If you sent a payment to your friend’s phone number or email address and they didn’t receive it, the payment may be listed as “Pending.” Look here for more info.
When you send a payment to an email address or phone number that isn’t associated with an active Venmo account, the payment may show as “Pending” in your personal Transactions feed. This can also happen if the email address or phone number hasn’t been verified by the intended recipient.
This means your payment method will be charged for the payment you sent, but the money won’t reach the intended recipient until they add and verify the phone number or email address on their Venmo account.
You can view your Pending payments and requests in the Venmo app with the following steps:
- Go to the Me tab
- Tap Transactions
Any Pending activity will appear here, at the top of your Transactions feed. You can also access your pending payments on the web.
Help the recipient accept a pending payment or take it back
If your friend wants to accept the money, please have them follow the instructions to sign up or add an additional email address to their Venmo account.
If you want to take the money back by canceling the payment instead, follow these instructions:
- Go to the Me tab in your Venmo app
- Find the transaction at the top of your Transactions feed
- Under the payment in question, tap Take Back
Taking back a pending payment means that the money will be sent back to your original funding source. If you used a bank account or card, the money will be returned there. If you used your Venmo balance to fund the payment, the amount should be reflected in your balance.
Refunded payments should be reflected on your bank statement within 5 business days. Refund timelines depend on external factors and cannot be expedited.
Why is my payment "Pending?"
If you send a payment to a phone number or email address that isn't verified or that isn't associated with a Venmo account, it will show as "Pending." Your payment method will still be charged, but the money won't reach the recipient until they finish setting up their Venmo account.
How do I complete a pending payment or take it back?
If your friend wants to accept the money, please have them follow the instructions to sign up or add an additional email address to their Venmo account.
If the payment is still pending, you can also cancel it:
- Go to the Me tab in your Venmo app
- Find the transaction at the top of your Transactions feed
- Under the payment in question, tap Take Back
You can also access your pending payments on the web and cancel it there.
Taking back a pending payment means that the money will be sent back to your original funding source:
- For payments sent back to your Venmo balance, you should see the refund reflected right away
- For payments reversed back to a bank account, the funds should be deposited back in your bank account in up to 5 business days
- For payment sent back to a credit or debit card, you should see that posted on your statement in up to 7 business days
These timelines can depend on external factors and cannot be expedited.