“Your Payment Requires Additional Review” in Zelle – What Does it Mean?

Zelle is a great way to quickly send and receive money. All you need is an email address or mobile phone number, and you can make payments fast. However, it’s not always this easy. Sometimes problems arise that can slow down the process.

Have you gotten error messages when trying to make payments with Zelle? You’re not the only one. In this article, we’ll explain what could have gone wrong and what actions you can take to rectify the problem.

Your Payment Requires Additional Review

Sometimes a Zelle payment will require additional review. A reason for this could be if you are sending large amounts of money to the same person on a repeated basis. Large, regular payments could be a red flag and require further review.

To learn what the payment and transfer limits are with Zelle, you’ll need to contact your current bank and inquire with them. Each financial institution has its own transfer limits and Zelle has no control over this aspect of making payments.

Another scenario could be that Zelle suspects that your account, or the account you are paying, could have been compromised. If this is the case, you’ll need to contact Zelle customer service or your financial institution.

Why Is My Zelle Payment Under Review?

Usually, when a Zelle payment is under review, it’s because there is some issue with the payment going through. Oftentimes, this is caused because the recipient of the payment hasn’t enrolled in Zelle yet. If possible, it’s best to contact the payee and inquire if they accept Zelle. If they don’t, you do have the option of canceling the payment.

Another possibility is that you sent the payment to the wrong email address or phone number. It’s important to note that Zelle does not offer any type of payment protection services. When using the service, always ensure that you have the correct email address or phone number before making a payment. You should only send money to people you know and trust.

Similar to Payment Under Review Is Payment Pending

These two statuses are very similar and might result from the same issues. There are a few reasons why this could happen.

• Insufficient funds
  

If you don’t have enough money in your bank account to cover your payment, Zelle will flag the transaction as Payment Pending. Zelle will eventually cancel the transaction and return whatever money had been collected.

• Recipient not enrolled

Your payment will sit as pending until the recipient of your payment opens a Zelle account. After you’ve sent your payment, they’ll receive a notification alerting them that you’ve sent them a payment. They’ll be asked to enroll with Zelle.

• Recipient isn’t a U.S. citizen or using a U.S. bank
  

Zelle is only available within the United States to those with a U.S. phone number and a U.S. bank account. Transactions to non-U.S. citizens rarely go through, but on occasion, it can happen. Even with a valid U.S. phone number, if they are physically outside of the country, the transaction should fail to go through.

How Long Does It Take Zelle to Review a Payment?

Payments made with Zelle are typically made available within a couple of minutes, but that’s not always the case. Depending on your financial institution, it could take up to 3 days. If the recipient of your payment hasn’t yet signed up for Zelle, they’ll receive a notification that a payment has been sent to them. Once they’ve enrolled, that money should be available to them within a few minutes.

Payments that are pending or under review will be automatically canceled after 14 days. If you know there’s an obvious issue with a payment, you can always cancel it yourself instead of waiting the two weeks.

FAQs

How do I cancel a Zelle payment that’s under review?

Payments that haven’t been processed and are listed as under review can be canceled. However, if you’ve made a payment and it was sent to a valid, registered Zelle user, all payments are final.

To cancel a Zelle payment, go to your activity page on Zelle, locate the transaction and select “Cancel This Payment.” You can also cancel the payment by using the app for your financial institution and following its procedures for doing so.

How do I use Zelle in a safe manner?

Most of using Zelle safely comes down to common sense. Here are a few things to think about when making payments with Zelle.

• Only send money to those you know and trust

You should only make payments to those you know and trust. If you send money and the recipient uses Zelle, you won’t be able to cancel the payment or get your money back.

• Always confirm recipient’s contact information

To ensure an easy and flawless transaction, it’s important to make sure you send your payment to the correct person.

• Beware of scammers

If you receive an unsolicited text or email asking you to pay for something that’s too good to be true, it most likely is. Zelle should only be used with those you trust and know. Again, please be aware that Zelle does not offer a protection program.

• Be wary of using Zelle when on public Wi-Fi

It’s always a good idea to only send payments with Zelle when on a secured network. Hackers often prey on unsuspecting victims by hacking into public Wi-Fi in order to access banking information.

Is my banking information secure with Zelle?

Yes, a part of what makes Zelle safe and secure is that to send a payment, all that’s required is the recipient’s email address or mobile phone number. There’s no need to give anyone your bank account number or any other personal information. Zelle is just as secure as your financial institution. They also use end-to-end data encryption, providing another level of security.

Zelle Payment Review Issues Solved

The majority of issues with Zelle payments are usually due to sending to a recipient who hasn’t yet enrolled, or you’ve sent money to the wrong recipient. Thankfully, you can cancel payments that are under review or, after 14 days, Zelle will cancel them for you.

Has your Zelle payment required additional review? Did you follow the methods described in this article? Let us know in the comments section below.