Does Chime Have Zelle? Alternative: Pay Anyone (2023)

Zelle is one of the most popular transfer services in America, so users often wonder if Chime has Zelle.

Unfortunately, Chime does not have Zelle. The fintech companies are two completely separate services, and while Zelle is partnered with a lot of traditional banks Chime is not a bank. You may be able to use the Chime card on the Zelle app though.

This might be a big deal for some, however, Chime does have a robust Pay Anyone feature that lets you make instant money transfers to Chime and non-Chime members alike.

• How to Use Chime’s Pay Anyone Instant Transfers
• How to Receive The Pay Anyone Money
• Can I Add My Chime Debit Card to the Zelle App?
• Why Doesn’t Chime Have Zelle?
  • How to Send Money to Chime?
• Pay Anyone Vs. Zelle

How to Use Chime’s Pay Anyone Instant Transfers

Pay Anyone is a handy and much requested money transfer feature that now lets you send money to anyone, be they Chime members or not. It’s easy, it’s free, and it’s generally instant.

Although transfers are typically instant, there might be some delays at times. There’s also a limit of $2,000 or 15 transfers per month. Here are some tips on how to use it properly.

The first step for sending money is to select the person you want to send the money to. To do this, tap “Pay Anyone” to find the person or enter their $ChimeSign. 

If the recipient doesn’t have a Chime account yet, don’t worry, they won’t have to open a Chime account. This is different from Zelle because both the sender and the recipient have to have Zelle accounts.

So, to send money to a non-Chime user, search your imported contacts or enter their email address or phone number if they aren’t in your contacts. 

Lastly, enter the payment details, and add a GIF or emoji if you want to, Venmo-style.  

Double-check all the payment details and tap “Pay” to complete the transfer.

All Chime users will get their funds instantly.

As for non-members, they will get an email or text with a link where they have to enter their debit card info and claim their cash in the next 14 days. 

How to Receive The Pay Anyone Money

If You Already Have a Chime Checking Account

To receive money from someone that was using Pay Anyone to send it to you, you don’t have to do anything. The money will appear in your Chime checking account immediately for free.

However, what you can do is request money from other Chime members, for instance, if you are owed money.

To do this, all you have to do is:

1. Log into your Chime app
2. Tap “Pay Anyone” 
3. Search for the right person 
4. Enter the amount of money you want to receive 
5. Send your request 

The person who receives your request has 14 days to send you the money (or else!). 

When You’re Not a Chime Member

Even if you don’t have a Chime account you can receive money from someone who sent it with Chime. The recipient will get an email or a text containing a link to Chime’s website. 

All a person has to do is click on the link to enter their debit card info on the Chime website and that’s it.

They also have up to 14 calendar days to claim the money or else it will be returned to the sender’s Chime account. So, even if a person isn’t a Chime member, they can get the money straight away without paying anything.

However, you MUST be careful not to click on a scammer’s link. We all know too well that scammers are sending millions of phishing texts and emails trying to get you to click or tap on their links. 

The real Chime website is https://www.chime.com/

These links will typically lead you to an official-looking website where you need to type in your banking information or your login credentials. 

The person waiting to receive money from Chime has to be 100% sure they’re clicking on a genuine link coming from a real Chime account.  

Can I Add My Chime Debit Card to the Zelle App?

Chime has partnered with The Bancorp Bank, N.A., and Stride Bank, N.A. to offer their customers traditional bank products, like the debit card. The Chime debit card is free and can be used wherever Visa is accepted.

If you want to use Zelle with your Chime account, you may think it’s a good idea to add your Chime debit card straight to the Zelle app.

I mean hey, the Zelle app will allow you to add any debit card to it so long as the card is connected to a U.S. bank account, right?

Wrong.

For whatever reason, Zelle doesn’t accept every Chime card in their system.

I read that fact across a couple of other articles online when I was doing my research, but I couldn’t believe it, so I reached out to Zelle’s customer service for confirmation. I had to call twice as the first call dropped. 

I called their customer service line at 1 (844) 428-8542 and spoke with a customer representative. After the customer service agent authenticated me, he let me inquire about Chime cards and Zelle.

I asked him if I would be able to link my Chime debit card to my Zelle account, and to my surprise, he said that it would depend.

Not every Chime card can be linked to the Zelle app, and it depends on the specific card in question.

When I asked him whether or not there was any way of knowing if the card would be able to be connected, he said he didn’t know and that the only way to find out is to try. 

So, if you’re looking to add Zelle to your Chime account, you may be able to with the Chime debit card and the Zelle app, but there is no way to be certain until you try. 

Why Doesn’t Chime Have Zelle?

As popular as it is, a lot of Chime users often wonder why their favorite fintech company doesn’t use Zelle. In my opinion, it’s because Chime and Zelle are competitors and operate in the same space. 

Chime started in 2012 as an alternative to traditional banking, and seeing that Zelle has partnered with most of the traditional banks Chime may see them as direct competition. 

Zelle, on the other hand, was started by all of the big banks as a transfer service they could all use and share amongst their customers. They’re two apps doing very similar things.

Chime looks to add money from external accounts; Zelle works with the external accounts directly

It’s the same reason why you can’t Paypal someone on Venmo, or Cash App someone on Chime; while it would be nice to combine your favorite transfer apps into one, they’re all separate for the time being. 

Zelle Not Working With Chime

If you’re a Chime user who used to use Zelle with your fintech company but no longer can, you might not be able to anymore. Some Chime users thought it was a simple glitch keeping them from doing their business through Zelle — others understood that the end of the line was near.

A couple of years ago, you were able to use Chime and Zelle together.

The easiest way to do so would be to add your Chime debit card to Zelle and transfer funds from there. Nowadays, Zelle only allows certain Chime cards on their platform.

I called them to ask why and they couldn’t give me a straight answer. They said that only certain Chime cards could be used on Zelle, and others that don’t work, won’t.

If your Chime card is no longer working with the Zelle app, it may not be able to work again. I would contact Zelle support first to make sure. 

Does Zelle Support Any Online Banks?

Zelle’s bread and butter is their partnership with all of the major, traditional, American banks, like Chase and Bank of America. They’re not just in the major leagues though, they’re in over 1,700 banking and finance apps around the world.

They partner with the big dogs like Wells Fargo, sure, but did you know they’re also partnered with online banks like Varo? They’re also partnered with local banks like Vectra Bank right here in Colorado.

Zelle is one of my personal favorite transfer services. You can send money to anyone that has a major — or local — bank and they’ll receive the transfer in a matter of moments. The entire process is completely free too, and you can do it all from your bank’s app.

Zelle’s network is expanding constantly, if your bank, credit union, or online bank/fintech company hasn’t partnered with Zelle yet, they probably will. 

How to Send Money to Chime?

Chime isn’t partnered with Zelle, so you can’t send money that way.

You could write someone a check and have them deposit it into their Chime account. In the Move Money section of the Chime app is a feature where you can take pictures of your check and deposit them straight into the app.

You can also send a Chime user an ACH transfer. Chime users can send and receive up to $10,000 in ACH transfer per day, with that limit increasing to $25,000 per month as well. 

Lastly, Chime users can deposit cash at participating Walgreens and 7-Eleven locations.

A lot of people think that online banks and fintech companies like Chime have no way of letting their customers deposit cash, and they’re just plain wrong.

While Chime doesn’t have any physical locations themselves for you to deposit your funds at, they’ve combatted this problem by partnering with some of America’s most famous and popular stores and retail locations.

These retail locations can accept your Chime cash deposit by scanning a barcode your Chime app can generate. You can even find different locations within the Chime app, using their handy ATM map. 

If you’re needing to pay someone on Chime, or get some funds into their Chime account, you can always pay them in cash and have them head to a local deposit location and deposit the funds right into their own account. 

Pay Anyone Vs. Zelle

So, what’s the difference between the two really? Is there any? There sure is. 

First of all, to send and receive money with Zelle, both sides have to have a Zelle account.

You can then send money instantly from your bank account to other people only using an email address or a phone number. 

In the case your bank doesn’t offer Zelle (which is unlikely), you can register your debit card number through the Zelle mobile app.

Although Zelle doesn’t support Chime or other digital banks anymore, it does accept thousands of traditional banks and credit unions.

Also, Zelle is inherently free for both sending and receiving money. However, in rare cases, some banks might charge a fee. 

On the other side, Chime has made a good job with its Pay Anyone feature that is now a better alternative to Cash App, Venmo, Zelle, and even PayPal.

No fees for instant transfers and no need to make an account (for the recipient) are market-leading benefits for customers.

Did you find this article useful? Check more about banking with Chime:

• 3 Main Differences Between Chime and Chase
• Chime Takes on Traditional Banks: Why It is Winning Over
• Chime Bank Name and Address (How to Set Up Direct Deposit)
• 5 Convenient Ways to Put Money on Your Chime Card
• How to Activate the Chime Card With and Without the App
• What to Do: Chime Closed Your Account with Money in it