2: Click the Note button on the top-right corner of the screen. It will then let you type the recipient’s/Payer’s username or id.
Step 3: Now, on this screen, type the username of the person you want to send/receive money to. You can also type the phone number or email of the user.
Step 4: On the next screen, you can enter the amount you want to send/request to the user and any message you want to add to the transaction. Here you can choose if the amount is requested from the user or paid to them.
You can also click on the Lock button to adjust the privacy of the transaction. For example, you can set the privacy among Public, Friends, and Private.
Step 5: Once you click pay/request, you will be prompted with the amount being paid/requested. You can confirm the action by clicking the button at the bottom, i.e., Pay/Request. In this case, it is a payment.
Once you click Pay/Request, the transaction is confirmed, and Venmo will instantly execute the transaction.
Step 6: To see if the amount is deducted or received, you can go back to the home screen and click the hamburger button on the top-left corner.
You will then see the current Balance in your Venmo account, along with the username of your account on the top.
And in case you want to transfer the received amount or the Venmo Balance to your connected bank account, you can click the Transfer Balance button and start the transferring process.
Step 7: Once you click the transfer balance button, you will see the next screen as in the picture, where you can input the transfer amount and the transfer method on the bottom.
Note: Instant transfer may incur some charges from the Venmo side, while Standard transfer with a 1-3 days timeframe is free.
Once you successfully make a payment or request payment to a user, it may take some time to reflect it in your account.
With the above steps, you successfully sent/requested money to/from a user who is not friends with you on Venmo. You can use the same process in case of sending/requesting a payment with your friends. You just have an option to choose from the friends list in Step 3.
Importance Of Being Friends On Venmo
So, now you know the answer to Do you have to be friends on Venmo to send money is a No, you may be wondering, if you can send or receive from anyone on the platform without being a friend, what is the importance of friends on Venmo? We have compiled some importance of being friends on Venmo below:
Easier Transaction
Being friends with people you send and receive money makes the transaction easy. You do not have to ask for their username every time you want to do the transactions and can simply choose to form the list as Payer or Recipient.
You Can See Their Transactions
Venmo also has a social media site. If you are friends with people, you can see the transactions that are not private and engage with them. You can react to their transactions and comment too. Similarly, they will also be able to see and engage with your transaction and give their input.
Easier For Refunding In Case Of Mistakes
Sometimes, there can be mistakes, and you will send the payment to the wrong person. If the person is your friend on Venmo, it will be easier for you to identify and ask them for a refund of the money. And if you know those people personally, there is a very low chance of them saying no. So it is also secure in terms of mistake transactions.
Can Send/Request Payments In Groups
You can also send/request payment in a group on Venmo. You can simply send a single request to a group of friends on Venmo if you want to split the bills for the restaurant or any activities you do in the group. It will also be easier to collect payment for group activities.
Besides this, there can also be much different importance of being friends on Venmo, which can only be realized in situations. So, you can be assured that being friends on Venmo is not useless.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Some frequently asked questions related to the topic Do you have to be friends on Venmo to send money?’ are taken from the internet.
1. Why Can’t I Send Money On Venmo?
If you can’t send money on Venmo, there can be two possible scenarios: Credit/Debit card or your bank is declining the transaction, or Venmo is doing so. Their reason can be security flags in both funding source or Venmo, or you do not have enough balance to cover the transaction. Again, you can simply contact Venmo and ask them to identify your issue.
2. Does Venmo Automatically Add Friends?
Venmo does not automatically add friends unless and until you grant access to it. One common case is friends being added from your contact list where you need to first grant access to the contact list to Venmo before it can do so.
3. Is PayPal Better Than Venmo?
It depends on how you use the platforms. For example, both PayPal and Venmo are owned by PayPal. But Venmo only operates in the US, while PayPal works worldwide. So, if you are a business holder or a freelancer, PayPal is much better for you. But if you are a teenager or office worker in the US, Venmo works just fine for you.
Conclusion
Therefore, we answered your question, ‘Do you have to be friends on Venmo to send money?’ You can simply send the money to anyone on Venmo if they are eligible for so. It does not matter if they are friends or not. But being friends on Venmo with someone you are transacting with is much more beneficial from various standpoints than not being one. Hope we have answered your question and provided value to you.
Further reading:
Similar Posts:
- How Long Does it Take to Get Money from Venmo in 2022
- What Does a Venmo Reminder Look Like?
- Does Venmo Send Unfriend Notification in 2022?
- [Why and How to Fix] Venmo Won’t Let Me Send Money From Balance
