Venmo Etiquette: 304 People Share Venmo Best Practices

Venmo might seem like the least serious app on your phone, and it makes sense. You probably don’t frequent it as often as you do Instagram or TikTok, and on the surface, it looks like a boring list of transactions. But despite its label as a simple “finance” app, Venmo is surprisingly revealing.

Though the app is most commonly used to split bills with your friends or send a quick tip to your manicurist, Venmo can be used as a window into people’s lives. One scroll through the feed can reveal what people are spending money on, which of your friends still owes you for dinner from the night before, and even whether someone is cheating on their partner.

But just because Venmo can reveal so much about people doesn’t mean there isn’t a certain etiquette to follow when using the app — and those rules are very much up for debate. For example, some people may think it’s OK to Venmo request a friend for a $5 coffee, while others believe it will eventually work itself out. Some people may never Venmo request someone for any amount of money, while others wait only one to two days before doing so.

All that’s to say, what’s acceptable Venmo behavior to one person might seem rude or irresponsible to another, which is why Venmo can spark strong opinions about manners, respect, and financial responsibility. To dig deeper, we anonymously polled 304 Popsugar readers in an online survey to get their opinions about some of the most pressing Venmo etiquette questions. The results? Too good not to share.

The Venmo Etiquette Survey Results

Most people aren’t concerned with small bills: 55 percent of respondents say you don’t need to Venmo a friend if you owe them less than $5, and 85 percent of people don’t expect their friends to pay them back for items less than $5.

When the amount is more than $5, most people (75 percent) round up the total when paying a friend, while 24 percent stick to the exact total. On the flip side, when it comes to getting paid, almost half (49 percent) of respondents tell their friends the exact amount they owe instead of rounding up (14 percent) or rounding down (37 percent) the amount.

Venmo is also being used as a grade-A creeping tool: 68 percent of people admit they have used Venmo to snoop, and 37 percent of people have used it to check up on a romantic interest. Interestingly, only 2 percent of respondents have ever stopped pursuing someone because of their Venmo profile, though.

As for splitting dinner? Eighty-seven percent of people say they include tip and tax when Venmoing someone who covered dinner, but only 52 percent of people say their friends return the favor. (Something isn’t adding up . . . )

When it comes to getting paid back, most people (69 percent) say they’ll casually tell a friend what they owe and wait it out versus sending a formal Venmo request (23 percent) or waiting until they bring it up themselves (8 percent).

The good news: Venmo isn’t ruining friendships. Ninety-five percent of respondents say they haven’t gotten in a fight with someone because of Venmo, and only 4 percent of people said they’ve stopped spending time with someone because of their Venmo behavior. (On the same note: only 11 percent of people have chosen not to Venmo someone out of spite.)

On the settings front, 34 percent of respondents keep their Venmo public, which means plenty of creeping material for the rest of us.

And when it comes to relationships, 41 percent of couples don’t bother Venmoing each other over every little purchase — yes, it will probably even out eventually — but 29 percent of couples say it depends on the amount.

Venmo Etiquette Survey Takeaways

Generosity is the move. Most people agree you don’t need to Venmo someone back for a few dollars, but when you do owe someone money, etiquette leans toward rounding up. “I round up when I pay, but I round down when I request [payment from] others,” wrote one survey respondent. “True friends catch that and then do the same, so it evens out.”

Venmo requests are awkward. Most of the survey respondents would rather tell someone what they owe rather than send someone a formal Venmo request. “I’ve let hundreds of dollars go because I felt too bad to Venmo others (how dare I inconvenience them!)” wrote one survey respondent. Because of this, my personal advice: if you know you owe someone money, it’s better for you to take initiative and either pay them back or ask them what you owe versus waiting for the other person to track you down.

Venmo is an elite creeping platform. Because 34 percent of respondents still keep their Venmo public, the app isn’t being used just for money purposes. Venmo is used for people-watching, checking in on exes, and seeing who’s hanging out together.

For some people, it has exposed relationships: “I found out my ex was cheating on me, thanks to Venmo,” wrote one survey respondent. For other people, it has cleared up lingering feelings for their ex: “One day I scrolled past my ex’s Venmo and, by the looks of it, he’s selling nutcrackers and mojitos on the beaches of Miami post-breakup. Can’t say it didn’t make me a little happy seeing that,” shared another anonymous survey respondent. But it has unfortunately caused some crash outs, too: “I found out through Venmo that my ex-boyfriend was marrying the girl he broke up with me for. I was still friends with his brother on Venmo, and I saw him pay their other brother for his bachelor party. I spiraled a little after that,” wrote one respondent.

Couples are keeping it casual. Most couples in relationships aren’t splitting every expense on Venmo. It seems like the Venmo expenses that do make their way on the app are less about exact tracking and more about balance. “Honestly, I’m tired of Venmo in relationships. I think that things usually work themselves out and even out over time,” wrote one survey respondent. Though another respondent clarified: “I will Venmo request higher amounts from my spouse because we have separate bank accounts and he makes more, but we don’t Venmo each other to pay for random things.”

Venmo isn’t ruining friendships . . . for the most part. Most people aren’t fighting or losing friends because of their Venmo habits, but there are some rare occasions: “I had a roommate who would Venmo request me for the exact amount of almonds — legit to the cent — I ate out of our communal snack pantry, even though when I got a bag, I never asked for reimbursement. We no longer speak,” one survey respondent wrote.

Clearly, the survey results speak for themselves, but whether you want to go by this etiquette is up to you. Regardless of whether you’re rounding up, creeping on your ex, or silently fuming over an “almond tax” request from your roommate, be mindful of your Venmo behavior — you never know who could be watching.

Taylor Andrews is the senior balance editor at PS, specializing in topics relating to sex, relationships, dating, sexual health, mental health, travel, and more. With eight years of editorial experience, Taylor has a strong background in content creation and storytelling. Prior to joining PS in 2021, she worked at Cosmopolitan.