Zelle has also put a special partnership with Mastercard and Visa into play with its app. If you have one of these two branded debit cards in connection with a US bank account, you can send money through the Zelle mobile app, regardless of whether the recipient's bank participates in Zelle. You can also continue to use the Venmo competitor through your bank's mobile app, using a phone number or email address to send money. The standalone app just provides more options for Zelle's network.