Send Money in the Moment with Zelle®

1. What is Zelle?

Zelle is a fast, safe and easy way to send money directly between almost any bank accounts in the U.S., typically within minutes¹. With just an email address or U.S. mobile phone number, you can send money to people you trust, regardless of where they bank².

2. Who can I send money to with Zelle?

You can send money to friends, family and others you trust².

Since money is sent directly from your bank account to another person’s bank account within minutes¹, it’s important to only send money to people you trust, and always ensure you’ve used the correct email address or U.S. mobile phone number.

3. How do I use Zelle?

You can send, request, or receive money with Zelle. To get started, log into your mobile banking app and select “Send Money with Zelle®”. Following the prompts, enter the information requested, accept the terms and conditions, and you’re ready to start sending and receiving with Zelle.

To send money using Zelle, simply select someone from your mobile device’s contacts (or add a trusted recipient’s email address or U.S. mobile phone number), add the amount you’d like to send and an optional note, review, then hit “Send.” In most cases, the money is available to your recipient in minutes¹.

To request money using Zelle, choose “Request,” select the individual from whom you’d like to request money, enter the amount you’d like to request, include an optional note, review and hit “Request”³.

To receive money, just share your enrolled email address or U.S. mobile phone number with a friend and ask them to send you money with Zelle.

4. Someone sent me money with Zelle, how do I receive it?

If you have already enrolled with Zelle, you do not need to take any further action. The money will move directly into your bank account, typically within minutes¹.

If you have not yet enrolled with Zelle, follow these steps:

1. Click on the link provided in the payment notification you received via email or text message.
2. Select your bank or credit union’s name.
3. Follow the instructions provided on the page to enroll and receive your money. Pay attention to the email address or U.S. mobile phone number where you received the payment notification - you should enroll with Zelle using that email address or U.S. mobile phone number to ensure you receive your money.

5. What types of payments can I make with Zelle?

Zelle is a great way to send money to friends, family and people you are familiar with such as your personal trainer, babysitter or neighbor².

Since money is sent directly from your bank account to another person’s bank account within minutes¹, Zelle should only be used to send money to people you trust.

Neither Water and Power Community Credit Union, nor Zelle, offers a protection program for any authorized payments made with Zelle – for example, if you do not receive the item you paid for or the item is not as described or as you expected.

6. How do I get started?

It’s easy — Zelle is already available in your mobile banking app! Check your app and follow a few simple steps to enroll with Zelle today.

7. What if I want to send money to someone whose bank or credit union doesn’t offer Zelle?

You can find a full list of participating banks and credit unions live with Zelle here.

If your recipient’s bank or credit union isn’t on the list, don’t worry! The list of participating financial institutions is always growing, and your recipient can still use Zelle by downloading the Zelle app for Android and iOS.

To enroll with the Zelle app, your recipient will enter their basic contact information, an email address and U.S. mobile number, and a Visa® or Mastercard® debit card with a U.S. based account (does not include U.S. territories). Zelle does not accept debit cards associated with international deposit accounts or any credit cards.

8. How does Zelle work?

When you enroll with Zelle through your banking app, your name, your financial institution’s name, and the email address or U.S. mobile number you enrolled is shared with Zelle (no sensitive account details are shared – those stay with your bank or credit union). When someone sends money to your enrolled email address or U.S. mobile phone number, Zelle looks up the email address or mobile number in its “directory” and notifies your financial institution of the incoming payment. Your bank or credit union then directs the payment into your bank account, all while keeping your sensitive account details private.

9. Can I use Zelle internationally?

In order to use Zelle, the sender and recipient’s bank accounts must be based in the U.S.

10. Can I cancel a payment?

If your recipient has not yet enrolled with Zelle, the payment will remain pending and the money will not move from your account. If the recipient does not enroll within 14 days, the payment will expire, and the transaction will need to be made again.

If the person you sent money to has already enrolled with Zelle, the money is sent directly to their bank account and cannot be canceled. This is why it’s important to only send money to people you trust, and always ensure you’ve used the correct email address or U.S. mobile number when sending money.

If you sent money to the wrong person, we recommend contacting the recipient and requesting the money back. 

11. How long does it take to receive money with Zelle?

Money sent with Zelle is typically available to an enrolled recipient within minutes¹.

If you send money to someone who isn’t enrolled with Zelle, they will receive a notification prompting them to enroll. After enrollment, the money will move directly to your recipient’s account, typically within minutes¹.

If your payment is pending, we recommend confirming that the person you sent money to has enrolled with Zelle and that you entered the correct email address or U.S. mobile phone number.

If you’re waiting to receive money, you should check to see if you’ve received a payment notification via email or text message. If you haven’t received a payment notification, we recommend following up with the sender to confirm they entered the correct email address or U.S. mobile phone number.

Still having trouble? Call our customer support team at (213) 580-1600 so we can help you.

12. Will the person I send money to be notified?

Yes! They will receive a notification via email or text message.

13. Is my information secure?

Keeping your money and information safe is a top priority. When you use Zelle within your mobile app, your information is protected with the same technology we use to keep your bank account safe.

14. I’m unsure about using Zelle to pay someone I don’t know. What should I do?

If you don’t know the person, or aren’t sure you will get what you paid for (for example, items bought from an online bidding or sales site), you should not use Zelle for these types of transactions.

These transactions are potentially high risk (just like sending cash to a person you don’t know is high risk). Neither Water and Power Community Credit Union nor Zelle offers a protection program for any authorized payments made with Zelle – for example, if you do not receive the item you paid for or the item is not as described or as you expected.

15. What if I get an error message when I try to enroll an email address or U.S. mobile number?

Your email address or U.S. mobile phone number may already be enrolled with Zelle at another bank or credit union. Call our customer support team at (213) 580-1600 and ask us to move your email address or U.S. mobile phone number from the financial institution where you initially enrolled to your desired bank account so you can use it for Zelle.

Once customer support moves your email address or U.S. mobile phone number, it will be connected to your account at the financial institution you requested so you can start sending and receiving money with Zelle.

16. Can I pay a small business with Zelle?

Some small businesses are able to receive payments with Zelle. Ask your favorite small business if they accept payments with Zelle. If they do, you can pay them directly from your mobile banking app using just their email address or U.S. mobile number.

Neither Water and Power Community Credit Union, nor Zelle, offers a protection program for any authorized payments made with Zelle, so you should only send money to people (and small businesses) you trust. Also, always ensure you’ve used the correct email address or U.S. mobile number when sending money.