How to send money from Zelle when you can’t add the recipient

This trick came in handy when I was trying to quickly transfer funds between two of my banks. When attempting to add my info in the recipient section of my bank’s Zelle app, I would consistently get a generic “There was a problem submitting your request” error message that prevented me from adding the recipient info.

The bank’s technical support team failed me. So, I had to take matters into my own hands and was able to send funds via Zelle, even though I had not add the recipient to my recipient list.

Here’s what you should do if you want to Zelle someone, but can’t seem to add them as a recipient. The person that you want to send funds to should send you a Zelle request for the amount that you want to send them. In your Zelle app, the request may be located in the Activity section. Be sure to also confirm the amount that the person requested to receive. This is the amount that will be transferred to them once you approve the request.

After your funds are Zelled to the person, the recipient will still not be added to your recipient list. So, your financial institution will need to find a resolution for this technical issue. But, in the meantime, you’re able to send funds to someone via Zelle without adding them as a recipient.