Zelle is a mobile payment application that enables you to send money electronically from your bank account to the accounts of family members or friends. The benefits of Zelle include that the money can appear in the recipient’s account almost instantly, and you don’t need to bother handling cash or writing a check.

While Zelle is commonly used for purposes like friends splitting a check in a restaurant, it can also be used for sending people larger amounts of money — although banks do impose daily and monthly limits. Here we’ll go over what the Zelle transfer limits are at various banks.

Zelle transfer limits by bank

Below are the Zelle transfer limits various banks impose on personal customers. If your financial institution doesn’t offer Zelle, your weekly send limit is $500 when using the Zelle app.

Bank Daily Zelle transfer limit Monthly Zelle transfer limit
Ally Instant transfers: $2,000

Scheduled transfers (up to 3 business days): $5,000

 $10,000
Bank of America $3,500 $20,000
Capital One $2,500 Not disclosed
Chase $5,000 per transaction Not disclosed
Citibank: Citibank Account, Basic Account, Access Account $2,500 $15,000
Discover Bank $600 Not disclosed
Quontic Bank Per transaction: $500Per day: $1,000 Not disclosed
TD Bank Instant transfers: $1,000

Scheduled transfers (up to 3 business days): $2,500

 Instant transfers: $5,000

Scheduled transfers (up to 3 business days): $10,000
Truist Bank $2,000 $10,000
USAA Federal Savings Bank $1,000 $10,000
Wells Fargo $3,500 $20,000

How banks set Zelle limits

Most banks set Zelle transfer amount limits per day and per month, and some also set weekly limits. Many also set limits per transaction as well. What’s more, banks also commonly offer the option to transfer money through Zell instantly or through a standard payment that takes between one and three days — and you’ll often be able to send more money when using the standard method.

Some banks impose Zelle transfer limits based on a customer’s account and online banking history. The following banks instruct customers to log onto the bank’s app or website to view the amount of money they’re able to send to recipients:

Alternatives to Zelle

While Zelle often comes as part of your bank’s app, there are various other third-party apps you can use to send money to peers, such as Venmo and Cash App. One difference to note is that while all transfers using Zelle are typically free of charge, other third-party apps may charge a fee for instant transactions.

Instant transfers with Venmo typically reach the recipient in up to 30 minutes, with a 1.75 percent fee deducted from the transfer amount, per transfer. The recipient of the transfer is required to have a compatible bank account or linked debit card. Standard transfers take one to three business days and don’t incur a fee.

Cash App instant transfers are subject to a fee between 0.5 percent and 1.75 percent, and they arrive instantly to a linked debit card. Standard transfers are free of charge and take one to three business days.

How to use Zelle safely

Overall, Zelle is considered a safe way to send and receive money with your family and friends. Transfers through Zelle are protected through data encryption, and most bank apps also make use of multifactor authentication.

However, there’s always a small fraud risk when you provide any fintech app with your personal information. To help minimize the chances of fraud when you use Zelle, only use Zelle to send money to people you know and trust.

Beware of anyone you don’t know who asks you to send them money through any payment system such as Zelle. If you fall victim to a scammer by transferring money to them through Zelle, there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to recover the money you lost.

Bottom line

Sending money to your friends and family members through Zelle is often quicker and easier than paying them through cash, a check or a wire transfer. Especially if you plan to use Zelle to send large amounts of money or to use the service frequently, it’s important to know your bank’s limits per day and month, as well as per transaction.