Zelle®

Zelle^® is a fast and easy way to send money directly between almost any bank accounts in the U.S., typically within minutes¹. With just an email address or U.S. mobile phone number, you can send money to people you trust, regardless of where they bank².

You can send, request, or receive money with Zelle^®. To get started, log into your mobile banking app and Tap "+" at the bottom of the screen, then select the Zelle® icon. Following the prompts, enter the information requested, accept the terms and conditions, and you’re ready to start sending and receiving with Zelle^®.

To send money using Zelle^®, simply select someone from your mobile device's contacts (or add a trusted recipient's email address or U.S. mobile number), add the amount you'd like to send and an optional note, review, then hit "Send." The recipient will receive an email or text message notification via the method they used to enroll with Zelle^®. Money is available to your recipient in minutes if they are already enrolled with Zelle^®.

To request money using Zelle^®, choose "Request," select the individual from whom you'd like to request money, enter the amount you'd like, include an optional note, review and hit "Request". If the person you are requesting money from is not yet enrolled with Zelle^®, you must use their email address to request money. If the person has enrolled their U.S. mobile number, then you can send the request using their mobile number.

To receive money, just share your enrolled email address or U.S. mobile number with a friend and ask them to send you money with Zelle®. If you have already enrolled with Zelle®, you do not need to take any further action. The money will be sent directly into your First Merchants account, typically within minutes.

If someone sent you money with Zelle^® and you have not yet enrolled with Zelle^®, follow these steps:

1. Click on the link provided in the payment notification you received via email or text message.
2. Select First Merchants bank.
3. Follow the instructions provided on the page to enroll and receive your payment. Pay attention to the email address or U.S. mobile number where you received the payment notification - you should enroll with Zelle^® using that email address or U.S. mobile number to ensure you receive your money.

Keeping your money and information safe is a top priority. When you use Zelle^® within our mobile app or online banking, your information is protected with the same technology we use to keep your account safe.

Zelle^® is a great way to send money to family, friends, and people you are familiar with such as your personal trainer, babysitter or neighbor.¹

Since money is sent directly from your account to another person's bank account within minutes1, Zelle^® should only be used to send money to friends, family and others you trust.

If you don't know the person or aren't sure you will get what you paid for (for example, items bought from an online bidding or sales site), you should not use Zelle®. These transactions are potentially high risk (just like sending cash to a person you don't know is high risk).

Neither First Merchants Bank nor Zelle® offers a protection program for any authorized payments made with Zelle^®.

Some small businesses are able to receive payments with Zelle®. Ask your favorite small business if they accept payments with Zelle^®. If they do, you can pay them directly from your mobile banking app using just their email address or U.S. mobile number.

Neither First Merchants Bank, nor Zelle^® offers a protection program for any authorized payments made with Zelle^®.

In order to use Zelle^®, the sender and recipient's bank or credit union accounts must be based in the U.S.

You can only cancel a payment if the person you sent money to hasn't yet enrolled with Zelle^®. To check whether the payment is still pending because the recipient hasn't yet enrolled, you can go to your activity page, choose the payment you want to cancel, and then select "Cancel This Payment". If you do not see this option available, please contact our customer support team at 1-800-205-3464 for assistance with canceling the pending payment.

If the person you sent money to has already enrolled with Zelle^®, the money is sent directly to their bank account and cannot be canceled. This is why it's important to only send money to people you trust, and always ensure you've used the correct email address or U.S. mobile number when sending money.

If you sent money to the wrong person, please immediately call our customer support team at 1-800-205-3464 so we can help you.

No, First Merchants Bank does not charge any fees to use Zelle^® in our mobile app.

Your mobile carrier's messaging and data rates may apply.

Sending amounts are based on account balances and limits set to protect you from fraudulent activity. At First Merchants Bank, your limit is $600 per transaction and $900 per day.

There are no limits to the amount of money you can receive with Zelle^®. However, remember that the person sending you money will most likely have limits set by their own financial institution on the amount of money they can send you.

You can find a full list of participating banks and credit unions live with Zelle^® here.

If your recipient's bank or credit union isn't on the list, don't worry! The list of participating financial institutions is always growing, and your recipient can still use Zelle^® by downloading the Zelle^® app for Android and iOS.

To enroll with the Zelle^® app, your recipient will enter their basic contact information, an email address or U.S. mobile number, and a Visa^® or Mastercard^® debit card with a U.S. based account (does not include U.S. territories). Zelle^® does not accept debit cards associated with international deposit accounts or any credit cards.

Yes! They will receive a notification via email or text message.

If you don’t know the person, or aren’t sure you will get what you paid for (for example, items bought from an online bidding or sales site), you should not use Zelle^® for these types of transactions.

These transactions are potentially high risk (just like sending cash to a person you don’t know is high risk). Neither First Merchants Bank nor Zelle^® offers a protection program for any authorized payments made with Zelle^® – for example, if you do not receive the item you paid for or the item is not as described or as you expected.

No, at First Merchants, Zelle^® payments are available for personal account types only.