Which of the Following Accounts Cannot Be Linked to Most P2P Apps or Services?

The answer

The account that cannot be linked to most P2P (peer-to-peer) payment apps is a Certificate of Deposit (CD). P2P services such as Venmo, Cash App, PayPal, and Zelle are built to move money quickly and frequently, so they connect to accounts designed for spending: checking accounts, debit cards, and sometimes credit cards. A CD is the opposite kind of account -- money is deposited for a fixed term and is meant to stay put -- so it has no mechanism for the instant, on-demand transfers a P2P app needs.

Why a CD does not work with P2P apps

A CD is a time-based savings product. You agree to leave a lump sum untouched for a set period (say six months or five years) in exchange for a higher, guaranteed interest rate. Pulling money out early triggers an early-withdrawal penalty. Because the whole point of a CD is that the funds are locked, it lacks the routing/account access and the free movement of money that a P2P transfer requires. There is simply no supported way to send a friend $20 from your CD.

More broadly, savings-oriented accounts run into two problems with P2P apps:

• Purpose mismatch. They exist to hold money and earn interest, not to spend it.
• Transaction limits. Federal rules and bank policies have historically capped the number of withdrawals or transfers from savings-type accounts, which clashes with the frequent, small transfers P2P apps are made for.

Why the other options are wrong

On these questions the distractors are usually a mix of account types. Here is how they compare:

• Checking account -- CAN link. This is the primary account type P2P apps use, since checking accounts are designed for unlimited everyday transactions.
• Debit card -- CAN link. A debit card is tied directly to your checking account and is one of the most common ways to fund a P2P app, often enabling instant transfers.
• Credit card -- CAN often link. Many P2P apps let you pay with a credit card, though they typically charge a processing fee (around 3%) because it is treated as a cash advance or purchase.
• Money-market or savings account -- sometimes limited. Some can be linked, but transaction caps make them unreliable for frequent use.
• Certificate of Deposit (CD) / investment account -- CANNOT link. These are locked or investment-purpose accounts with no support for on-demand transfers, which is why the CD is the correct "cannot" answer.

The bigger picture

The rule of thumb for the exam: if an account is built for spending (checking, debit, credit), a P2P app can usually link to it. If an account is built for saving or investing and locks up your money or limits withdrawals (CD, and often money-market or brokerage accounts), it cannot be linked. Matching the account's purpose to the app's purpose is the reasoning that gets you to the right answer every time, even when the option list changes.