You’re standing at the register, or maybe just trying to pay your roommate for last night’s Thai food, and there it is. That annoying gray or red pop-up. The Venmo try another payment method error. It’s cryptic. It’s vague. It’s honestly one of the most frustrating things about using the app because it doesn't tell you why your money is being held hostage.
Venmo’s security system is basically a giant, invisible bouncer. Sometimes that bouncer is just doing its job, but other times it’s being way too overprotective. Usually, this happens when the automated risk engine flags a transaction as "suspicious." That doesn't mean you're doing anything illegal. It just means the algorithm got spooked.
I’ve seen this happen for a hundred different reasons. Maybe you’re on a public Wi-Fi network at a coffee shop. Perhaps you’re trying to send a larger-than-usual amount to someone you just added as a friend. Or maybe, and this is the most common one, your bank is the one actually putting up the roadblock.
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Decoding the Venmo Try Another Payment Message
When you see that "Try Another Payment" prompt, you have to understand what's happening behind the curtain. Venmo uses a proprietary risk engine. This system looks at your GPS location, your device ID, the recipient's history, and even the time of day. If you usually send $15 for pizza and suddenly try to send $800 for a couch, the system might panic.
It's a protective measure. Honestly, it’s there to stop people from draining your account if your phone gets stolen. But when it's actually you making the payment? It’s a massive headache.
The first thing to check is your Venmo balance. If you have $20 in your balance but you’re trying to send $25, Venmo will try to pull the full amount from your linked bank or card. It doesn’t always "split" the payment automatically unless you’ve specifically toggled that setting. If the backup source fails, you get the error.
Then there are the technical glitches. Sometimes the app just needs a kick. A simple cache issue on an Android phone or a stalled background update on an iPhone can cause the payment gateway to time out. When that happens, the default error message is—you guessed it—to try another payment method.
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The Role of Your Bank
Banks are jittery. They see a fast-moving fintech app like Venmo as a high-risk playground for fraud. If your bank's fraud department sees a Venmo request that looks "off," they will kill the transaction before it even breathes.
In this scenario, Venmo is just the messenger. They tried to take the money, your bank said "No," and Venmo told you to try something else. You won't always get a text from your bank asking if it was you. Sometimes they just silently block it.
Common Triggers for the Error
Why now? Why this specific payment?
- The New Friend Tax: If you just added someone and immediately try to send them a significant chunk of change, Venmo’s "new relationship" red flag might go off. They prefer to see a history of small interactions.
- The VPN Trap: Using a VPN is great for privacy, but Venmo hates it. If your IP address says you’re in London but your GPS says you’re in Chicago, the system will likely trigger the Venmo try another payment method warning to prevent "account takeovers."
- Transaction Limits: You might have hit your weekly rolling limit. For unverified users, this is pretty low. Even for verified users, there are caps on how much you can move at once.
- Outdated App Versions: It sounds like tech support 101, but if you’re running a version of Venmo from six months ago, the security protocols might be out of sync with their servers.
It’s also worth looking at your "Funding Source." Credit cards are blocked way more often than debit cards or direct bank transfers. Why? Because credit card companies allow for easy chargebacks, which Venmo absolutely loathes dealing with.
How to Get Around the Block
First, stop trying to resend the payment over and over. Seriously. Every time you hit "Pay" and it fails, you are digging a deeper hole in the risk engine’s database. It looks like a "brute force" attempt.
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Wait at least 24 hours. I know that's not what you want to hear when you owe someone money, but "cooling off" your account is the most effective way to reset the risk score.
Try switching from Wi-Fi to cellular data. This gives you a clean, traceable IP address through your carrier, which Venmo trusts more than a random "Linksys" signal at a mall.
Verifying Your Identity
If you haven't done the full identity verification in the app, do it now. Go to your settings and look for "Identity Verification." You’ll need to provide your SSN and a photo of your ID.
Once you are a "Verified User," the "Try Another Payment" error happens much less frequently. Venmo feels more confident that you are who you say you are, so they widen the lane for your transactions.
Another trick? Try a different amount. Instead of sending $100, try sending $95. Sometimes certain round numbers or specific thresholds trigger the bot. Changing the amount by even a dollar can sometimes bypass the filter.
Dealing with the Bank "Soft Decline"
If you’ve tried everything and it still won't go through, call your bank. Don't call Venmo support yet—they usually can't "override" a risk flag manually anyway.
Ask your bank if they see any "pre-authorization" attempts from Venmo. If they do, tell them to "whitelist" the merchant. A lot of times, the bank is just waiting for you to confirm that you’re actually the one spending the money.
Practical Steps to Take Right Now
If you are stuck in this loop, follow this specific order of operations to fix it:
- Turn off your VPN. This is the number one silent killer of Venmo transactions. Make sure your phone is showing its actual location.
- Update the app. Check the App Store or Google Play. If there's an update, take it.
- Log out and log back in. This refreshes your session token and can clear out minor "handshake" errors between your phone and Venmo's servers.
- Check your linked cards. If a card is nearing its expiration date, Venmo might preemptively flag it. Remove the card and re-add it if necessary.
- Use the Venmo Balance. If you have funds in your Venmo account, try to use those first. If that fails, then you know the issue is with your Venmo account status, not your bank.
- Message Venmo Support. If all else fails, use the "Chat with Us" feature in the app. Don't expect an instant fix, but they can at least tell you if your account is under a temporary "security hold."
When the Venmo try another payment method message appears, it's usually a sign that you need to slow down. The app is hyper-sensitive to "rapid" movements. By switching your connection, verifying your ID, or simply waiting a day, you allow the automated systems to settle. If you're in a massive rush, the fastest workaround is almost always to have the other person send you a "Request" for the money instead of you initiating the "Pay" action. For some reason, responding to a request is often viewed as lower risk by the algorithm.