Most person-to-person payments are free with these apps, unless you use a credit card rather than a bank account or debit card. Several of the apps, like Venmo, require a fee to dump money from your app account into your bank account (see next section). Zelle and Google Pay are the exceptions here, delivering funds directly to the recipient's bank account. When you receive money, most apps store your money in a holding place, a sort of limited bank account. With Apple Pay, you can only pay contacts who have iPhones, though, whereas Venmo and the rest are cross-platform services. Apple Pay Cash, Circle Pay, Facebook Payments, Google Pay, PayPal, Cash App, and Zelle all let you settle up with other people. There are plenty of other choices for paying your friends directly, however. Probably the most buzzworthy mobile payment option is peer-to-peer payments, as exemplified by Venmo. Facebook Messenger lets you pay contacts in chat conversations. Zelle is often integrated into your bank's app. With Apple Pay, in-store payments are built into the Wallet app, and person-to-person payments happen inside the Messages app.

Some of these services don't even require you to install a separate app. We handle our smartphones all day, so it only makes sense to use them to make payments, too (or lend a buddy cash or buy yourself lunch). Digital transactions have become commonplace, so you no longer need to comb through your pockets to draw and hand over germ-saturated bills and credit cards. Fortunately, we have the ever-expanding field of digital payment solutions to thank for these hands-off alternatives. Read our editorial mission (Opens in a new window) & see how we test (Opens in a new window).Ĭashless and contactless interactions have seen a dramatic upswing in this virus-riddled, health conscious future we’ve created for ourselves. Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. How to Set Up Two-Factor Authentication.How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac.How to Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 Files.How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill.How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad.How to Block Robotexts and Spam Messages.

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