Venmo Gift Cards: How to Send One and What Else Works

Summary: A Venmo gift card is usually a brand gift card sent through Venmo, not a card that adds money to Venmo. You pick a retailer such as Starbucks, Amazon, DoorDash or Target, attach it to a payment and the recipient finds it in their Venmo wallet. Separately, open-loop prepaid Visa, Mastercard and Discover cards can be linked to Venmo as a payment method once they are registered with a ZIP code.

• Venmo sells brand gift cards inside the app through its Gift button.
• Received gift cards are stored under the Me tab, with the card number and PIN.
• Store-only gift cards cannot be added to Venmo as a funding source.
• A sent gift card cannot be cancelled once the other account receives it.

Is There a Venmo Gift Card?

Not in the way most people mean. You will not find a Venmo-branded card on a store rack that loads cash into someone's Venmo balance. What Venmo does offer is a gifting feature: while sending a payment, you can choose a digital gift card from a list of popular brands, add a design and send it to a friend. The value belongs to that brand, so a Starbucks gift card sent through Venmo is spent at Starbucks, not held as Venmo cash.

How to Send a Gift Card on Venmo

• Open Venmo and start a payment to the person you want to gift.
• Tap the Gift option and choose Gift card.
• Pick a brand, an amount and a design, then add a note.
• Confirm the payment. The recipient gets a notification to unwrap the gift.

Venmo's own gift card help page lists eligibility rules and what to do if a recipient cannot open the gift. Double-check the username before you send, because the gift cannot be reversed once it lands in another account.

Where Received Gift Cards Are Stored

Once opened, a digital gift card sits in the wallet section of the Me tab. From there you can view the card number and PIN to use online or show at the till, and see the remaining value. Treat these details like cash, and never share them with anyone who contacts you asking for them.

Can You Add a Gift Card to Venmo?

Only open-loop prepaid cards work, meaning cards on the Visa, Mastercard or Discover networks that can be spent at most shops. Add them from the Me tab under Add bank or card. The most common error is an invalid ZIP code, which usually means the card has not been registered with the issuer yet. Register it on the issuer's website first, then try again. Store cards such as a Target or Amazon gift card cannot be linked.

Sending from your Venmo balance or a linked bank account is free, while funding a payment with a credit card carries a fee, so gifts are cheapest from balance.

Venmo Gift Card Ideas Beyond the Brand List

If a gift card feels too impersonal for the occasion, pair it with something physical. A same-day bouquet from JustFlowers or a snack box from GourmetGiftBaskets.com turns a coffee card into a proper present.

If the goal is spending Venmo money at a specific store, check whether that store accepts Venmo first. Our guide on using Venmo on Amazon shows how that works for the biggest one.

Picking Between a Venmo Gift and a Prepaid Card

Use Venmo's gift feature when you know the brand the person loves and they already use Venmo. Use a prepaid card when you want the recipient to choose where to spend it, or when they do not have a Venmo account.

For the flexible option, browse prepaid payment cards.