Cash App Payments Is Frequently Down, So Here's What to Do if It Is

Square’s Cash App is no stranger to performance issues. So far in 2019, the peer-to-peer payment app has suffered two major outages over the span of three days that caused thousands of users to report issues online. The app’s sluggish performance can often times feel like you’re money is in limbo, but there are a handful of simple ways make sure you know exactly where your money went.

Interruptions in service are annoying when you’re trying to pay rent, but are a common occurrence for software used by 7 million users every month, if one looks at the last time that data was made public, in 2017. Square, which is headed by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, also began allowing bitcoin transfers on Cash App in late 2017, which could also contribute to these interruptions in service.

If you’re one of the millions of Cash App users wondering where on the internet their money, try out one of these three options to secure your funds.

Find Your Money

Before canceling or updating the transaction, it’s important to identify the point at which the transaction froze. Assuming the entire app isn’t malfunctioning, check your Cash App balance in the top of the screen. If the dollar amount doesn’t reflect the expected balance, check your linked bank account to see whether the transaction is pending.

Cancel the Payment

If your purchase appears in your bank account but has not yet been confirmed by the Cash App, canceling the payment could be an option since the payment has not yet been accepted by the recipient. If you cancel a payment within 24 hours of sending, the funds will be voided. Square won’t let you cancel the payment when the payment is completed instantly, but since that clearly isn’t happening sometimes, this is one option.

Cancel by opening Cash App and tapping the clock icon in the top right corner. Select the account you sent the payment to and select the “cancel payment” at the bottom of the screen. If you don’t see the option to cancel the payment, this means it has been completed and can no longer be canceled.

Dispute the Charge

As long as the Cash App is linked to your bank account, you have the right to dispute any unauthorized charges made to your payment card. Square is unable to provide refunds on behalf of Square merchants, so your best bet is to contact your card-issuing bank or credit institution.

And if these problems persist, there are always Square’s competitors, including Venmo, PayPal, and a crop of other new money-transfer apps that are vying for your convenience.

This story has been updated since its original publication on May 4, 2018.