Zelle is a third-party money transfer service that’s integrated with over 2,000 US banks and credit unions, offering users a fast and typically free way to send money to trusted friends and family members.
Capital One does work with Zelle
Capital One is an FDIC-insured bank and is in Zelle’s program, allowing you to use Zelle in your existing Capital One banking app. If you’re a Capital One customer, you simply have to enroll in Zelle using your Cap One mobile app.
How to use Zelle with Capital One
Enrolling in Zelle as an existing Capital One customer takes just a few steps:
- Open and log in to your Capital One Mobile app.
- Select Send Money with Zelle.
- Enter the US email address or phone number you use with your Capital One bank account.
- Verify your Zelle enrollment with the code sent to your email or phone number.
Once your account is verified, you’re ready to use Zelle. When you’re ready to send money, simply enter the US phone number or email address of the person you want to receive the funds. If they don’t have Zelle, they’ll get a notification on how to enroll. If they don’t accept the funds within 14 days, the money will be returned to you.
Is Zelle free with Capital One?
Yes, using Zelle as a Capital One customer is free. Cap One doesn’t charge users a fee to send or receive funds via Zelle.
Luckily, Zelle is free to use with most banks and credit unions. Since Zelle directly withdraws and deposits funds using your actual linked bank account, there’s no Zelle “balance” to cash out or reload like you would have to do with other apps like Cash App.
One small note: messaging and data costs may apply.
Capital One’s Zelle limits
Capital One allows customers to transfer up to $3,000 per day. This limit is much higher than most other banks integrated with Zelle, such as SoFi®’s Zelle limit, which is only up to $1,000 per day, or Discover’s Zelle limit of $600 per day.
Keep in mind that while Capital One’s daily limit is $3,000, that doesn’t necessarily mean you can send $3,000 to someone else who uses a different bank since their limit to receive funds may be different.
Alternatives to Zelle
Zelle is a popular peer-to-peer (P2P) service. But if you’d rather have an app with more features or something else entirely, consider these Zelle alternatives:
- Cash App. Easily one of the most popular P2P money apps, Cash App lets you send money to other Cash App users near-instantly through linked external accounts or with your Cash App balance.
- Venmo. Similar to Cash App, Venmo is a P2P money app that lets you send money to other users. It also has more of a social aspect, letting you view other Venmo transactions from “friends” on a feed.
- Chime®. Chime is a fintech with a checking and savings account. The Chime app has a feature called Pay Anyone that lets you send money to anyone with a debit card with no fees, and the recipient doesn’t need to have a Chime account.
- Apple Pay. On Apple devices, you can use Apple Pay to make in-store purchases that accept cashless transactions or make online purchases. Apple Pay also has something called Apple Cash, a digital card you can load to send money to other Apple users through the Messages app.
Bottom line
Capital One is a “mostly” online bank. It has a handful of branch and cafe locations, and its checking and savings products are largely fee-free. It’s known for its no monthly fees on deposit accounts, competitive rates on savings and great rewards credit cards.
Capital One is integrated with Zelle, making it a good option if you don’t want to download a separate P2P app to send money to friends and family. But if Capital One isn’t your first choice, compare other top banks that support Zelle.
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