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Venmo just dropped a major update today, opening up its Stash rewards program to all users, not just Venmo Debit Card holders. Stash used to be limited to Venmo Debit Card holders. Now any Venmo user can earn cash back on top of their regular credit card rewards.

However, app users don’t have access to the full list of top merchants available to Venmo Debit Card holders. (details below)

TL;DR: Venmo Stash now works for everyone. Hit 5% cash back by enabling direct deposit, choose the bundle that matches your spend (extra merchants using Venmo debit card), and stack it with a rewards credit card for double‑dip earnings – up to $100 back per month. Sign up

The Tiers & the Math: Hitting the $100 Max with Venmo Stash

Venmo Stash offers three curated brand bundles. You select one of these three bundles, and you can refresh or change your choice every 30 days. The cash back is credited directly to your Venmo balance once a purchase is complete.

How Venmo Stash Tiers Work

The percentage you earn depends entirely on how your account is set up:

• 1% Base Cash Back: Default rate on your chosen bundle.
• 2% Cash Back: Turn on auto‑reloads in Venmo to unlock this.
• 5% Cash Back: Receive $500+ per month via Direct Deposit to qualify.

On top of these, Venmo occasionally runs special add‑on offers at other merchants, similar to “Chase/Amex Offers.”

The Optimization Strategy:

Historically, sending a standard ACH transfer from an external bank into Venmo are often counted as a ‘Direct Deposit’ for the 5% tier. This isn’t guaranteed and could change at any time, so always confirm that your transfer is marked as eligible before relying on it.

Stash caps your earnings at $100 per month. At the 5% tier, you hit the $100 cap after $2,000 in spend. At the 1% base rate, you’d need $10,000 in spend to max out the rewards.

The 3 Bundles & App vs. Debit Card Breakdown:

Now that you know how much you earn, where do you earn rewards? When you go to pick your Stash bundle for the month, you can choose from three preset lists. Every bundle has a base set of merchants for standard Venmo app users, plus bonus premium retailers only if you have the Venmo Debit Card.

Here is exactly what is inside the three bundle options:

Bundle Option 1:

• Standard App Merchants: McDonald’s, TikTok, Uber, Uber Eats
• Debit Card Exclusive Add-on: Target

Bundle Option 2:

• Standard App Merchants: DoorDash, Domino’s
• Debit Card Exclusive Add-ons: Amazon (New), Walgreens

Bundle Option 3:

• Standard App Merchants: Taco Bell, Lyft
• Debit Card Exclusive Add-ons: Walmart, GameStop, ESPN

Remember, you can change your bundle every 30 days, so you can rotate based on where you’re planning to spend.

Do you actually need the Venmo Debit Card?

You probably don’t need the debit card if:

• Most of your spend is at McDonald’s, TikTok ads, Uber/Uber Eats, DoorDash, Domino’s, Taco Bell, Lyft, etc.
• You care more about stacking with your rewards credit card than about Amazon/Walmart/Target…

You probably do want the debit card if:

You’re okay with using a debit card (pulling from Venmo balance/linked bank) to unlock those.

You spend heavily at Amazon, Walmart, Target, Walgreens, GameStop, ESPN+, etc.

If you look at the Stash dashboard without a debit card, the add on merchaants will appear in their respective bundles and be locked with a “Venmo Debit Card required” label. Venmo Debit Card holders have always had these major retailers, and that remains unchanged.

The Stacking Trick: How to Double Dip Rewards with Venmo + Credit Cards

How to Pay With Venmo to Trigger Rewards

Venmo is integrating smoothly as a primary checkout option across apps and desktop sites. Here is how it works, depending on the platform:

• In-App Purchases: When checking out at a participating business on your phone, look for the Venmo button. You’ll link your account, choose your funding source, and complete the purchase. The business can then charge your Venmo account for future purchases.
• Desktop Purchases: If you select Venmo at checkout on a computer, it will generate a QR code. Scan the code with your phone’s camera to authorize the payment.

To manage or disconnect these linked merchants later, just go to Settings > Connected Businesses in the app to update your preferred payment method or discontinue the payments entirely.

But the real magic here is how standard app users can fund these purchases to stack Credit card rewards:

How to Make Sure Your Credit Card Gets Charged

Funding the Purchase & Double Dipping: Venmo will prioritize your balance. So if you specifically want to use a credit card, you should cash out your Venmo balance before checking out. Best of all, Venmo doesn’t charge you a transaction fee for purchases; even if you use a backup credit card, the merchant eats the transaction fee.

How to double dip Venmo Stash + credit card rewards

1. Empty your Venmo balance before you buy (so Venmo uses your backup card).
2. Set a rewards credit card as your backup funding source.
3. Pay at eligible merchants using Venmo at checkout (in-app or via QR on desktop).
4. Earn:
   • Credit card points/cash back from your card, plus
   • Stash cash back from Venmo on the same purchase.

This means if you use the Venmo app to check out and have your credit card set as payment, you will earn your standard credit card points plus the Venmo Stash cash back. It is a perfect double-dip. In practice, you’re earning once from your credit card and once from Venmo Stash on the same purchase.

Note: This stacking trick only works for Venmo app payments. At Amazon, Walmart, and Target, you must use the Venmo Debit Card, which pulls from your Venmo balance or linked bank account (no credit card rewards there).

Sign Up & Bonuses

Depending on how you want to play this, there are two different ways to sign up and get started:

1. New to Venmo? (App-Only)
If you just want to set up an account to use the standard Stash merchants for in-app checkouts, use this link to join:
👉 Tap here to join Venmo

2. Want to unlock Amazon, Walmart & Target? (Debit Card)
If you are routing any serious spend through the big retailers, getting the debit card is a no-brainer to unlock that 5% margin. There are no credit checks since it’s a debit card tied to your balance.
👉 Tap to get the Venmo Debit Card. When you spend $50 in 30 days, you also get $10.

Verdict: Is Venmo Stash Worth It?

For casual users, Stash is an easy way to pick up extra rewards on everyday purchases, especially when you stack it with a good rewards credit card. Power users who can consistently hit the 5% tier and route a couple thousand dollars of spend through bundled brands will get the most value (up to the $100 monthly cap).