The Zelle network is a digital payment system based in the country. This platform makes it easy to send money to someone. There are a few questions that come up with more user using Zelle. One of the questions is, does Zelle works with prepaid card? The reason behind this question arises is that people want to integrate their financial tools. Nowadays, we have to use several money cards and tools such as financial apps to send, receive and spend money. Our wallet includes credit cards, debit cards, prepaid cards, and other shopping cards, which could make life easier if connected to each other. 

This is where people look for ways to connect their cards. Especially a user with a Zelle account always wants to use their prepaid card on Zelle. But since these services work together based on their compatibility with each other, you can’t link them whenever you want. They must work with each other. This is what this article is all about. Hopefully, this article will answer your question and provide insight into other aspects of the subject matter that might interest you. 

Does Zelle Works With Prepaid Card? 

The answer is not straight as you want it to be. Zelle doesn’t accept most of the prepaid cards in the country. Zelle only accepts prepaid cards from banks under the Zelle network, just like it accepts debit cards from Visa and Mastercard.

Because of this, customers can’t send or receive money with any prepaid card that Zelle doesn’t accept. Adding any other prepaid debit card to Zelle will result in an error message saying the card isn’t eligible. So, the answer could be both yes and no and is based on the conditions I mentioned here. 

List Of Best Prepaid Card Thats Works With Zelle

With prepaid cards, most people are out of luck. You can only use Zelle with prepaid cards issued by Zelle Network Banks. It’s only possible to use Zelle cards from banks on the network, like Chase Liquid Card, Access 360 Prepaid Card by Fifth Third Bank, and PNC SmartAccess Card. Banks like these are usually brick-and-mortar. I am here to mention some of the banks that use Zelle.

  • Bank of America
  • Capital One
  • Chase
  • Citi
  • Fifth Third Bank
  • First Tech
  • FirstBank

Zelle Compatible Cards

With Zelle, almost all Visa and Mastercard debit cards are compatible. Zelle’s official app lets you link your bank-affiliated debit card or another participating debit card. You can pay directly into the recipient’s account using a debit card. Issues with debit cards are always user-generated, such as incorrect information being entered, expired cards, etc.

Does Zelle Work With Credit Cards? 

Unfortunately, Zelle does not support credit cards. The platform of Zelle is exclusively designed to works with bank accounts and prepaid debit card. Bank transfers or debit cards are both methods you can use to handle all your financial transactions with Zelle. It’s unclear whether credit cards and their accessibility to Zelle will be introduced soon, but you can hope this will happen.

Use Zelle Without A Prepaid Debit Card

You can use Zelle without a debit card. Zelle does not require a debit card, but you must have a bank account to use it. There are more than a thousand banks that work with Zelle. Still, if your bank isn’t available in the Zelle network, you’ll need to add a debit card to the Zelle app in order to receive or send money. Alternatively, if you do not even have a bank account, you can open a TransferWise borderless account. Besides giving you an online account, it allows you to add any old currency (except cryptocurrency). If you want to add a TransferWise debit card to Zelle, you can do it via the app. It is MasterCard-powered and compatible with Zelle.

What Problems Can I Face When Adding My Card on Zelle?

Adding our card may still cause some errors, even if it meets Zelle’s conditions. Here are some of the most common:

1. Make sure your debit card is Visa or MasterCard

Visa and MasterCard debit cards linked to US bank accounts are the only ones Zelle accepts. The error message says your card is invalid and can’t be used with Zelle if you use another card.

2. You Are Using a Prepaid Card from Zelle Network

Outside Zelle’s network, corporate debit cards, credit cards, cards linked to international accounts, gift cards, and prepaid cards aren’t accepted.

Chase Liquid Card and PNC Smart Access Card are the only prepaid card that works with Zelle, so you can’t use a separate prepaid card.

3. The credentials you entered are wrong

If you enter the wrong details, Zelle won’t accept your debit card, which is a common problem. This is why you have to enter the details correctly.

Ensure you correctly enter the cardholder’s name, zip code, expiration date, and CVV number. It might cause errors when we try to add our bank account if there are inconsistencies.

4. Fast Fund Transfers aren’t enabled on your card

Cards that don’t allow express transfers won’t work with Zelle since some don’t take cash or cash within minutes. Check that Fast Transfer is enabled on your card if it doesn’t work with Zelle.

5. Account in US territory linked to a prepaid card

With region-associated debit cards, Zelle US account rules don’t work.

American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the United States, and The Virgin Islands are US territories. Your Zelle account will not work if it is based on this domain.

6. There’s a problem with the Zelle server

There are a few possible reasons why your prepaid card won’t works with Zelle, but those are the main ones. For example:

  • There’s a problem with the internet.
  • The Zelle app you’re using is old.
  • The Zelle server crashed.

How Does Zelle Work With Closed Accounts?

In most cases, Zelle money will not go through if you try to send money to a closed account. For some reason, it goes through, but then you realize your account was closed, so your best bet is to contact Zelle to see if you can retrieve the funds. Depending on your specific situation, they might recommend reopening the closed Zelle account (if possible), so you can retrieve the funds.

Which Cards Will Zelle Not Accept?

Under Zelle’s conditions, there are different types of cards not accepted:

  • The commercial debit cards.
  • Credit cards.
  • Internationally linked credit cards.
  • Prepaid or gift cards outside the Zelle network

Attempting to link any of these cards to our accounts will always result in an error.