Venmo is a money-sharing app that has changed the game of sending money to your family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, and others. However, the topic of money is an uncomfortable one for many. Asking a friend to pay you their half of the dinner bill or dealing with an unexpected cash request can be awkward. Consequently, this article is about Venmo etiquette.
There are some set-in-stone manners or etiquette when anyone requests payment (and pays people) using the Venmo app. These are basically unwritten etiquettes. You should never ignore the Venmo request when it comes to sharing a portion of an expense. The request should be completed right away.
Venmo Etiquette: Things Not To Do When Using the Venmo App
Communication should not be ambiguous or lengthy.
When you are sharing expenses with your friends, relatives, and colleagues, then it is very important for you to ensure others know all the details of the requested fund.
It actually does not matter what the expense is, it matters how you deal with it. If you are on an event where sharing funds comes in reality, you should make everything clear.
You should clarify when you will send the Venmo request for the payment when you send the money. You should keep your notes short and unambiguous. Thanking the other party is always good or adding a “please” to your message will make it better.
A huge part of Venmo etiquette is avoiding awkwardness.
You should always keep in mind that no amount is too small while requesting funds. The interesting thing is that approximately 24% of Venmo requests funds from $1 to $5. Thus, users cultivate their relationships by sharing small amounts of money.
Sometimes, Venmo users request some small surprise amounts. This is normally just a way of saying thank you to a friend or closed one. According to a report, Venmo users send these “penny pokes” to the tune of $3 million in 2018.
If someone sends a Venmo request for the wrong amount, it can be politely pointed out when the Venmo request is received. By declining the inaccurate request, sending a new request is more forceful. If someone sends too much money, you should send back the additional amount as soon as the mistake is recognized.
Not all Venmo requests are required to be transacted after the fact. It’s fine to request payment beforehand through this platform if you would like to take someone on a trip. No matter who is requesting or sending the payment, it should be as detailed as possible when requesting.
Moreover, Venmo has an instant transfer feature when anyone needs faster access to the balance. You can complete the entire process within minutes using your debit or credit card.
Don’t request money through the Venmo app when it’s your birthday. (Talk about awkward!) Getting money for birthdays or other similar events is great, but you should not request it. That is really poor etiquette.
Response time to Venmo payment is a huge measure of etiquette.
While using the Venmo app, you should not be careless regarding the timeline to pay the shared amount to the person covering the bill in real-time. This is also applicable to other large purchases such as sporting events, concert tickets, and planned flights.
24 to 48 hours is a good time frame to pay back. In the case of forgetfulness, it should be paid back as soon as possible with a quick apology.
In case someone owes you an amount for any purchase or shared bill, you should first communicate with them verbally or via message regarding this. Do not send a random request directly on the app.
Do not treat Venmo as a social media network.
You should not share everything that happened with you and your friend or family members or someone else. It is always better to keep in mind that Venmo is not a social networking site such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or others.
You can have some occasional public comments or reactions to your friend’s activity. But do not interfere too much. You have a lot of other options to do that.
Do not be irresponsible when you are on a date.
Of course, when you are in a romantic relationship, you should always live out proper etiquette. You should not ignore a payment request because this is one of the most annoying behaviors that will negatively impact your budding relationship.
Don’t make the mistake to charge someone you are dating. (That should be obvious, but we’ve heard stories…) Yes, you can share the bill if the other person politely asks to split the bill. The rule is that you never send an unexpected payment request for the meal or anything you ordered. Also, never charge for movie tickets, drinks, snacks, or any gift.
In the end, it’s always a better practice if you follow proper etiquette while using the Venmo app. Apart from the tips mentioned above, you should not also make transactions with unknown people via Venmo. You really must ignore these when the transactions involve the purchase or sale of any goods.
