Knowing how to unfreeze your Venmo account will come in handy due to any particular reason when the app freezes. Venmo is a popular application for sending and receiving money as well as making purchases. However, there are instances when user accounts are frozen by Venmo, either for security purposes or to secure payments made through the app. Let’s explore the different reasons why a Venmo account is frozen and the possible solutions to the problem.
What Is Venmo?
Venmo is a peer-to-peer (P2P) money transfer application. It allows users to make and receive cash transfers electronically and entirely for free. The service has multiple functions, allowing you to send and receive money from other people. At the same time, it also allows users to request payment from others.
Read this comprehensive review of Venmo for additional information.
Venmo was first established back in 2009 as a text message payment system. But in 2012, the service evolved into a peer-to-peer payment system but eventually changed to a peer-to-peer payment system. PayPal ended up purchasing Venmo in 2018, and they would continue to own the company until today.
Venmo’s widespread appeal is related to its ability to turn tedious cash transactions into convenient cash transactions. It’s also a convenient way to transfer money among friends and family. Not to mention, it allows for private transactions better than most banks tend to do.
Venmo currently has over 70 million users in the US, a huge jump from 40 million in 2019. In 2021, the company reported a total transfer volume of USD 230 billion and profits of over USD 850 million. It belongs to the top four cash transfer apps in the US, next to Apple Pay, PayPal, and other PayPal alternatives.
If you own Bitcoin, you would also want to keep it in a safe place using specially-designed, ultra-secure Bitcoin wallets.
How Does Venmo Work?
Venmo lets you transfer small amounts of money from your bank account into a separate account as a digital wallet. You can use the money from this account to send money directly to people you know and businesses that Venmo authorizes.
The app also allows you to send automated and customized requests for payment from other people. For example, you can send a request for money from a friend who owes you their share from the last party you went to. In the same manner, other people can send you money for a reason through your account.
Venmo has a few “social features.” One of these features allows you to send personalized messages along with your cash transfers. For example, you can send customized messages along with your share of expenses for that latest get-together. The application also features an “activity” feed. This allows you to see what your friends or family members have been paid for a certain period.
Why Is Your Venmo Account Frozen?
Venmo is undoubtedly a convenient app for sending and receiving money. However, like PayPal and other apps, the app can freeze your account for different reasons. In case your account is frozen, you need to understand the possible causes for it.
1. Venmo Detected Insufficient Funds to Complete a Transaction
The majority of frozen accounts share a similarity. It’s that they are frozen for the simple reason that they did not have an adequate balance to meet the requirements of the transaction.
If Venmo finds that your funds are insufficient to complete a transaction, they will send you a notification of failed payment and block your account until the negative balance is cleared.
2. Venmo Detected Suspicious Activity in Your Account
Venmo employs a multi-factor authentication system. This involves the use of a PIN and a unique code sent to the user’s mobile number as gatekeeping requirements for entry. Any untoward event, such as entering the wrong PIN too many times, or opening the account from an unknown device, will trigger an alert for “suspicious activity.”
“Suspicious activity” just means Venmo suspects someone else is trying to access your account. In this case, they will block your account to prevent third parties from getting in. If you exceed the allowed number of PIN entry attempts, they can temporarily freeze your account.
3. Venmo Detected a Violation in the User Agreement
Venmo’s User Agreement clearly states that it will freeze all accounts that violate the User Agreement. And there are a number of potential violations that can trigger this action. Examples include using Venmo in another country where it is not available, and another would be using the service to pay for or accept payment for goods and services. However, transactions like these are only applicable to select business entities with proper authorization.
Note that Venmo only allows a single Venmo limits the amount you can send per week. That is, a verified user can only send a maximum of USD 299 per week, while verified users can send up to USD 4,999 per week. This limit includes person-to-person payments and payments to authorized merchants.
If you try to send even a dollar above the limits stipulated by Venmo, the application will disallow your transaction. On the brighter side, there is no limit to the amount that you can receive through the app.
How to Unfreeze Venmo Account to Get It Working?
There are a handful of reasons for Venmo to freeze your account, and the first thing you need to do is to determine the reason. In the case of a failed payment due to insufficient funds, you will have to settle the bill that was active before your account was shut down.
As to how to unfreeze your Venmo account that has been frozen for this purpose, you would need to start by replenishing your account via debit card or bank transfer. But between the two, using a debit card is much faster due to its electronic nature. Meanwhile, bank transfers can take between three to five working days to process manually. Note that you cannot use a credit card to clear a negative balance in this particular case. Either way, Venmo has to receive adequate funds to clear your pending transaction before it can unblock your account.
Replenish Your Venmo Account
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Visit the Venmo official website, venmo.com/addfunds, and sign in to your account. Note that a desktop computer or laptop is preferred for security purposes.
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A pop-up window will appear, showing a list of bank accounts connected to your account. Select the account or bank that you want to transfer funds from. Note that the bank account needs to have been verified by Venmo before you can transfer any money.
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Key in the amount for transfer. Note that the amount has to be slightly above the amount due in the interrupted transaction.
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The money should transfer to Venmo, and they can unfreeze your account within two to three business days of receiving the money.
Contact the Venmo Customer Care Support Team
If the aforementioned method does not work, or you suspect a different cause for your problem, you would need a different approach. If the cause of the issue is suspicious activity or a violation of the User Agreement, the only way you can resolve the issue is to get in touch with Venmo’s customer service. Luckily, Venmo does send an email notification explaining why they froze your account.
Unfreezing Your Account Via PC
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Go to venmo.com/recover and log into your account. Another way to reach the same page is through Venmo’s official webpage.
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Venmo will send you an email containing instructions. Respond to the email and attach a copy of your government-issued ID to prove your identity.
Unfreezing Your Account via Mobile Phone
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Open the Venmo mobile app and sign in with your details.
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Look for the Menu option with three horizontal lines from the upper right-hand corner of the app and select it.
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Look for the “Get Help” option at the bottom of the page and select it.
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Keep scrolling until you reach the middle of the app and tap on the ‘Contact Us’ option.
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Here, you will find the ‘Connect With A Human’ option. Here, you will have to tap on the ‘Chat With Us’ option.
Unfreezing Your Account via Customer Service
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Open your keypad and call 855-812-4430. Note that Venmo customer service representatives are available during work hours on workdays (10 AM to 6 PM from Monday to Friday).
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Explain the circumstances surrounding the freezing of your account.
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Respond to queries by the customer services representatives.
How to Avoid Getting Your Account Frozen by Venmo?
Venmo freezing an account often comes unexpectedly. But you can take a few steps to avoid it from happening.
1. Maintain Enough Balance at All Times
The majority of blocked Venmo accounts are blocked due to simple oversight on the part of the users. Most users simply overlook the fact that they do not have enough balance in their Venmo account to cover a particular transaction. Meanwhile, there are those who are blocked access to their funds by the bank itself for different reasons.
There are a few ways to prevent this from happening. However, the easiest would be to check your Venmo balance before authorizing payment. You should also check in with your bank or bank app from time to time to ensure that everything is alright.
2. Be Mindful of Your Security Entries
Another fairly common reason why Venmo accounts are blocked has to do with “suspicious activity.” In order to avoid the inconvenience of a blocked account, you should always exercise caution when entering the application as well as in authorizing transactions. Do not share your account details with anyone, and also, pay attention when keying in your PIN and/or security code.
3. Follow User Agreement Terms and Conditions
Venmo is very strict about its terms and conditions, but it’s very easy to break the rules when you don’t know them. So even if you probably avoided reading the User Agreement the first time, it may be worth paying some attention to. Naturally, you are also expected to follow whatever is stipulated in the User Agreement.
4. Use the Same Device to Sign in to Your Account
If you keep using different devices to sign in to your Venmo account, Venmo might construe this as someone else trying to access your account. In order to prevent them from freezing your account, it would be best to use the same device all the time.
Final Thoughts on Unfreezing Venmo Account to Get It Working
This concludes our article on how to unfreeze your Venmo account. It doesn’t take a genius to know that a frozen account can cause a lot of personal inconveniences. That includes being unable to send money to your friends and family when they need it and being unable to accept money. But then again, the process of unfreezing your account is not easy either. More often than not, it requires you to get in touch with customer service. In order to prevent your account from getting blocked, you would have to make it a habit to check your balances and observe Venmo’s rules and regulations. But just in case it happens, at least you already have a reference on how to unfreeze your account.
