Zelle^®

You can send money to friends, family and others you trust.¹ Since money is sent directly from your bank account to another person's bank account within minutes,¹ 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.

You can send, receive, or request money with Zelle^®. To get started, log into German American Bank's online banking or mobile banking app and navigate to the "Zelle®" tab found under "Move Money" in online banking and the "Pay & Manage" menu in our mobile banking app.

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,” enter their enrolled email address, U.S. mobile number or Zelle^® tag, confirm the recipient is correct and tap “Request.”  

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 German American bank 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 German American 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.

As of March 31, 2025, all users must be enrolled through one of the more than 2,300 banks and credit unions that offer Zelle^® in order to send and receive money. The list of participating financial institutions is always growing. You can find the updated list of participating banks and credit unions live with Zelle^® at Zelle.com. If their bank or credit union is not listed, we recommend you use another payment method at this time.

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

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

Zelle^® is a convenient way to send, receive, and request money with friends, family and others you trust through German American Bank's mobile app or online banking. All you need is your recipient’s enrolled email address or U.S. mobile number, and money will be available to use in minutes. Your account information and activity stay private. Zelle^® is currently live in more than 2,300 Financial Institutions, so you can send money to friends and family even if they don’t bank at German American Bank.¹

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 the German American Bank Mobile Banking App or Online Banking using just their enrolled email address, U.S. mobile number, or Zelle^® tag.

Neither German American Bank nor Zelle^® offers purchase protection for 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. Only send money to people and small businesses you trust and always ensure you’ve used the correct email address or U.S. mobile number when sending money.

Please contact your German American Bank customer support team at 800-482-1314. Qualifying imposter scams may be eligible for reimbursement.

No, Zelle^® payments cannot be reversed.

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 800-482-1314 for assistance with canceling the pending payment.

If the person you sent money to has already enrolled with Zelle^® through their bank or credit union’s mobile app or online banking, 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 know and 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 800-482-1314 to determine what options are available.

German American Bank does not charge fees to send or receive money with Zelle^®, but there is a $38 stop payment fee to cancel a Zelle^® transaction that is still pending because the recipient hasn't yet enrolled. If the recipient doesn't enroll with Zelle^® within 14 days, the payment will naturally expire, the funds will be returned to your account and no fees will be assessed. You may also call German American Bank at 800-482-1314 to attempt to stop or cancel a payment if the transaction is still pending without incurring a fee.

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

The amount of money you can send, as well as the frequency, is set by each participating financial institution. To determine German American Bank send limits, call our customer support team at 800-482-1314.

At German American Bank, 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.