Zelle Will Eliminate Private Application As More Consumers Use Bank-Based Access
Zelle announced recently that it will phase out its standalone app in the coming months, redirecting users to access Zelle services through participating financial institutions.
This change reflects Zelle’s evolution and growing acquisition of banks and credit unions, which now offer Zelle the majority of users through their mobile apps or online banking platforms.
Since its launch in 2017, Zelle has expanded its network to include more than 2,200 financial institutions. In the first half of this year alone, nearly half a billion dollars were transferred to Zelle, marking a 28% year-over-year increase.
Today, about 98% of Zelle’s operations are done within bank or credit union applications, and about 2% take place in a standalone application.
Given this change, Zelle has decided to stop new registrations and activities within the standalone app. Independent app users are encouraged to switch to using Zelle within a participating bank or credit union app.
An independent application will remain available to educate consumers about scams and fraud, as well as provide a directory of participating financial institutions.
Important dates and details of the change
Users of the standalone app are advised to switch to Zelle using a participating financial institution by March 2025. Zelle is actively onboarding additional banks and credit unions to ensure users have access to the network.
During the transition, Zelle will provide in-app notifications and email communications to inform independent app users of upcoming changes. These users will have continued access to their transaction history until March 2025, and customer support will remain available to help during the transition.
Impact on Consumers
This update will not affect the majority of Zelle users who already access the service through their financial institution’s mobile app or website.
However, users of the standalone app will need to re-register with a participating institution to continue sending and receiving payments on Zelle.
Users who have previously sent or received funds from private app users will also need to switch by March 2025.
