(CNN Business) Online payment services like Venmo and Cash App have exploded in popularity over the past few years, but they haven't quite hit the legitimacy threshold, at least in the eyes of the federal government, of checks or direct deposit.

They're hoping to change that with the government's new stimulus package, and are going on a public campaign to be considered as a way for the Treasury Department to deliver payments directly to Americans.

Amid that effort, the parent companies of the two apps have had talks with Treasury about that possibility, two sources from the electronic payment industry told CNN Business, though it's not clear how seriously Treasury is taking the idea. The Treasury Department did not respond to CNN's request for comment.

Advocates for the electronic payment services argue they offer a quicker way of getting stimulus dollars to Americans than sending checks by mail.

Many of the people who directly receive money from the $2 trillion stimulus package signed into law on Friday will get their payments through direct deposit; Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has indicated the first payments will go to people whose bank information is already on file with the Internal Revenue Service for tax purposes.

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