Frequently Asked Questions

What is Zelle®?

You must have a bank account in the U.S. to use Zelle. You'll also need a valid email address or U.S. mobile phone number.

Can I use Zelle internationally?

In order to send, receive or request funds, the sender and recipient accounts must be based in the U.S.

Who can I send money to?

Zelle is a great way to send money to family, friends, and people you know, like your neighbor, your roommate, or your babysitter¹. It's important to remember that money is sent directly from your New York Community Bank account to another person's bank account typically within minutes², so Zelle shouldn't be used to send money to people you don't know or trust.

Neither New York Community Bank, nor Zelle, offers a protection program for any authorized payments made with Zelle – for example, if you don't receive the item you paid for or the item is not as described or as you expected.

Is there a fee?

New York Community Bank doesn't charge a fee to send or receive money via Zelle, however, there may be scenarios where using Zelle may incur charges.

If you send a transaction for which you have insufficient funds to cover the transaction, non-sufficient funds (NSF) fees may apply.

While you may cancel a scheduled Zelle transaction at any time before it processes, New York Community Bank will charge you a fee to cancel a pending payment sent to a recipient that has not yet enrolled.

Mobile carrier fees may apply.

Is it secure?

Yes. When you use Zelle within NYCB Online or NYCB Mobile, your information is protected with the same technology we use to keep your accounts safe.

How do I get started?

It's easy. Zelle is already available within NYCB Online and NYCB Mobile. Just sign in online or the app and follow a few simple steps to enroll with Zelle today. We recommend you enroll before someone sends you money - this will help you get your first payment faster.

Follow the steps below to enroll with Zelle from NYCB Online:

1. Login to NYCB Online
2. Click Send Money with Zelle® from the tabs at the top of the screen.
3. On the Welcome to Zelle screen, click Get Started.
4. Read the Terms and Conditions. To accept the Terms and Conditions, click Accept and Continue.
5. You'll be presented an option to either (1) select an email or U.S. mobile number from a list (and click Continue) or (2) enroll a specific email or U.S. mobile number.
6. If you select to enroll a U.S. mobile number, read the Notice Regarding Receiving Text Messages. Click Continue.
7. Enter the verification code sent to you and press Verify.
8. On the Choose Primary Account page, click the account you would like to use as Primary and click Continue.
9. Enrollment is complete! From the Congratulations screen, you can Send Money, View Activity or add another email or U.S. mobile number.

Follow the steps below to enroll with Zelle from the NYCB Mobile app:

1. Tap the NYCB Mobile app to open it on your mobile device home page.
2. When the login screen opens, enter your User ID and password and tap Log In.
3. Tap Transfer & Pay and then Send Money with Zelle®. The Welcome screen will open.
4. Tap the links to read the Terms and Conditions and the Notice Regarding Receiving Text Messages.
5. Tap the checkbox to select I agree to the Terms and Conditions and Receiving Text Messages.
6. Tap Get Started.
7. On the Choose Primary Account screen, tap and select the account you want to send payments
   from. This is also the account where you'll receive payments.
8. Next you'll see the Review Information screen with your contact information and the NYCB account, that's linked to Zelle. You can't edit your email or U.S. mobile phone number here (you can do that in Online Banking Settings). If you have more than one eligible account to use with Zelle, you can tap the drop-down menu next to Primary Account and select a different account. If you have only one account available, you will only see one.
9. Tap All Done.
10. Zelle will open and you can begin using it to send and receive money.

How does Zelle work?

Whether you enroll through NYCB Online or NYCB Mobile, we establish a connection between your email address or U.S. mobile phone number and your preferred checking.

Your name, financial institution name, and email address or U.S. mobile phone number you enrolled with is shared with Zelle (no sensitive account details are shared - those stay with NYCB).

When someone sends money to your enrolled email address or U.S mobile number, Zelle looks up the email address or U.S. mobile phone number in its "directory" and notifies NYCB of the incoming payment. NYCB then directs the payment into your account, all while keeping your sensitive account details private.

How do I send money?

NYCB Online: Login to NYCB Online and choose “Send Money with Zelle®" from the upper navigation bar.
NYCB Mobile: Login to NYCB Mobile and choose “Transfer & Pay" and select “Make and manage payments". Choose “Send Money with Zelle®".

How do I receive money?

If you are already enrolled with Zelle, no further action is needed. If someone sends you money, the money will move directly into your account, typically within minutes².

If you have not enrolled with Zelle, and someone sends you money, this is what you need to do:

1. Click on the link provided in the payment notification you received via email or text message.
2. Select “New York Community Bank".
3. Follow the instructions provided on the page to enroll. You should enroll with Zelle using the email address or U.S. mobile number on which you received the notification to ensure you receive your money.
4. In most cases, the money will be available in minutes².

Can I cancel a payment?

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 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, we recommend contacting the recipient and requesting the money back.

How do I help ensure I stay safe while using Zelle?

Only Send Money to Those You Trust! With Zelle, you can send money from your account to someone else’s within minutes¹. It’s a great way to pay friends, family, your coworkers and almost anyone else you trust, but it shouldn’t be used to pay strangers.

Beware of Payment Scams! If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Zelle doesn’t offer a protection program for authorized payments, so only use Zelle to pay people you know and trust.

Treat Zelle Like Cash! Money moves fast - directly into the enrolled recipient’s bank account. Always double check you have the recipient’s correct U.S. mobile number or email address, so the money goes to the right person.

I'm unsure about using Zelle to pay someone I don't know. What should I do?

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 New York Community 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.