How to unfreeze your Venmo account
Is your Venmo account frozen? We can understand how frustrating, or even scary, a situation like this can be. After all, this is money we are dealing with. We’re sure you’ll want to fix the problem as soon as possible, which is why we’ve put together this guide to unfreezing your Venmo account.
Read more: Is Venmo safe? The lowdown on privacy and security for Venmo users
QUICK RESPONSE
If you’ve had problems with payment failures, you can unfreeze your Venmo account payment that covers the amount owed. The fastest way to do this is by using a debit card. On the other hand, those with accounts frozen for security and user agreement violations will need to contact Venmo directly to resolve the issue.
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Why is my Venmo account frozen?
You’ll usually find out right away if your Venmo account has been frozen. This is because Venmo will send you an email informing you of the situation, as well as a reason why it happened. There are many reasons why Venmo will freeze your account.
The most common event that causes frozen Venmo accounts is payment failure. In other words, Venmo will temporarily freeze your account if you’ve made a payment using your bank account, and the wire transfer doesn’t go through for any reason. This can happen when there are insufficient funds in your account. You may also exceed the ACH transfer limits allowed for your account.
How much you can transfer will depend on your identity verification status. Those with incomplete identity verification can only transfer $999.99 to their bank and spend $299.99 weekly. If you verify your identity, the bank transfer limit will be increased to $19,99.99, with an additional limit of $5,000 per transfer. Achieving this higher account status also allows you to send up to $60,000 and spend $7,000 per week on purchases.
However, there are many other reasons why Venmo will freeze your account. All other grounds leading to it are more complex. In summary, if it’s not for the reasons above, chances are Venmo has frozen your account due to security or user agreement violations. This will happen when the system detects any suspicious activity.
Because PayPal owns Venmo, the same list of prohibited activities applies to the more casual money service. Venmo may freeze or suspend your account if you violate any of these rules.
You may not use Venmo for the following activities that: Violate any law, statute, ordinance or regulation. relates to transactions involving (a) drugs, steroids, certain controlled substances or other products that pose a risk to consumer safety, (b) drug paraphernalia, (c) cigarettes, (d) items that encourage, promote, facilitate or instruct others give. to engage in illegal activities, (e) stolen goods including digital and virtual goods, (f) the promotion of hatred, violence, racial or other forms of intolerance that are discriminatory or the financial exploitation of a crime, (g ) items deemed obscene, (h) items that infringe or violate any copyright, trademark, right of publicity or privacy or any other proprietary right under the laws of any jurisdiction, (i) certain sexually oriented material or services, (j ) ammunition, firearms, or certain firearm parts or accessories, or (k) certain weapons or knives regulated under applicable legislation. relate to transactions that (a) disclose the personal information of third parties in violation of applicable law, (b) support pyramid or ponzi schemes, matrix programs, other “get-rich-quick” schemes or certain multi-level marketing programs, ( c) is associated with purchases of annuities or lottery contracts, layaway systems, offshore banking or transactions to finance or refinance debt financed by a credit card, (d) is for the sale of certain items before the seller controls or owns the item, (e) is through payment processors to collect payments on behalf of merchants, (f) is associated with the sale of traveler’s checks or money orders, (g) involves currency exchanges or check cashing businesses, (h) involves certain credit repair, debt settlement services, credit transactions or insurance activities, or (i) involves offering or receiving payments for the purpose of bribery or corruption. involves the sale of products or services identified by government agencies as having a high likelihood of being fraudulent. relating to transactions involving any activity requiring prior approval without said approval having been obtained.
You can view these rules on PayPal’s Acceptable Use Policy page.
How to Unfreeze Your Venmo Account
If you’ve already figured out why Venmo froze your account, it’s time to do everything you can to regain account access. The process to unfreeze your Venmo account will vary depending on the reason behind the situation.
When due to payment failure
If Venmo decides to temporarily freeze your account for failed payments, you can follow the account recovery instructions in the app to get everything back up and running. The Venmo app will let you know when they’ve frozen your account. You will also get chargeback messages whenever you try to send another payment.
Essentially, you will have to pay the money to get your account back.
When due to security or user agreement violations
If Venmo has frozen your account for any reason other than payment failure, you will need to speak to the team via email to resolve the issue. You can reply to the notification email sent by Venmo. It is also possible to contact the team using the Venmo ticket form.
Although Venmo does not suggest other methods of communication, you may also want to try contacting them through the app’s chat function from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. CT, or calling them at (855) 812-4430 from 8:00 a.m. to 8 p.m. CT.
How long does it take for Venmo to unfreeze your account?
It can be important to keep your Venmo account up and running so we can understand why you want to resolve any issues immediately. The good news is that it happens for a failed payment, Venmo will reinstate the account once you cover the amount owed. The fastest way to do this is by using a debit card. This instant payment method should get everything sorted in a few minutes.
If you pay the balance using a bank account, you will need to wait three to five days for the payment to process. Additionally, Venmo will automatically apply any incoming payments to the balance. Simply getting a transfer can solve the problem!
Now, if your account is frozen due to security and user agreement issues, the process will be longer. We cannot give you a definitive time frame as it will be up to the Venmo team to decide when and if you will get your account back. Venmo will take some time to request any information needed to resolve a problem, and it will verify it. Since the company has everything it needs, most say the process takes two to five days. However, the process length may vary depending on the complexity of each situation.
Read more: Venmo vs PayPal – Key Differences, Pros and Cons
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Venmo freeze my account?
Venmo will notify you by email if it has frozen your account. In addition, it will usually inform you of a possible reason. The most common cause is payment failures. Venmo may also freeze your account for security issues and user agreement violations.
Can Venmo close my account forever?
Venmo makes money from its users, so it will try to keep everyone around. However, it may close accounts permanently. This should not happen often, but it can be done when problems arise too often, or security concerns are significant.
What happens to my funds if Venmo closes my account?
If venmo permanently deletes your account, you will be able to withdraw your money to a bank account.
Does Venmo offer FDIC insurance?
Basic Venmo accounts have no FDIC insurance, but some qualify for pass-through FDIC insurance through Venmo’s banking partners. You’ll get FDIC insurance if you’ve used direct deposit, deposited a check, or bought cryptocurrency through Venmo.
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