Hey there! Have you ever made a payment in Venmo that you later wished you could delete? You‘re not alone – Venmo‘s public transaction history has become a privacy concern for many users.
The good news is, you can take control of your information. In this guide, I‘ll walk you step-by-step through how to make your Venmo payments private.
Why Would You Want To Make Venmo Payments Private?
With over 60 million active users, Venmo has become one of the top payment apps. Its social, shareable format makes paying friends quick and fun.
But that shareable nature also means your transactions are public by default. According to 2021 data from ESET, [1] over 36% of Venmo users have privacy concerns about the app.
Having all your payments visible to the public could be problematic if:
- You don‘t want acquaintances or strangers seeing who you exchange money with.
- You pay or get paid by someone you want to keep private.
- You don‘t want others knowing how frequently you use Venmo or large transaction amounts.
So for many users, the ability to make Venmo private offers welcome peace of mind.
What Exactly Can People See About Your Public Venmo Payments?
If you leave your Venmo transactions public (the default setting), here‘s what‘s visible to others:
- Date, time, and any note/memo attached to payments
- Names and profile pics of the sender and recipient
- Confirmation that you and the other party exchanged money
Importantly, the actual dollar amounts of your transactions stay private. Still, the other details may reveal more than you want publicly known.
According to 2020 data from FinanceBuzz, [2] over 56% of people say they‘d be uncomfortable if acquaintances could view their Venmo transaction history.
How To Make Your Venmo Payments Private In 4 Easy Steps
Changing your Venmo privacy settings is thankfully quick and straightforward. Here‘s exactly how to do it:
Step 1) Open Your Settings
On your Venmo app, tap the ≡ menu button in the top left corner. Then, select "Settings" on the menu that pops up.
This will bring you to your main Venmo account settings.
Step 2) Tap on Privacy
Next, choose the "Privacy" option in your Settings menu. You‘ll know you have the right one when you see a little lock icon next to it.
Tapping on Privacy will open a page with different options for controlling your privacy.
Step 3) Make Your Past Payments Private
Now, under the "More" section at the bottom, select "Past Transactions."
You‘ll then have the option to:
- Change your past transactions to "Friends Only" – Meaning only Venmo friends can view them.
- Change your past transactions to "Private" – So only you and the other user can view them.
Tap on "Change All to Private" and confirm to make all your previous Venmo payments completely private.
Step 4) Set Future Payments to Private
Finally, on the main Privacy Settings page, locate the "Default Privacy Setting" section.
Tap on the option that says "Private" instead of "Public" or "Friends."
Hit "Change Anyway" on the popup confirmation. This ensures any new Venmo payments will automatically be private moving forward.
And that‘s all it takes! Just 4 quick steps to take control of your Venmo privacy.
The Pros of Making Your Venmo Payments Private
Making your Venmo transactions private has some major upsides:
- Increased privacy – No more worrying about who can see your payments or judging you.
- Better security – Less publicly available information makes you less vulnerable to phishing scams.
- More control – You get to choose what you feel comfortable sharing instead of everything being public.
According to a 2021 Consumer Reports survey, [3] over 85% of people who changed their Venmo privacy settings to "private" felt far more peace of mind.
Potential Drawbacks to Keep in Mind
However, there are a couple caveats to note about private Venmo payments:
- No more social feed – Your friends won‘t be able to see or engage with your transactions in their feeds anymore.
- Inconvenience – You‘ll have to manually change a payment‘s privacy if you do want specific friends to see it.
So if you enjoy Venmo‘s social feed or frequently need friends to view certain transactions, then keeping some or all payments "public" or "friends only" may be a better fit for you.
But for most users, the increased privacy and security of private transactions outweigh missing the social feed. You can still use Venmo without ever making your history public.
Other Important Tips To Keep Your Venmo Secure
In addition to making your payments private, here are some other tips to maximize your Venmo security:
- Use a PIN or Touch ID – This adds an extra layer of protection in case your phone is lost or stolen.
- Enable 2-factor authentication – You‘ll have to enter a code from your phone when logging in from a new device.
- Link a bank account – For withdrawals, linking your bank account is safer than a debit card.
- Watch out for scams – Venmo will never spontaneously message you asking for your password or account details.
Let‘s Recap – How Do I Make My Venmo Private?
Just to recap, here‘s the 4-step process one more time:
- Open your Venmo settings
- Tap on "Privacy"
- Change past transactions to private
- Make future transactions private by default
And that‘s all it takes to delete your Venmo payment history from public view!
I hope this guide has helped explain exactly how to control your Venmo privacy settings. Please feel free to reach out if you have any other questions!