4 Reasons Why Venmo Declines Your Prepaid Card + Workarounds

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posted on 9 months ago — updated on 1 second ago

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If you've tried to use a prepaid card on Venmo, you may have run into an error that says your card is declined. This is certainly a frustrating error to encounter, especially since Venmo says it accepts prepaid cards as well as credit and debit cards. In this article, we'll go over why Venmo might be declining your card, as well as some workarounds so you can get back to sending and receiving money.

Things You Should Know

Venmo may be declining your card because it's not registered to you or doesn't have a ZIP code.
Your card may be declined if Venmo or the card issuer suspects fraud or if there isn't enough money on the card to cover the transaction.
If adding and removing the card doesn't fix the issue, you may need to try a different card altogether or contact Venmo support for help.

Why Venmo is Declining Your Card

The card is not registered to you. Venmo accepts prepaid cards, but only if they are registered to your name. This means that Visa, Discover, MasterCard, or American Express gift cards likely would not work unless the gift card is registered under your name. If the card says "A Gift For You", "Gift Card Recipient", or something other than your name on it, it isn't registered to you.

There is no ZIP code associated with the card. Venmo says it may require a ZIP code for certain payment methods, so if your card does not have a registered ZIP code, that could be the reason it is declined. Most gift cards won't have an associated ZIP code.

The card is being declined for fraud prevention. If this is the first time you've used Venmo on a card, the card issuer may flag the transaction as fraudulent. To fix this issue, you'll need to contact your card issuer for help.

The card is being declined for funds availability. If your card does not have enough money to complete the transaction, it will be declined. You must add more money to your prepaid card for the transaction to go through, but if you're still getting declined, you may want to contact your card issuer or Venmo for assistance.

Workarounds

Remove the card and add it again. If your card is giving you issues, removing it and adding it again may resolve those issues. Simply tap on the card and select Remove, following the on-screen prompts to delete it from the app. Then you can add the card back and try the transaction again.

Try a different card. While this is the easiest solution, it may not always work, especially if you only have one prepaid card. Most users report that prepaid cards notoriously don't work with Venmo, but some have reported that the Green Dot prepaid card has worked in the past.

Use a different P2P payment app. Other P2P (peer-to-peer) payment apps like PayPal and Cash App accept prepaid cards, which may work better for your situation.

Contact Venmo support. If all else fails, contacting Venmo support may help you get some solutions. You can contact Venmo by filling out this online form.