FAQs: Why Venmo Is Not Working

What is Venmo?
Founded in 2009, Venmo is a mobile platform allowing you to pay or request money from friends, family, or businesses—making it easy to split the bill at restaurants, send rent payments, and pay small businesses.
Why would Venmo prompt me to contact the person I’m trying to pay?
If you see this message, it means there was an error in the transaction you were trying to send. Typically, the reason for this error is that your bank or card issuer’s Venmo payment declined. Because Venmo cannot override this transaction failure, you must reach out to your bank or card issuer to resolve this issue. You could also try a different card or payment method if you think the card itself was the issue.
However, scammers using Venmo’s platform may ask you for more information to steal your identity or money. Be careful when you receive unsolicited messages or calls as they could be fraudulent.
Why does Venmo ask me to try again later?
If you receive a message asking you to try again later, this may have happened for any one of several errors:
Your account is associated with too many failed login attempts. You need to wait and try to log in again at a later time or contact customer support.
If you received an error message while making a transaction, check your transaction history to see if the payment went through. If it did not, try again later.
Your internet may not be strong enough to handle the transaction.
It could be as simple as a glitch within Venmo.
Can I get a refund if my Venmo payment was declined?
In many cases, when a payment declines by Venmo, the transfer of funds will automatically be canceled. In this instance, you will not need a refund.
If you have a payment that will not go through or you have a dispute about a transaction, you can always contact Venmo. However, Venmo does not guarantee a refund in any scenario.
Where can I find my Venmo transaction history?
In the app, tap the “Me” button at the bottom right. On a web browser, navigate to “Transaction History” or select the “Statements” tab. Doing either of these will easily allow you to view or download your Venmo transaction history.
Why is my payment showing a “pending” message?
A payment may show as “pending” because the payment was sent to an email or phone number not currently tied to an active Venmo account. The other reason this could happen is if the individual you are trying to send payment to has not verified their account information yet.
If you have sent a payment to the wrong individual, you can always contact Venmo customer support to try and get your payment refunded. However, there are no guarantees, so always verify the party you’re sending payment to is the correct one.
Why does Venmo continue to decline my payment?
The main reason a Venmo account will continue to decline is because of app glitches, unstable internet connection, improper banking information, incorrect personal information, or suspicious activity on your account. If you have tried troubleshooting these issues and continue to have your payments declined, you may need to contact Venmo customer service.
Why can’t I use my Venmo balance?
If you can’t use your Venmo balance, it may be because the money has already been used or allocated for another payment. Another reason is if your Venmo balance fell into the negative, then any money received will be redistributed to cover the negative balance. Additionally, a Venmo balance may also be unavailable if you accidentally transferred that money to your bank.