Can you use Zelle® with a credit card?
Quick insights
- In order to use Zelle® at Chase, you must have an eligible Chase checking account.
- With Zelle®, you can send and receive money with people you know and trust who have an eligible account at a participating U.S. bank.
- Zelle® accepts Visa or Mastercard debit cards linked to U.S. bank accounts; credit cards cannot be linked.
There are many ways to send money without needing to hand someone cash or a check. Electronic, digital and mobile payments provide options for how to send money to other people. Depending on the platform, users may be able to sync debit cards, credit cards, checking or savings accounts or other accounts to use for payment.
When using Zelle®Opens overlay—a popular digital payment method—you have the option to link to different accounts, but not credit cards. Read on to learn what accounts you can link to Zelle® and how to use it to send money to people you know and trust.
Using Zelle®
Zelle® allows you to digitally send and receive money with people you know and trust who have an eligible account at a participating U.S. bank. In order to use Zelle® with Chase, you must have a Chase checking account. You cannot connect Chase savings accounts or Chase credit cards to use Zelle®.
There’s no need to share your sensitive bank information with another app. Simply add your recipient’s U.S. mobile number or email to send or request money. Sync your contacts from your mobile phone to easily send money to family and friends.
Once enrolled, you can receive money directly into your Chase checking account and instantly access it with no fees. Plus, there’s no need to cash out.
Do credit cards work with Zelle®?
Credit cards are not compatible with Zelle®. Credit cards allow you to make purchases and transfer money based on your available credit. With Zelle®, you can only send money you have available in your deposit account.
Other peer-to-peer payment apps may allow you to connect your account to a credit card, but they may charge processing fees. Chase does not charge additional fees for Zelle® transactions.
Alternative ways to send money using a credit card
Even if you can’t use Zelle®, there are other ways to send money with a credit card. When you use your credit card to send money, it's often treated as a cash advance, which means it may start accruing interest immediately. Cash advances usually are subject to a higher interest rate than regular purchases.
Some ways to send money with a credit card include:
- Wire transfers: Some banks and credit unions allow you to complete a wire transfer—an electronic payment between bank accounts— directly from your credit card.
- Money order: You can buy a money order with a credit card at some locations, which can then be sent to the recipient. Money orders are a prepaid payment method that allows the payer to provide funds to the payee, without the payor needing a bank account.
- Credit card checks: Some credit card issuers provide checks that you can write against your credit limit.
Enrolling in Zelle®
More than 2,300 banking apps in the U.S. offer Zelle®, so you can use it in the Chase Mobile® app with friends and family—even if they don’t bank with Chase (though they will need to have an eligible account a bank that offers Zelle®).
If you have multiple checking accounts across banks that offer Zelle®, you can have multiple Zelle® profiles to send and receive money at those banks. However, you must enroll at each financial institution using a unique email address or U.S. mobile phone number. For example, if enrolled at bank A using your U.S. mobile phone number, you could enroll at bank B using your email address.
In summary
Zelle® allows you to send and receive money with people you know and trust who have an eligible account at a participating U.S. bank. However, users cannot use Zelle® with their credit cards. You must have a U.S. checking or savings account at one of the 2,300 in-network banks or credit unions. (Note that Chase customers cannot use Zelle® with a savings account.)
There are other ways to send money using a credit card, but these methods are often treated as cash advances and may incur fees and be subject to higher cash advance interest rates.
