Did You Know You Can Give E-Gift Cards on Venmo? Here's How to Do It
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Thanks to the mobile payment service Venmo, we no longer have to stress about carrying around exact change to pay our friends back. By simply linking our account information to the app and finding their profile, we can send them exactly what we owe (or they can request it from us if it's somehow slipped our minds).
Venmo also makes it super easy to give a digital gift, and thankfully, they've dressed up the functionality so that it feels a little more special than simply paying someone and labeling it with the birthday-cake emoji.
There are two ways to do this: giving a "wrapped" gift on Venmo and giving someone an e-gift card. In this guide, we're explaining both methods on how to give a gift on Venmo, so you'll never stress about last-minute gifting again.
How to Give a Wrapped Gift on Venmo
A gift-wrapped payment on Venmo is essentially a quick way to send someone an e-card with money that they can use however they'd like. It doesn't cost anything extra to send these animated notes.
In the Venmo mobile app, tap the "Pay/Request" button on the bottom of the screen.
Select the user you'd like to pay or type in their handle.
Type in the amount you'd like to pay, which must be equal to or less than the amount of your Venmo balance. Then, fill out the "What's this for?" field. We suggest writing out a message here, just as you would in a card — you have a 280-character limit. Next, tap the "Gift" button on the right-hand side of the screen.
Select the "Cash" section, and choose which animated design best fits the recipient and occasion. You can preview how each design will look with your gift message and cash amount. Tap "Continue" to proceed.
Select your payment method for the gift. If you have a current Venmo balance that covers the gift amount, this will be the default option. Otherwise, choose the linked account that you'd like to pay with.
Finally, tap "Pay" to send the gift.
You'll know that your gift has been sent once you see it appear under the "Home" tab in the app.
How to Give a Gift Card on Venmo
While you can gift-wrap any Venmo payment to give it a little extra pizzazz, sending a gift card is something that you'll only likely do for a special gift-giving occasion. You can currently send an e-gift card through Venmo to 18 different brands, including Amazon, Starbucks, Chipotle, Nordstrom, Uber, Lyft, and Sephora.
In the Venmo mobile app, tap the "Pay/Request" button on the bottom of the screen.
Select the user you'd like to pay or type in their handle.
Type in the amount you'd like to pay, which must be equal to or less than the amount of your Venmo balance. Then, fill out the "What's this for?" field. Next, tap the "Gift" button on the right-hand side of the screen.
Select the "Gift Card" section, and scroll through the list of brands to choose which one you'd like to send. Note that each gift card has a different minimum and maximum amount for your gift.
Choose which animated design best fits the recipient and occasion. You can preview how each design will look with your gift message and cash amount. Tap "Continue" to proceed.
Select your payment method for the gift. If you have a current Venmo balance that covers the gift amount, this will be the default option. Otherwise, choose the linked account that you'd like to pay with.
Tap "Purchase gift card" to send the gift.
Note that there's no way to cancel or change the gift card payment once you've sent it, so double-check that everything is correct before you confirm.
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