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SoFi Zelle access requires direct deposit

💸 moneyproduct problemSingle report ●●●●● severity 3/5

A SoFi user reports they cannot access Zelle because the bank requires a direct deposit setup to enable the feature, but the user's employer pays them exclusively via Zelle, creating a circular dependency.

Who's affected: A SoFi banking app user who receives income via Zelle rather than traditional direct deposit.

⚠️ Single report. This is one person's account. We mark it so until more voices confirm it.

What people do today

🔧 Fix this

Ideas a builder, maker or community group could start on:

  1. A verification tool that allows users to prove recurring income via Zelle history to bypass the direct deposit requirement.
  2. A banking aggregator service that helps users switch their primary deposit method to a bank that supports their specific income stream.
  3. A policy advocacy campaign to standardize banking feature access regardless of specific deposit methods.
I want to build this

Real voices

“They block Zelle access until you set up direct deposit. Since my company pays me directly via Zelle, I can't even activate it.”

Source: App Store review: sofi

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