Zelle app shuts down, but here's how you can still send money online
FILE-The Zelle app is displayed on a smartphone. (Tiffany Hagler-Geard/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Zelle has shut down its standalone app but, despite this change, consumers can still conduct digital transactions.
Why is the Zelle app shutting down?
The backstory:
Zelle’s app officially shut down on April 1, according to cnet.com.
The digital payment app launched in 2017 and created a standalone app for users and became one of the most used peer-to-peer payment networks in the nation with over 143 million users.
Through the years, more financial institutions started offering Zelle’s online payment service to customers and this resulted in a decline in consumers' usage of the Zelle app for transactions.
RELATED: Missing Zelle deposits from your Bank of America account? Here’s what we know
Zelle noted in a 2024 release that this led to the company making changes to its app including phasing out the ability to enroll and make transactions within the platform, but consumers can still use Zelle through their financial institution.
And while the Zelle app is no longer available for transactions, it is still accessible but primarily for information about scams and fraud and a list of banks and credit unions that offer Zelle.
What does this change mean for consumers who send money through Zelle’s app?
Why you should care:
Consumers can still use Zelle through their financial institutions’ app or website if it's in the Zelle network.
RELATED: Wells Fargo, JPMorgan, Bank of America face federal lawsuit over Zelle payment fraud
And anyone who has used the Zelle app only, they will have to re-enroll through the banking app for banks and credit unions that offer Zelle’s service.
Last month, The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau dropped its lawsuit against the company that runs the Zelle payment platform, and three U.S. banks as federal agencies continue to pull back on previous enforcement actions now that President Donald Trump is back in office.
The Associated Press reported that a federal regulator sued JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America in December 2024, claiming the banks failed to protect thousands of consumers from fraud on Zelle, in violation of consumer financial laws.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by a Zelle company release from last year that addresses the app shutting down and the Associated Press. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.