If you’re in an app that offers a Venmo button, tap on it to authorize your purchase. You will then be asked for permission to link your Venmo account with the merchant. Once linked, that merchant will have the ability to charge your linked Venmo account for future purchases in accordance with your agreement with the merchant. You can disconnect your Venmo account from the merchant at any time by going to "Settings" in Venmo and tapping on "Connected Merchants." Select the merchant you want to stop making purchases from, and tap "Disconnect" at the bottom of the screen.
Similarly, to payments that you send to your friends, Venmo will first attempt to use money in your Venmo account when paying for your online purchase. If you do not have enough money in your Venmo account to cover the entire cost of the purchase, Venmo will charge the full amount to the card or bank account you have on file that you have designated for online purchases. You can read more about how to change your funding source here.
If you made a purchase using your Venmo Debit Card please visit these articles for help.
How do I use Venmo as a payment option in Merchant Apps?
First, make sure you have the most up to date version of the merchant app you're using, as you will need to update your payment method to Venmo in that app specifically. If you are having any trouble updating it, please see the merchant's Help Center about updating payment methods.
Why is my pending charge different than I expected?
Once you initiate a purchase, you will see a push notification from Venmo with the estimated cost. The charge will be pending in your personal transactions feed. This amount is authorized and held until the final charge is complete. In some cases, your purchase amount may be adjusted for any factors that affect your purchase. This can include items added to or removed from your order, or a tip you added after a service was rendered.
If you have any questions about the amount you were charged, please reach out to the merchant for assistance. It’s also helpful to check your email for an updated receipt from the merchant.
I received a push notification for my purchase, and I canceled it - was I charged?
Moments after you initiate a purchase, you will receive a Venmo push notification showing the estimated charge from the merchant. This represents an authorization: a pending charge that is used to make sure the merchant will be able to charge your Venmo account. During this time, funds will be held from your payment method.
If you happen to cancel your order, the merchant will void the authorization and any held funds will be released back to your payment method. The canceled charge will no longer be displayed in your personal transactions feed. If you have any other questions about your purchase, please reach out to the merchant.
How do I disconnect Venmo as a payment method?
You can disconnect a merchant from Venmo by following these steps:
- Go to the "Me" tab by tapping your picture or initials
- Tap on the Settings gear in the top right
- Tap "Connected Businesses," and tap the merchant you would like to disconnect
- Tap "Discontinue payments" at the bottom of the page
Disconnecting the merchant will prevent them from being able to charge your Venmo account in the future (unless you reconnect them later when authorizing a new purchase). Please note that any pending transactions will continue to be processed, and you are responsible for any currently pending charges on your Venmo account.
Because Venmo can only see limited information about your purchase or subscription, for any additional details we recommend reaching out to the merchant directly. They’ll be able to help you out with things like updating billing/shipping information or updating any existing subscriptions.
How do I change my preferred payment method for a connected merchant?
You can designate a backup payment method to be charged when your Venmo balance is not enough to cover your purchase. To edit your backup payment method, go to Settings under the Me tab, then select Backup Payment. This backup payment method applies to all Online and In-Store purchases where the preferred payment method is your Venmo balance.
In some instances, you can select a payment method for a specific merchant under Connected Merchants in your Settings. From there, you can select an individual merchant to view or change your preferred payment method
I want to use Venmo for online purchases
If you’re interested in using Venmo for purchases on the web (not through another app), you will need to go through the process of connecting Venmo as a payment method to the merchant. Once you select Venmo, you'll be redirected to your Venmo app to authorize future transactions from that merchant.
“Why is there a pending $1 charge from a merchant on my Venmo account?”
Merchants will sometimes place a temporary $1.00 authorization on any payment method added to their app to verify that the payment method is valid. The charge to your Venmo account should not be completed. If you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out to us or the merchant.