When it came to sending and receiving money in the past, we were limited to physical cash, or cheques. That isn’t the case anymore. In fact, there are so many options available these days that it can be incredibly overwhelming to choose which service is the right service for you and your financial needs. Your options range from digital banking apps to online services, with each one having its own pros and cons. These range from the speed at which it takes for a transfer to appear in another account, to costs like service fees. Here are 6 of the best financial services to use to send and receive money effortlessly.
1. PayPal
PayPal is known as one of the most reliable digital financial services available. According to the Mover Focus website, PayPal is a popular choice among people who want to make international transfers with ease. Once you create an account your transfers can be purely based on PayPal funds, or you can link an already existing bank account. There is a transaction limit of between $10,000 to $60,000 per single transaction which is dictated by the type of currency being transferred. Transfers usually reflect immediately, but certain transfers can take up to 6 days. One of the best features is that you only need the receiver’s email address or contact number to send funds to their PayPal account. This takes out the complicated work of having to type banking details into an app correctly and being at risk of phishing. Keep in mind that not all transfers are free. You could be expected to pay between 2.9% to 5% as a transfer fee. You can access PayPal online, or with the use of an App. It is available on both Android and iOS.
2. Venmo
Venmo is another very popular option. It is a digital wallet and is available across a large array of devices that run on Android and iOS. It makes instant payments a breeze and there are mostly zero fees. When you use a credit card you are charged 3%, but other payment methods are completely free. Transaction limits are quite a lot tighter than PayPal. You are limited to $4,999.99 a week for transactions that are person-to-person, but as a plus, any transaction is instant. Your Venmo account isn’t tied to a specific bank. You and the person you intend to send cash to simply need a Venmo account and then you’re good to go. To set that up all you need is an email address and a phone number. Once you’ve activated your account, Venmo allows you to sync all of your contacts to the app for ease of transfer.
3. Apple Pay
Another incredibly popular app is Apple Pay. Apple Pay allows you to transact a maximum of $10,000 a week. Your bank’s transfer limits still apply though, so keep that in mind. Payment is instant and can be made with your phone, or any compatible Apple device. It comes preinstalled on all new Apple devices and as it is an Apple service, you won’t be able to get it on Android. All you do is link your bank card to the app and you are good to go. You can pay with your fingerprint, your pin, or facial ID.
4. Google Pay
This app is incredibly similar to Apple Pay. Formally Android Pay and Google Wallet, Google Pay is a combination of both. You are limited to $10,000 per single transaction and it is also the maximum transfer limit over a period of 7 days. If you make use of the Google Pay Balance feature, your payments are instant. This is the same for payments made from debit cards that you have linked. If you are paying directly from a bank account it can take between 5 and 10 days. This is a popular choice for many people, as they are already comfortable with Google and trust its services. You can easily set up a Google Pay account with your existing Google.
5. Zelle
Zelle payments are instant and completely free, but the transaction limit is pretty low. This is great for people who do not intend to transfer large sums of money instantly on a weekly basis. It works by sending and receiving money via bank transfers, which means that you must have access to Zelle through your bank, or credit union of choice.
As you can see, there are a plethora of apps out there to choose from. You should choose an app based on your needs, as well as banking preferences and the type of device you use. By using these criteria, you will be able to narrow down your options.