How to Unfreeze Venmo Account in 2023
This is probably the one question that comes up the most in discussion forums. People want to know how to have their Venmo account unfreeze and also get their money back from the Venmo account.
Venmo is just an app that lets users do many things related to money, like getting paid or easily managing their money. If you are using other financial apps, like PayPal or Netspend you understand that the platform could end up deciding to freeze your account out of the blue. Nevertheless, if your account has been frozen, there is a solution for you.
Whenever the account freezes for any reason, it will be helpful to know how to unfreeze the Venmo account. Let’s get started, shall we?
Why is My Venmo Account Frozen?
The best way to fix the frozen Venmo account once and for all is to figure out what happened to it. There are several things that could cause Venmo to freeze an account.
1. Suspicious activity
It’s not easy to keep track of someone’s finances. Because of this, the Privacy Policy of Venmo says that any unusual activity might very well cause anyone to freeze the account right away. Logging in through a different device or location, or frequently entering an erroneous PIN, could be the cause of this issue.
When the account is frozen, they will send out an email saying that the account has been frozen. The sooner you get in touch with the support team, the better.
2. Not Enough Balance
Your Venmo account could also be frozen if you don’t have enough cash in your balance. Also, the platform could indeed reverse some payments if there aren’t enough funds in the account and is the most likely cause for a Venmo account to be frozen.
A possible explanation for not being able to make payments venmo is that your account hasn’t been verified yet. This is why it’s important to check any payment process before you start it, as the connected credit or debit card has to have enough money on it.
3. Violating Venmo’s Terms of Service
There are some things that you can’t do with Venmo. Some people might not understand why they can’t do certain things. In their User Agreement, Venmo makes it clear that if they find a violation of the agreement in any account, your account will be frozen. This is to protect their valuable users.
Most of the time, it has nothing to do with payment or transfer money, but with someone abusing the platform. In these situations, the only thing you can do is ask for help from the Support Team.
How to Unfreeze Venmo Account to Get It Working?
If your Venmo account has been frozen, the first step is to figure out what’s causing it. If a payment fails because you don’t have enough money in your account, you would have to pay the bill that really was due already when your account was closed.
First, you’ll need to reload your Venmo account with a debit card or bank transfer in order to unfreeze it from this kind of lockout. Due to the electronic nature of debit cards, they are quicker than cash. It might take up to five days for bank transfers to be processed manually. You should be aware that in this specific instance, you should use a credit card to pay off a negative debt. Venmo must receive sufficient dollars to settle your outstanding transaction before it will unlock your account.
1. Keep Your Venmo Account Up to Date
- Visit venmo.com/addfunds, which is the site’s main page, as well as sign in to the account. For security reasons, it’s best to use a desktop pc or a laptop.
- A list of the bank accounts linked to your account will show up in a pop-up window. Choose the account as well as the bank from which you want to move money. Before you can send money, the bank account must first be validated by Venmo.
- Type in the amount you want to send. For this transaction to be valid, the total payment must be somewhat more than the total payment that was to be received.
- The money should go to Venmo, and once they get it, they could indeed unfreeze your account in 2 to 3 business days.
2. Contact Venmo Customer Care Support
Is your situation different from what I’ve just explained? If so, it’s time to look for a new solution. Venmo’s customer support is the sole option if the problem stems from suspicious activity or a breach of the User Agreement.
a) Using your PC
- Go to venmo.com/recover and sign in to your account. The official page for Venmo is another way to get to the same page.
- You will get an email from Venmo with instructions. Reply back to the email and include a copy of a government-issued ID to show that you are who you say you are.
b) Using Mobile Phone
- Open up the Venmo app on your phone and sign in.
- In the upper right corner of the app, look for the three horizontal lines that say Menu and click on them.
- You can find the “Get Help” button at the bottom of the page.
- Scroll down until you get to the center of the app, then tap on “Contact Us.”
- Here, you can choose to “Connect With a Human.” Here, you need to tap the “Chat With Us” button.
c) Calling Customer Service
- Use your phone’s keypad to dial 855-812-4430. The Venmo customer care team is accessible Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time.
- Tell them what happened to get your account frozen.
- Answer questions from the people in customer service.
How to Avoid Getting Your Account Frozen by Venmo?
It is not rare for a Venmo account to be frozen without any prior notice. However, there are things you can take to prevent this from occurring.
1. Always keep the right amount of balance
Venmo users are responsible for the bulk of the accounts that are shut off for no apparent reason. Users often fail to notice when their Venmo balance falls short of a certain purchase. In contrast, some bank customers have been denied access to their cash for a variety of reasons.
There are many methods to avoid this. Before approving payment, you may, of course, just check your Venmo balance. It’s also a good idea to periodically check in with the bank or banking app to make sure everything is still in order.
2. Pay Attention to 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 the terms and conditions of the User Agreement.
Despite Venmo’s tight policies, it is incredibly simple to transgress the regulations if you don’t know what they are. The User Agreement may be worth your time, even if you didn’t read it the first time. You are also required to adhere to the terms and conditions of the User Agreement.
4. Sign in with the same device
If you continue to login into the Venmo account from a number of different devices, Venmo might interpret this as evidence that someone is attempting to access the account. If you want to keep your account from being frozen, you need to use the same device all the time.
Read also: Venmo Lost Connection With Bank [Reasons & Solutions]
How Long to Unfreeze Venmo?
What you do will depend on why the account is frozen. If it’s frozen because of a failed transaction, users can get it unfrozen by paying back how much they owe with such a debit card. This will only take a few minutes. But if you choose a bank transfer over a debit card, you’ll have to wait for between 2 and 5 business days.
If the Venmo account has been frozen because of the strange activity or because you broke one of Venmo’s rules, you’ll have to wait until Venmo figures out what happened.
Why Is Venmo Requesting ID Verification?
Federal law says that Venmo must collect certain information about users who can see their balances. So, you won’t be able to use your balance to pay for things without proving who you are. But you can still get paid and transfer the money to your checking account without having to prove who you are.
Also, verifying your identity on Venmo is fairly easy. All you have to do is go to the “Settings” menu, find “Identity Verification,” and follow the instructions.
Furthermore, the method normally only takes a couple of minutes, but you may be asked to show proof in some cases. And reviews of the paperwork usually take two to three business days to finish.
Read also: How Can You Venmo Yourself? Transfer from Bank or Credit Card
FAQs About Unfreeze Venmo Account
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Why is my Venmo account not working?
Make sure your device is hooked up to the internet (via Wi-Fi or data) and that it has enough storage space. If you’re using a VPN, you could please turn it off to see if that fixes the problem. Sign out of and back into your Venmo account. Get rid of the Venmo app and get it again.
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How do I make a second Venmo account with the same number?
Although this can be connected to more than one email address, each Venmo account must have its own phone number. If you try to sign up for a second account with the very same phone number as your first account, be careful because your first account may be deleted.
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How long does it take to unfreeze Venmo Account?
Your account will be frozen until you decide to take action. Once you follow the steps in this guide, the Venmo team will unfreeze your account in 2 or 5 business days.
Final Thoughts
Having a bank account frozen could cause the user a lot of trouble. That involves not being able to give money to your family when they need it and also not being able to get money from other people.
But then, it’s not easy to get your account unfrozen either. Most of the time, you will need to talk to customer service. The only way to avoid having your account suspended is to regularly check your account balances and follow all of Venmo’s laws and regulations.
