After 12 years of owning Venmo, PayPal just flipped the switch on something users begged for: direct transfers between both apps.

Sounds great. But there’s a privacy catch you need to fix immediately. Skip this step and random PayPal users can find you through your phone number. That opens the door to targeted scams and spam you definitely don’t want.

What Just Changed Between PayPal and Venmo

The setup is dead simple now. Open your PayPal app and search for any Venmo user. Or flip it around and search PayPal from Venmo. Then send money directly with a few taps.

No more awkward workarounds. No more asking friends which app they prefer. Just pick the person and transfer cash.

PayPal bought Venmo back in 2014. So yeah, this feature took over a decade to arrive. Better late than never, I guess.

The Privacy Problem Nobody’s Talking About

Here’s where it gets messy. PayPal users can find any Venmo account if they have your phone number.

Think about that for a second. Your phone number probably leaked in some data breach already. Now anyone with that number can locate your Venmo account through PayPal. That’s not great.

PayPal and Venmo direct transfers between both payment apps

Scammers love this kind of visibility. They can target specific people instead of sending random spam. Plus, it makes social engineering attacks way easier when bad actors know exactly which payment apps you use.

Fix Your Privacy Settings in November

Venmo’s adding a control to stop this tracking. But the feature won’t roll out until November when the integration officially launches.

Here’s how to lock it down once the update hits:

First, open your Venmo app. Then tap the gear icon to reach Settings. Next, select Privacy from the menu. Finally, navigate to Find Me options and restrict who can locate you via PayPal.

Make this change as soon as the November update arrives. Don’t wait. Your privacy depends on flipping this switch before random people start searching for you.

Remember When Venmo Made Everything Public

Longtime users probably recall Venmo’s messy privacy history. The app used to broadcast all your payment details to every contact automatically. Who you paid, when, and sometimes even why.

Venmo fixed most of those issues over the years. But this PayPal integration brings back similar concerns. The default settings lean toward visibility instead of privacy.

So the pattern repeats. New feature launches with loose privacy controls. Users complain. Company adds restrictions later. But early adopters already exposed their information.

Phone number leaked in data breach locates Venmo account

What’s Still Unknown About This Integration

PayPal and Venmo haven’t revealed everything yet. Specifically, nobody knows if they’ll charge extra fees for cross-platform transfers.

That matters because both apps already have complicated fee structures. PayPal charges for business transactions. Venmo hits you for instant transfers. Will mixing the platforms add another fee layer?

Also unclear: How disputes work across platforms. If someone sends you money through PayPal to your Venmo account and later disputes the payment, which company handles it?

These details will probably emerge as users test the feature. But for now, approach with caution until the fine print becomes clearer.

My Take on This Long-Awaited Feature

This should have happened years ago. PayPal owned Venmo since 2014. There’s no technical reason this integration took until 2025 to launch.

But I’m glad it’s finally here, even with the privacy concerns. Just don’t rush into using it without checking your settings first. The convenience isn’t worth exposing yourself to scammers who can now track you across both platforms.

Update your Venmo app in November. Lock down those privacy controls immediately. Then enjoy the feature PayPal should have built a decade ago.