How Does Venmo Make Money?

5 min read

How Does Venmo Make Money?

People want easy ways to transfer and receive money these days, and one of their options is Venmo. But with Venmo being so widely used, many people wonder, “how exactly does Venmo make money?” This article will explain everything to you in detail.

What is Venmo?

Venmo is a platform that allows you to receive and make payments. If you’ve used PayPal in the past, you should be familiar with this platform. Venmo lets friends and family send money to each other through one easy-to-use app. You don’t need a card. You don’t have to reach for your wallet and count how much you owe your friend for the restaurant meal they got for you. All you need is a credit card that you can link to the app, and you’re good to go.

Venmo works online, so you need internet access to receive and send money. Besides that, the platform is also ideal for those who want to make in-app purchases or pay for specific products or services online.

The service was founded in 2009 by Iqram Magdon-Ismail and Andrew Kortina, who were roommates at the University of Pennsylvania. At that time, the deal was for an SMS-only type of money transfer service. Later, in 2012, it became an app that the public could use, and it was accessible from Android phones or iPhones. Venmo allowed users to link their bank accounts or cards to the app through peer-to-peer marketing.

Now, PayPal owns the app, and only people living in the United States can use it.

How To Make Money With Venmo & Its Benefits?

So, Venmo is used to help people send or receive money, but how does the app keep working? Many people wonder how Venmo can do its part by letting people use its services. There are numerous ways Venmo makes money, and we’ll discuss them below.

Pay with Venmo

Paying with Venmo is a feature available to everyone who uses the app. Through this, a user can purchase something from a particular merchant. So if you want to make a purchase from one of Venmo’s partner merchants, such as Urban Outfitters or Foot Locker, you can choose to pay with Venmo.

This is very convenient, especially if users do not want to use their credit card information to pay on the sites. Then, because the buyer uses Venmo to deliver, a small fee applies to the order amount. Merchants are charged 2.9%, as well as $0.30 per transaction. Traders will not hesitate to pay these fees, as it is to their advantage. Paying the costs and allowing Venmo payment will attract more customers, and it will always be great for them.

In addition to this, many modern applications do not integrate traditional banks. This means that you may not be able to use your bank account on some sites. In this case, Venmo becomes an excellent option. With that in mind, it makes sense that Venmo could take its toll.

Instant Transfers

Are you tired of transferring money from an e-wallet and waiting several days to see that amount in your bank account? You can say goodbye to those days if you use Venmo because it lets you make instant transfers. This was announced in 2019. Before this, you were transferring money to your bank took 1-3 days, depending on the case.

When you transfer your money, you’ll also be charged a 1% fee on the amount you send. There is a minimum fee of $0.25 and a maximum of $10. The transfer only takes 30 minutes. With so many people needing money as soon as possible, individuals are compelled to use this instant transfer, which donates their share to Venmo.

Refund Program

If you have a Venmo card, you will have the advantage of receiving cashback from several merchants. Part of the purchase will be returned to your account with cashback programs. Therefore, you might be more inclined to shop at these merchants.

As a result, the partner, i.e., the merchant who offers you the cashback, will pay a commission to Venmo for referring the customer. As such, Venmo can also benefit from this service.

Interchange and Withdrawal Fees

Venmo started giving people debit cards in 2018. So anyone who creates an account at the platform will have a debit card. You can go out with your friends, pay for drinks or dinner, or buy different items. When you’re with your friends, you even can split the bill, which makes the Venmo app even more convenient.

The card is branded Mastercard and allows Venmo to earn money. The platform collects interchange fees from merchants. Then the fees are split between Venmo and Mastercard – thus, they take their share.

You can also get cashback, which will charge you a small fee. For example, domestic ATM withdrawal fees will cost $2.50, while over-the-counter withdrawal fees will be $3.00.

Cash a Check

Cash a Check is a new type of service, as it only launched in January 2021. The platform has made this service available so that users can then cash in their wages and stimulus checks offered by the government. There are a few requirements to make this possible, however.

You need a verified email address and a Venmo debit card or direct deposit enabled. To deposit the money into your account, you need to take a picture of the check. First, Venmo will review it. If all goes well and is approved, the money will be deposited into your account.

For this service, Venmo will charge 1%. Also, remember that you must cash out a minimum of $5.

Cash Interest

Finally, cash interest is also a method of making money for Venmo. Venmo can use the funds from the accounts to lend to different institutions. It could be a bank.

Conclusion

Venmo is a fantastic app getting more popular over time, especially as more people discover its benefits. Even though the platform allows users to send and receive money, it does not prevent them from taking their share. Venmo withdrawals, instant transfers, and payments are ways that Venmo collects fees from its users, which then earns them money.

Anup Karumanchi About Author

I’m Anup a Techie and Content Creator. On this blog, I share the Art of Thriving in Career, Finance, and Self-Help learned through my experience.

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