How to Create Two Zelle Accounts

Zelle is a service that helps you transfer your money seamlessly and quickly. Many banks across the US support Zelle and allow payments through Zelle. The service is tied to your bank account and your phone number.

Although you can transfer your money through Zelle’s standalone app, the vast majority of major US banks feature Zelle as an automatic protocol. It’s a unique and powerful service that makes money transfers very simple and straightforward. So, what if you want to create two Zelle account? How would you go about it? This articles discusses the options and the drawbacks of having more than one Zelle account. Let’s get started.

Enrolling in Zelle

This day and age, you’d think that opening an account would be the easiest thing in the world. Unfortunately, this is the hardest thing about Zelle. Luckily, when you’ve set up the account, everything else will run smoothly.

Before starting, check whether your bank supports Zelle. You may use Zelle as a standalone app, but you won’t get to experience the app’s full potential unless your bank supports it.

The main reason why Zelle is so challenging to set up is not because of developers and the app’s design but because of each bank’s unique way of handling Zelle accounts and transactions. Seeing as how Zelle works through many US-supported banks, a complete walkthrough is impossible. In addition, the enrollment process varies depending on your banking app.

Of course, you can create two Zelle accounts, too, using different credentials, but this likely won’t solve anything. More details are found below.

As a rule of thumb, though, sending money using Zelle is similar to most banking apps. Open your banking app and log in. If you have the 2FA enabled (which you definitely should use in your banking app), follow the process you normally do to make transfers.

If you want to create a second account, Zelle allows it, but you cannot attach a bank account to more than one Zelle account. Therefore, you need a second bank account to send and receive money. You also need a different email and phone number for your second account.

Now, go to the section within the app that allows you to send money directly to a person. You should find the instructions there. If you’re still unable to set up your Zelle account, refer to Google by entering “how to set up a Zelle account for [the name of your bank].”

What You Can’t Do

Before adding a second Zelle account, which you may have already decided not to do, here are all the things that Zelle doesn’t allow. First, as previously mentioned, you cannot connect the same bank account to two Zelle accounts. Regardless, you also cannot have more than one bank account attached to one Zelle account—at least for now.

The above stipulations are somewhat inconvenient, as you may want to use different bank accounts for your money transactions. Zelle claims that this option may become available at some point, so stay tuned.

On another note, the Zelle app allows you to send and receive money using the app alone.

However, if you want to send money to a contact who doesn’t have a Zelle account set up, you won’t be able to do it. Luckily, your bank probably supports Zelle, so you might still be able to send the money through your banking app.

Sending/Receiving Money to Second Zelle Account

Now that you have your second Zelle account set up, everything else is a walk in the park. For example, to send money to your other Zelle account using your banking app, go to the transactions section and enter your second Zelle account’s phone number or email address. Next, establish the amount of money to send and confirm it. If your second Zelle account is set up correctly, the transaction goes through immediately. That’s one of the main benefits of Zelle—instant transactions.

Alternatively, you can send your money through Zelle directly via the “Send” screen. Enter your second account’s phone number and the amount, confirm, and you should receive the money automatically.

Bear in mind, however, that using the Zelle app directly is significantly less secure than using it through your bank app, as your bank doesn’t guarantee your money’s safety when using the Zelle app. Regardless, It is more straightforward, though.

If you don’t properly have a second Zelle account established, you’re going to have to set it up to receive the money that you’ve sent. If not, the payment will land back in your main Zelle account in 14 days. There is no other way to get your money back quicker, which can be a problem.

If your bank doesn’t happen to support Zelle (which is unlikely), you’ll only be able to send the money through the app. In addition to other mentioned downsides of doing this, the limit for sending the money via the Zelle app is $500 per week. On the other hand, using your bank account to send money through Zelle usually has a higher sending limit.

Money Transfers Made Easy Through Zelle

Zelle has made money transferring money simple, fast, and easy, whether you’re using the Zelle app or your bank’s native app. Either way, the payments are instantaneous, and all you need to send money to your second Zelle account is the registered phone number or email. Of course, that information is different than the info on your main Zelle account—it has to be.

Regardless of whether you’re using the Zelle app or your banking app, you need both Zelle accounts set up correctly. That process may take a while, especially if you need to open another bank account, email, and phone number. However, once you have everything you need to open that second Zelle account, the rest is relatively simple.