Venmo, the Paypal backed mobile payments app has made it very convenient to send and receive money and also pay for your daily purchases. If you are a heavy Venmo user, chances are you are looking to up your game and are looking on how to use Venmo online. This post will guide you with the complete details on how to use Venmo online with all the steps and intricacies involved.
First of all, the easiest way to pay with Venmo online is by using the Venmo debit card, which can be used just like any other bank debit card or a merchant website or app. This will work at almost all merchants since the Venmo card is a Mastercard network branded card.
Even if you use your Venmo debit card, you still get an option to split payments on the app. And it is not a hassle as the Venmo debit card is free and directly pulls the funds from your Venmo balance to make the payment (you don’t need to move funds to debit card as it is auto-linked to your Venmo balance)
But if you choose to pay directly with Venmo wallet without debit card, it requires you to complete a set up, before you are good to go with purchasing online.
You may also note that purchasing online with Venmo works with only selected merchants that accept PayPal (Venmo being owned by Paypal). A few of these merchants we have mentioned in the list. Also, you need to be using your mobile device browser -Safari for iPhone or Google Chrome for Android.
How to Pay with Venmo Online
- Make sure you are using the latest version of Venmo mobile app
- Complete the set up for online shopping on Venmo
- Open Venmo app on your mobile and log-in
- Next tap on the You (person icon) on app home page to open the menu
- Next select “Settings” (gear icon) from list of options
- Next tap on “Buying” and select “Enable Web Mobile Purchases”
- Next connect to your mobile browser when prompted- make sure you use a strong Wifi connection as this takes time (Venmo says you may have to accept cookies
- Add a bank account to Venmo as a back up payment method if prompted. This will be required if the amount you are purchasing exceeds Venmo balance
- Once the set up is completed, next go to the merchant website from where you want to shop, on your mobile browser
- Add the items to your cart you want to buy in normal manner
- When checking out, select “Paypal” button (or Venmo button if visible) which gives you further options to “Pay with venmo”
That’s it, you will also get a notification on the Venmo app once the purchase gets completed and have an option to split the payment.
Payments made to major participating merchants using the Paypal or Venmo button on eligible purchases, are usually covered by the Venmo Buyer Protection.
You can also use the merchant apps, if it supports the option to pay with Venmo. Some merchant apps including Abercrombie & Fitch, Delivery.com, Hollister, Uber Eats etc. offers a Venmo button as a payment option on their apps.
- Log-in to the merchant app and add items to cart in normal manner
- Tap on Venmo button to authorize your purchase on check out
- Provide permission to merchant app to link your Venmo account , when prompted (make sure you read and agree to the terms)
- Once linked, that merchant will have the ability to charge your linked Venmo account for purchases
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.
Note: These steps work on Mobile and Venmo recommends using the mobile browser. It may not work on desktop. Some websites do you give you the option to pay with Venmo, even on desktop. The way it is set up is that you may get the option to scan the QR code by using your mobile , once you click on “Pay with Venmo” on merchant website. In such cases, do make sure that payment is to seller’s business profile or toggle on the option that the payment is for good or service when making the payment using Venmo app, so that the transaction is covered by Venmo Buyer Protection.
Where can I pay with Venmo online
The list of stores accepting Venmo as a payment option is growing consistently. Here are some popular brands that accept Venmo payments online:
- Abercrombie & Fitch
- Boxed
- CVS
- Delivery.com
- Dolly
- Etsy
- Foot Locker
- Forever 21
- GameTime
- Jane
- J-Crew
- lululemon athletica
- Overstock
- Poshmark
- Stuart Weitzman
- Target
- The Home Depot
- Urban Outfitters
- Uber Eats
- Walmart
Can you pay with Venmo on Amazon
Yes, you can pay with Venmo on Amazon by using your Venmo debit card. Amazon is also expected to enable Venmo as a direct payment method in 2022.
This is a major update going to happen very soon. Venmo and Amazon have reached a deal in November 2021, to allow customers to pay using Venmo as a payment method on Amazon in 2022. The details of exact date and the way it will work are yet to be released, but we will update this post once that happens.
Till this time, you can continue to use your Venmo credit card or debit card on Amazon.
Can you pay with Venmo on eBay
You can pay with Venmo on eBay only using the Venmo debit card. eBay does not allow you to use Venmo as a direct payment method.
Venmo online shopping not working
If you are facing an issue where you are not able to pay with venmo online, you can try the following ways to resolve:
- Check if you are using the latest version of the Venmo mobile app
- Make sure you have enabled “Web Mobile Purchase” option in Venmo app
- Make sure you have a strong internet connection, preferable to use Wifi as connect to browser does not work many times
- Try using the merchant app rather than using your browser
Wrap Up
Venmo is gaining popularity as an independent payment method on most shopping websites. If you get the one time set up right, it becomes quite easy to pay with Venmo online on your favorite merchant websites.
