How to cancel a Venmo payment if you paid an inactive account, or request money back if you paid the

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• You can only cancel a Venmo payment if you paid someone with an inactive account.
• If you paid the wrong person or the wrong amount, you can't cancel the payment, but you can request your money back.
• If the person you mistakenly paid doesn't send your money back, you can contact Venmo support for assistance.

Venmo doesn't include the option to cancel a payment if you paid the wrong person or sent the wrong amount. 

Without the ability to simply cancel a payment, all you can do is request your money back from the person, and hope they return it. If they don't return it, you can contact Venmo support, though Venmo doesn't guarantee you'll get your money back. 

However, if you sent money to a phone number or email address without an active Venmo account, you can use the "Take back" option to retrieve your money. 

Here's everything you need to know about getting your money back.

How to cancel a Venmo payment

To cancel a Venmo payment with the "Take back" option: 

Open the Venmo app on your device.

Tap the three horizontal lines in the upper-right corner. There will be a small red dot if you have any notifications or incomplete payments.

Tap the three horizontal lines in the corner. Grace Eliza Goodwin/Insider

Tap "Incomplete" on the list of options. This is where you'll find unfinished payments you sent, indicated by a number in a red circle. ("Notifications" is where you'll find requests from friends asking you for money.)

Go to "Incomplete." Grace Eliza Goodwin/Insider

On the Incomplete page, you'll find two tabs: "Requests" and "Payments." Tap "Payments."

Go to the "Payments" tab. Grace Eliza Goodwin/Insider

You should see the payment you sent, including the phone number or email, your message, and the dollar amount. If they have not created an account, you can tap "Take back" next to the payment.

Select "Take back" underneath the payment details. Grace Eliza Goodwin/Insider

Once this is tapped, the payment will turn gray and display the message, "You canceled this request." When you click back to your Venmo homepage or open the app again, the payment will have disappeared and the funds sent to the inactive user will not be taken out of your linked bank account.

Quick tip: The best way to look up a person directly on Venmo is by phone number or email, which ensures you won't send money to the wrong person. You can also scan the user's Venmo QR code if they send it to you via text or show it to you in person. 

How to send a Venmo request if you paid the wrong person

Another common mistake is sending the payment to the wrong person. This happens often, since many people have similar usernames — especially those automated by Venmo when setting up an account. 

Unfortunately, once you send a payment, the funds are automatically added to that user's account (they are then able to transfer that money to their linked bank account). In this case, the best option is to request the money back before contacting the Venmo support system directly. 

Here's how to do it: 

Open your Venmo app.

On the Venmo home screen, tap the blue "Pay or Request" button at the bottom.

Tap "Pay or Request" at the bottom of the page. Grace Eliza Goodwin/Insider

Type the username of the person who you accidentally sent the payment to.

Enter the same dollar amount you accidentally sent.

Venmo suggests adding a note explaining how or why you accidentally sent a payment to the wrong person. 

Press "Request" instead of "Pay."

After entering the payment information, select "Request." Grace Eliza Goodwin/Insider

You will be prompted with a green message at the bottom of the screen to confirm your request. Tap to confirm.

If you don't receive the money right away, you can send the person a reminder: 

Tap the three bars in the upper-right corner.

Tap "Incomplete."

In the "Requests" section, you'll find any unfulfilled requests. Tap the blue "Remind" button underneath the request. Once tapped, this will change to a gray message that says "Reminded."

Select "Remind" under the request information. Grace Eliza Goodwin/Insider

How to contact Venmo if your payment is not returned

If you still don't receive the money, you can then contact Venmo for support, though Venmo does not guarantee that your money will be returned.

To contact Venmo, tap the three horizontal bars in the upper-right corner.

Select "Get help" from the list of options. It should be the choice on the bottom next to the question mark.

Select "Get help" at the bottom. Grace Eliza Goodwin/Insider

Tap "Contact Us," and then select "Email Us" or "Chat with Us" to connect with someone from Venmo. You can also select "Check Our Hours" to find a phone number to call. 

Choose how you'd like to contact Venmo support. Grace Eliza Goodwin/Insider

Quick tip: Venmo recommends having the payment information — the payment amount, the payment date, and the username of the person you mistakenly paid — on hand to expedite the process. Additionally, it's helpful to have the username, phone number, and email address of the person you meant to pay.

Marissa Perino Marissa Perino is a former editorial intern covering executive lifestyle. She previously worked at Cold Lips in London and Creative Nonfiction in Pittsburgh. She studied journalism and communications at the University of Pittsburgh, along with creative writing. Find her on Twitter: @mlperino. Read more Read less

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