Venmo has been a fast and safe mobile payment service. It’s very easy to use Venmo to send, receive or request money to or from other people online. You can even add some money to Venmo for immediate transactions.
However, the service isn’t without flaws and you may find out your Venmo account gets frozen temporarily. If you want some tips about how to unfreeze a Venmo account, here’s what you’ll need to do.
Why does Venmo Freeze My Account?
To unfreeze your Venmo account, it’s important to know the primary reasons why it happened.
Understanding the reasons causing a frozen Venmo account is the easiest way to fix the issue permanently.
1. Suspicious or Fraudulent Activity on the Account
Transferring money online isn’t an easy task. Therefore, Venmo has clearly instructed in its Privacy Policy that any fraud detection or suspicious account activity will instantly freeze a Venmo account.
The activity includes logging in from a different location or desktop/laptop or continuously entering an incorrect login PIN.
When Venmo freezes your account, they will notify you via email. The fastest way to unfreeze it is to contact the support team and they’ll assist you.
2. Insufficient Funds at the time of Transaction
There’re chances that you have the Venmo account frozen because you don’t have sufficient funds on it.
If you try to make a transaction without having enough money in the account, it’ll be temporarily frozen until the amount is paid back. They might also reverse certain payments in this case.
Failed payment is the most common reason behind a frozen Venmo account.
3. Breaching of User Agreement
Your Venmo account might get frozen if any flag is raised for an illegal activity that seems to be breaching their User Agreement.
According to Venmo’s User Agreement, they can make your Venmo account frozen immediately if you go against their agreement. Venmo does it to ensure the top level of security.
This issue basically isn’t related to transactions or insufficient funds on the account. So, your best bet to resolve it is by contacting their Support Team.
4. Exceed the Number of ACH Transfers Permitted
In case you exceed the number of ACH transfers permitted, your Venmo account is likely to be frozen.
Venmo places different transaction limits based on whether your identity has been verified or not. If your identity has not been verified, the transaction limit for your Venmo account is $999.99/week. Once you verify your identity, you can transfer up to $19,999.99/week to the bank.
These limits may vary from time to time at Venmo’s sole discretion as per their User Agreement.
How to Unfreeze Your Venmo Account
Here’re the methods you can apply to unfreeze your Venmo account.
Method 1. Transfer Money to Venmo from A Bank Account
As mentioned before, Venmo might freeze your account if you’ve crossed the number of ACH transfers permitted on the account or due to insufficient funds during a transaction.
In that case, the quickest way to get back your Venmo account is to pay back the amount owed using a debit card. Further, any amount you receive on Venmo will be applied automatically to the amount you owe to Venmo.
Let’s know how you can transfer money to Venmo from your bank account:
Step 1. First, add a bank account to your Venmo profile and verify it. Otherwise, you won’t be able to add funds to Venmo.
Step 2. Go to venmo.com/addfunds and sign in using the credentials or open your Venmo mobile app.
Step 3. Select the Me tab and tap Manage Balance above your personal transactions feed.
Step 4. Tap Add Money and enter the amount you want to transfer.
Step 5. Tap Next.
Step 6. Confirm the bank account from which you’d prefer to transfer funds.
Step 7. Check the transfer information along with the estimated arrival date and select Add {amount of transfer} now.
Remember, standard bank transfers will typically take 3-5 business days to reach your Venmo account. In case, it might take longer if there’s a weekend or holiday.
You can check the status of the transfer in your personal transactions feeds under the “Me” tab using your app.
Method 2. Contact Venmo Support Team
If the above method doesn’t help and you want to contact Venmo Support Team for assistance, there’re two ways for that.
Step 1: Reply to the email Venmo sent when your account was frozen
In the instance your Venmo account gets restricted, they’ll contact you by email regarding the issue.
Hit the Reply button and explain your situation to them.
Similarly, you can get in touch with them using the app. Go to the menu icon, tap Get Help and select Contact Us on the next window. Here you need to explain the matter to get help from them. But make sure you understand the reason behind the Venmo account freezing.
Step 2: Chat with the Support Team
Venmo also has a Chat with Us option as the fastest service to reach them. You can use this service on Monday to Friday from 6:00 am-11:59 pm and on Saturday to Sunday from 8:00 am-10:00 pm.
Step 3: Call for assistance
Alternatively, if you want to communicate directly to a live operator, you can call Venmo at (855) 812-4430. It’s available seven days a week from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm.
How Can You Avoid Having A Venmo Account Frozen?
Depending on the reasons discussed earlier, there’re three things you can do to avoid having your Venmo account frozen.
- Keep sufficient funds in the account: Make sure you’ve enough balance in the account before trying for a transaction. If you don’t have a sufficient amount in the bank or the credit card limit is reached, solve it as early as possible.
- Follow Venmo’s User Agreement: Ensure that you revise Venmo’s User Agreement so you don’t breach it unintentionally.
- Don’t share your account ID and password with others: Do not share your Venmo account email ID or password with someone else. It’s against the User Agreement.
- Log in from personal devices: Assure that you log in to Venmo from personal devices. Otherwise, attempting to log in using unknown or rarely used devices might be the root cause behind a frozen Venmo account.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to unfreeze a Venmo account?
It depends on why your Venmo account gets frozen. If a failed transaction is the main reason, you can unfreeze it within a few minutes by paying back the funds owed using a debit card.
But if you choose to bank transfer, it’ll take 2-5 business days or longer if there’re holidays or weekends.
If the Venmo account was frozen for suspicious/illegal activity or violating User Agreements, you’ll need to wait until the Support Team solves the issue.
How to know if your Venmo account is frozen?
Venmo will send you an email to let you know about the account freezing. You can reply back to that email to resolve the problem.
Is it still possible to receive money if my Venmo account is frozen?
Yes, it’s still possible to receive money even if your Venmo account gets frozen. As Venmo generally freezes accounts because of the unpaid balance or failed payments, whenever you receive any money will be first used to clear your unpaid balance.
That’s everything you need to know about how to unfreeze a Venmo account. Make sure you understand the main reason behind the account freezing and proceed accordingly. If you have more questions, feel free to ask us using the comment section and we’ll answer them as soon as possible.