Consumer FAQs

1. What is Zelle^®?

Zelle is a fast, safe and easy way to send money directly between almost any bank accounts in the U.S., typically within minutes¹. With just an email address or U.S. mobile phone number, you can send money to people you know and trust, regardless of where they bank². Ask your recipient to enroll with Zelle before you send them money – this will help them get your payment more quickly.

2. Who can I send money to with Zelle?

You can send money to friends, family and people you know². We recommend you ask people to enroll with Zelle before you send them money – this will help them get your payment more quickly.

Since money is sent directly from your bank account to another person’s bank account within minutes¹, 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. Zelle should only be used to send money to friends, family or others you trust.

3. How do I use Zelle?

You can send, request, or receive money with Zelle. To get started, log into First Citizens National Bank mobile app and select “Send Money with Zelle^®”. Enter your email address or U.S. mobile phone number, receive a one-time verification code, enter it, accept terms and conditions, and you’re finished.

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 phone number), add the amount you’d like to send and an optional memo, review, then hit “Send.” In most cases, the money is available to your recipient in minutes¹.

To request money using Zelle, choose “Request,” select the individual(s) from whom you’d like to request money, enter the amount you’d like to request, include an optional note, review and hit “Request”.**

To receive money, just share your enrolled email address or U.S. mobile phone number with a friend and ask them to send you money with Zelle.  

** In order to send payment requests or split payment requests to a U.S. mobile number, the mobile number must already be enrolled with Zelle. 

4. Someone sent me money with Zelle, how do I receive it?

If you have already enrolled with Zelle, you do not need to take any further action. The money will move directly into your bank account, typically within minutes¹.

If 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  First Citizens National 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.

5. What types of payments can I make with Zelle?

Zelle is a great way to send money to family, friends, and people you are familiar with such as your personal trainer, babysitter or neighbor².   

Since money is sent directly from your bank account to another person’s bank account within minutes¹, Zelle should not be used to send money to people you don’t know or trust.

Zelle does not offer a protection program for any authorized payments made with Zelle – for example, if you make a purchase using Zelle but you do not receive the item or the item is not as described or as you expected. First Citizens National Bank does NOT offer any type of protection plan. 

6. Are there any fees to send money using Zelle?

First Citizens National Bank does not charge any fees to use Zelle³.

7. How do I get started?

It’s easy — Zelle is already available within FirstCNB’s mobile banking app! Check our 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.

You can find a full list of participating banks and credit unions live with Zelle here.

If your recipient’s bank isn’t on the list, don’t worry! The list of participating financial institutions is always growing, and your recipient can still use Zelle by downloading the Zelle app for Android and iOS.

To enroll with the Zelle app, your recipient will enter their basic contact information, an email address and U.S. mobile number, and a Visa^® or Mastercard^® debit card with a U.S. based account (does not include U.S. territories). Zelle does not accept debit cards associated with international deposit accounts or any credit cards.

8. How does Zelle work?

When you enroll with Zelle through the FirstCNB app, your name, the name of your bank and the email address or U.S. mobile number you enrolled is shared with Zelle (no sensitive account details are shared – those stay with First Citizens National Bank). When someone sends money to your enrolled email address or U.S. mobile number, Zelle looks up the email address or mobile number in its “directory” and notifies First Citizens National Bank of the incoming payment. First Citizens National Bank then directs the payment into your bank account, all while keeping your sensitive account details private.

9. Can I use Zelle internationally?

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

10. 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 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, we recommend contacting the recipient and requesting the money back. If you aren’t able to get your money back, please call us at 800.321.3176 so we can help you. 

11. How long does it take to receive money with Zelle?

Money sent with Zelle is typically available to an enrolled person within minutes¹. Ask your friends and family to enroll with Zelle before you send them money – this will help them get your payment more quickly.

If you send money to someone who isn’t enrolled with Zelle, they will receive a notification prompting them to enroll. After enrollment, the money will move directly into your recipient’s account. Once their first payment completes, your recipient will be able to receive future payments faster, typically within minutes¹.

If your payment has been pending and has not sent, we recommend confirming that the person you sent money to has enrolled with Zelle and that you entered the correct email address or U.S. mobile phone number. If you’re waiting to receive money, you should check to see if you’ve received a payment notification via email or text message. If you haven’t received a payment notification, we recommend following up with the sender to confirm they entered the correct email address or U.S. mobile phone number.

Still having trouble? Please give the First Citizens National Bank customer support team a call toll-free at 800.321.3176 or get in touch through our support page.

12. Will the person I send money to be notified?

Yes! They will receive a notification via email or text message.

13. Is my information secure?

Keeping your money and information safe is a top priority for First Citizens National Bank. When you use Zelle within our mobile app, your information is protected with the same technology we use to keep your bank account safe.

14. 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 on-line bidding or sales site), you should not use Zelle for these types of transactions.

These transactions are potentially high risk (just like sending cash to a person you don’t know is high risk). Zelle does not offer a protection program for any authorized payments made with Zelle – for example, if you make a purchase using Zelle but you do not receive the item or the item is not as described or as you expected. First Citizens National Bank does NOT offer any type of protection plan.

15. What if I get an error message when I try to enroll an email address or U.S. mobile number?

Your email address or U.S. mobile phone number may already be enrolled with Zelle at another bank or credit union. Call our customer support team and ask them to move your email address or U.S. mobile phone number to First Citizens National Bank so you can use it for Zelle.

Once customer support moves your email address or U.S. mobile phone number, it will be connected to your First Citizens National Bank account so you can start sending and receiving money with Zelle. Please call First Citizens National Bank customer support toll-free at 800.321.3176 for help.