For those accustomed to hand-carrying a check to a bank and manually depositing it to an account, making an electronic deposit is a pleasant alternative. And for the recipient, no more walking out to a mailbox to see if a check was in the mail. Instead, she can log into the website of her financial institution to confirm a deposit made its way to her account.
There are several ways to get money electronically transferred to the account of a family member, friend or neighbor, such as an electronic deposit via a website.
Electronic Deposit via Website
A money-transfer website, such as PayPal, allows you to transfer funds to someone through an application on your computer or phone. If you are making a payment using your bank account, PayPal cash account or PayPal Cash Plush account, the transfer is free. There's a small fee if you transfer money using a debit or credit card.
Assuming that a one to three day arrival time is satisfactory, there's no additional fee for the transfer. But if you choose the "Instant Money Transfer," you'll pay 1 percent of the dollar value of the transfer up to $10.
PayPal reviews transfers and this review may delay the transfer or, in a worst-case scenario, the funds may be frozen or removed from your PayPal account.
Deposit via Mobile App
Alternatively, a money-sending mobile app like Zelle or Venmo lets you transfer funds to someone through an application on your phone. For instance, if you are a Venmo account holder and your cash recipient lives in the U.S., you can transfer cash to him using your mobile phone and the Venmo app.
Venmo, which is owned by Paypal, offers the service free of charge to the account holder as long as you send the cash from a linked bank account, a Venmo account or using your debit card. The fee is 3 percent of the transferred amount if you send cash using your linked credit card.
If a one to three day arrival time is satisfactory, there's no fee for the transfer. But for an instant transfer of cash, you'll pay 1 percent of the dollar value of the transfer up to $10.
You should know that Venmo reviews transfers and that process may result in delays or funds being frozen or removed from your Venmo account.
Deposit Cash or Paper Check
The most basic way to move money into someone else's account is to walk into the bank and tell the teller you'd like to make a cash deposit. You'll need some direct deposit information, like the recipient's full name and bank account number, to complete the deposit. You might call ahead to make sure that the bank will let you perform this transaction.
Bank-to-Bank Online Funds Transfer
A bank's online funds transfer service can also be used to move funds from your account at one financial institution to another account at the same institution or to an account at a different bank or credit union. The financial institution sets limits on the amount you can transfer.
When using the online funds transfer service, the financial institution may take steps to ensure that you, or the persons to whom you may transfer funds, are not using the service in violation of laws designed to prevent "money laundering," The institution may also ensure that no transfer of funds occurs to or from persons or organizations whose accounts are blocked under regulations of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the United States Treasury Department.
There are several ways to get money transferred from your account to that of a family member, friend or neighbor. These methods include an electronic deposit via a website or mobile app, the manual deposit of cash or check and the bank-to-bank online funds transfer.