The fastest way to add someone on Venmo

Open Venmo and tap the Friends icon at the bottom of the screen (it looks like a person with a plus sign). Tap Add Friends, then search by their username, phone number, or email address. When you find them, tap their name and select Add Friend. They will see the request and can accept or decline it.

If you already have their contact saved in your phone, Venmo can find them faster. Go to Friends, tap Add Friends, then tap Contacts at the top. Venmo will show you which people in your phone already use Venmo. Tap any name to send them a friend request.

The person does not have to accept your request before you can send them money, but they will not see the transaction until they do. Once they accept, your transaction history with them becomes visible to both of you.

Key Takeaways

  • You can search for friends by username, phone number, or email address from the Friends tab.
  • Venmo can scan your phone contacts and show you which people already have accounts.
  • A friend request must be accepted before transactions between you show up in their feed.
  • You can send money to someone who has not accepted your request yet, but they will not see it until they do.
  • Blocking someone removes them from your friends list and hides your transaction history from them.

Adding friends from your phone contacts

If you have someone's phone number or email saved in your phone, Venmo's contact sync is the easiest route. Open Venmo, go to Friends, tap Add Friends, then select Contacts. Venmo will display everyone in your phone who has a Venmo account, sorted by how recently they were active.

Tap the person's name to open their profile. You will see their username, how long they have been on Venmo, and whether they are already your friend. Tap Add Friend to send a request. If they have already sent you a request, you will see an Accept button instead.

Venmo needs permission to access your contacts the first time you do this. If you denied it before, go to your phone's Settings, find Venmo, and toggle Contacts on. On iPhone, this is under Settings > Privacy > Contacts. On Android, it is Settings > Apps > Venmo > Permissions > Contacts.

Searching by username or email

If you know someone's Venmo username, searching is when ready. Open Friends, tap Add Friends, and type their username into the search box. Venmo will show results as you type. Tap their name and select Add Friend.

Usernames on Venmo are unique and visible on every profile. If you are not sure of someone's exact username, ask them directly — it is the name that appears after the @ symbol on their profile. Searching by email works the same way: type the email address and Venmo will find the account linked to it.

If no results appear, the person either does not have a Venmo account or their privacy settings prevent them from being found through search. You can still send them money if you have their phone number, even if they do not appear in search results.

What happens when you send a friend request

When you send a friend request, the other person gets a notification. They can accept it, decline it, or ignore it. Until they accept, you are not officially friends, but you can still send them money — they just will not see the transaction in their feed until they accept your request.

Once they accept, your transaction history with them becomes visible to both of you. Any payments you sent before they accepted will now show up in their feed. If you have set your transactions to private, they will see that you sent money but not the amount or note.

If someone declines your request, you can send another one later. There is no limit to how many times you can request friendship with the same person, though repeatedly requesting after a decline may annoy them.

Sending money to someone who is not your friend yet

You do not need to be friends with someone to send them money on Venmo. Open the Pay or Request button (the large circle at the bottom center), tap Pay, and search for the person by username, phone number, or email. Tap their name, enter the amount, add a note if you want, and tap Pay.

If they do not have a Venmo account, the payment will sit in their name until they sign up and claim it. They have 30 days to claim the money before it is returned to you. If they do have an account but you are not friends, the transaction will not appear in their feed until they accept your friend request.

This is useful if you are splitting a bill with someone new or paying back a coworker you do not interact with often. You can add them as a friend at the same time you send the payment, or wait until later.

Managing your friends list and blocking

To see all your friends, open the Friends tab and scroll through the list. You can tap any friend's name to view their profile and transaction history with them. To remove someone from your friends list, tap their profile, scroll down, and select Remove Friend. This does not prevent them from sending you money, but it hides your transaction history from them.

If you want to prevent someone from seeing your profile or sending you money, tap their profile and select Block. A blocked person cannot search for you, see your transactions, or send you payments. You can unblock them anytime by going to Settings > Privacy > Blocked Users and tapping the person's name.

Your friends list is visible to other Venmo users by default. If you want to make it private, go to Settings > Privacy and toggle off Show Friends List. This prevents others from seeing who you are friends with, but does not affect your ability to send or receive money.

Troubleshooting when you cannot find someone

If you search for someone and they do not appear, they may have set their privacy settings to hide from search. Go to Settings > Privacy and check Search Visibility. If it is off, you cannot be found through search, but people can still send you money if they have your phone number or email.

Another reason someone might not appear is if they have a very new account. Venmo sometimes takes a few hours to index new profiles in search. If you just created your account or they just created theirs, wait a few hours and try again.

If you are trying to add someone from your contacts and they do not appear in the Contacts list, they either do not have a Venmo account or they have not linked their phone number to it. You can still send them money by searching for their username or email instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add someone on Venmo if they have not created an account yet?

You cannot add them as a friend, but you can send them money. They will receive a notification to claim the payment, and they have 30 days to sign up and accept it. Once they create an account and claim the money, you can send them friend requests.

Does someone know when I send them a friend request?

Yes, they get a notification. They can accept, decline, or ignore it. If they ignore it, the request stays pending and you can send another one later.

What is the difference between removing a friend and blocking them?

Removing a friend hides your transaction history from them but they can still send you money and see your profile. Blocking prevents them from seeing your profile, sending you money, or finding you through search.

Can I see my friends list on the Venmo website?

Yes, you can view and manage your friends list on venmo.com. Log in, go to your profile, and select Friends. You can add, remove, or block people from the website the same way you do on the app.

Why can I send money to someone but they do not see it?

They have not accepted your friend request yet. Once they accept, the transaction will appear in their feed. You can still send them money without being friends, but they will not see it until they accept.