4 payment apps widely-used in the US

By Edlyn Cardoza

In the 1900s, you would pay $5 to a friend or foe by pulling out a bill from your wallet. But in times like COVID-19, cash may be king for small, in-person payments, but scanning QR codes are a new way that has made payments easy and simple. If you need to send money to family, friends, or your roommate for your share of the rent or splitting a restaurant bill, there are several payment apps that have you covered. 

With multiple payment apps available, it is hard to remember life before mobile apps that allow us to pay with a few taps. Whether it is business transactions or in-person payments, FinTech innovations have paved the way we money around. Below are four payment apps widely-used in the US for contactless payments to friends or shopping online or in stores. 

Cash App: Founded in 2013, it was initially built to take the pain out of peer-to-peer payments. Cash App has gone from a simple product with a single purpose to a dynamic app, bringing a better way to send, spend, invest, and save to our millions of monthly active users. Cash App believes in making the world’s relationship with money more relatable, instantly available, and universally accessible. This is their mission, and it’s why working at Cash App means so much more than a job. 

PayPal: PayPal believes that now is the time to democratize financial services so that moving and managing money is a right for all citizens, not just the affluent. This purpose drives PayPal, and hence, they uphold their cultural values of collaboration, innovation, wellness and inclusion as their guide for making decisions and conducting business every day. Their duty and privilege are to be customer champions and put those they serve at the centre of everything they do. PayPal is headquartered in San Jose, California, and its international headquarters is located in Singapore.

Venmo: Since 2009, Venmo has been the app for fast, safe, social payments between friends. It’s the app where settling up feels like catching up, and money enhances friendships rather than complicating them. Now, you can pay with Venmo almost anywhere. You can put Venmo in your wallet, literally, with the Venmo Mastercard Debit Card. You can connect with brands and businesses just like you do with friends. Their community of users like you has led them to where they are today. 

Zelle: Zelle is a great way to send money to friends and family, even if they bank somewhere different than you do. That means it’s super easy to pitch in or get paid back for all sorts of things like the neighbourhood block party or getting paid back for covering the cost of a vacation rental for a group of friends. Zelle is already in lots of banking apps. 

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