(2023) Why is my Zelle payment pending [Fix Guide]

Zelle says pending because you have entered the wrong username, you made payment on a holiday, your account has been flagged, the recipient is not registered on Zelle, or there are issue with Zelle or bank app.

Are you having issues with payments in Zelle?

Is your Zelle payment pending?

You are on the right web page if you are looking for answers.

Here, in this article, we will be mentioning all common reasons for the Zelle payment pending issue.

And if you are looking for ways to fix this Zelle payment pending problem, you can take the help of our guide. Skip to the second part of this guide.


Why is my Zelle payment pending

There could be many reasons why Zelle payment is pending. You are trying international transaction, your account is flagged, the recipient is not registered on Zelle, or issues can be from company’s end.

Below, we will be mentioning all possible reasons for Zelle payment pending issues. Make sure to check out the details mentioned below.

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Reason 1 – Recipient is not enrolled on Zelle yet

The first and the most common reason for Zelle payment pending is that the person to which you are trying to send the payment on Zelle has not enrolled and made an account on Zelle yet.

Sometimes, users do not confirm if the person to whom they want to send the payment is even available to take payment on Zelle. One needs to enroll themself to receive payments. And if you paid a non-registered number, you will see the pending status on your Zelle app.


Reason 2 – Entered wrong email or phone number

Zelle asks users to register their email or phone number. And to pay someone, you need to have their registered email id or US phone number.

And if you enter the wrong email id or phone number by mistake, you won’t be able to pay the amount. And there is a possibility that you might have sent the money to another account that has been associated with the number you entered by mistake.


Reason 3 – You tried International Transaction

Zelle is a peer-to-peer payment service that is only available for users in the USA. And if you have tried to pay someone who doesn’t have a USA registered phone number. You will surely see the Zelle payment pending issue.

Zelle doesn’t support overseas transactions like Paypal.


Reason 4 – Payment made on Non-Business Day

If you are trying to pay someone from Zelle and need to transfer funds from the bank first, you might face a delay. Payment made on weekends or even after 7 pm EST on business days, might take some time, and you might see a Zelle payment pending issue.

The funds transfer initiated on weekends or after 7 pm EST on weekdays generally settles on the next business day. The delay only occurs if you ask your bank to access the account on non-working days.


Reason 5 – Zelle Blocked Account

Sometimes, you might have initiated the payment from your side, but the user still wouldn’t receive the payment. The problem can still occur even if the user is already on Zelle.

Well, there could be a possibility that Zelle has blocked the user’s account to whom you want to send the payment. Zelle blocks the account if the support team reports against that account or observes some suspicious activities.

So, yes, this is one more reason why Zelle payment is pending.


Reason 6 – Bank Services Issues

Another prevalent reason why your Zelle payment still shows pending is because of the issues in your Bank services.

Sometimes because of some technical issues in the bank servers, the online services face outages. And if you try to make payment in this period, you will see either an error code or your payment status will stick to ‘pending.’

And the person on the other side wouldn’t get the fund you are trying to transfer.


Reason 7 – Technical issues with Zelle

If the bank servers are live and things are running as intended, then there might be some issues with the Zelle servers.

Zelle and your bank work together to make the final transaction to the person on the other hand. And if Zelle is having issues, and you try to transfer funds while the folks at Zelle try to fix the issue, then you will surely see the payments pending issues.


Reason 8 – Issues with the Zelle or Bank App

The issues with the bank and Zelle doesn’t occur very commonly. So, let us talk about one more issue which might be causing issues in transferring your funds.

Sometimes, there could be issues with Zelle or the bank app on your device. Non-updated apps generally cause these issues.

And that’s it.

We have mentioned all the possible reasons for the payment problem in Zelle. You will be able to fix it by yourself easily. But, in case you need any help. You can check out the guide mentioned below.


SEE ALSO: Why did my Zelle payment fail? What happens next?


How to fix Zelle payment pending issues

  • #1 Enter the correct Email id or phone number

Well, you can pay anyone on Zelle, but you will need the correct email id or phone number, which is already registered on Zelle.

Pay the amount only after making sure that the details entered are correct.


  • #2 Ask the recipient to get registered on Zelle

If you have sent the funds to someone only to realize later that the person is not enrolled on Zelle, one thing can be done.

You can ask that person to create an account on Zelle using the same phone number or email ID that you entered in the first place. And the moment the account is created, the pending payment problem will be solved.

But, there is one more thing that can be done if the person chose not to enroll himself on Zelle. Follow the next method.

SEE ALSO: What is my Zelle ID


  • #3 Cancel Pending Payment

Zelle understands the situation where you might have made payment to someone who does not have an account on Zelle. And to fix that, you can choose to cancel the pending payment.

And that’s it. You do not have to worry about the payment being deducted.

But, be advised, you can only cancel a payment if the recipient hasn’t yet enrolled with Zelle. 

Need help in canceling the payment? Check out the last part of the guide.


  • #4 Make payments on Business Days

As mentioned in the first part of this post, the payment made via Zelle on weekends or holidays might be delayed. The delay occurs when bank account access is needed. And on weekends, your bank might not have proceeded with the funds.

This causes delay, and Zelle payment pending status appears. To avoid any delays, initiate the transfer only on weekdays and before 7 pm EST.

And if you have already initiated the payments, you will have to wait. No other choices left.


  • #5 Contact Zelle Customer Services

We have one more solution for you if the methods mentioned above didn’t work.

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You can contact Zelle customer services and ask them about your current problem. We have mentioned Zelle’s customer service number and email address below. Make sure to contact Zelle only using these details.

Email Address: [email protected]

Phone Number: 00 1 501-748-8506


  • #6 Use other Payment App

Another way to get through this situation is by using another payment app. You can use Cash App or Venmo; both of the apps work fine.

You can use funds in your Cash App or Venmo account or pay directly from your bank account.

And about the pending payment, you can cancel the payment if the recipient hasn’t yet enrolled with Zelle. You can check out the guide mentioned below for more details.


How to cancel a pending Zelle payment

Zelle also supports an option to cancel a pending Zelle payment. But, it can be only done if the recipient, to whom you have sent the payment, hasn’t yet enrolled with Zelle.

And if you have initiated the transfer to someone who’s been on the Zelle platform, then the payment will be transferred at last.

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Check out the steps below to cancel a pending Zelle payment.

  1. Open Zelle app or mobile banking app
  2. Go to the ‘Activity Page’
  3. Select the payment activity you want to cancel
  4.  Select the “Cancel This Payment” option
  5. Confirm the cancellation

And you are done here.

That’s how you can cancel a payment on Zelle in a few steps. Simple, right?


SEE ALSO: Why is my Zelle Account Suspended


FAQs

1. Why does my Zelle say pending?

Zelle says pending status because the payment you initiated has not been completed yet. The person to whom you sent the payment has not received the payment. There could be many reasons why Zelle payment pending problem is occurring. Like if the user is not registered on Zelle, you will continuously see the pending payment issue.


Final Words

Let us conclude this guide now.

In the first part of this guide, you learned why your Zelle payment is pending.

Whereas in the second part, we included a guide to fix Zelle payment pending issue.

If you have any suggestions or questions, let us know in the comments section below.


Further Reading:

[Fix] Zelle payment not showing up (8 Reasons)

Zelle Not Working: Here are 6 Ways to Fix it

What Prepaid Cards work with Zelle (2021)