Venmo has been around for a little while now—and if you’re not yet familiar, I suggest you give it a look. Venmo lets you make and share payments—securely—with just a few taps of your phone. There are no charges or fees, so any money that you send or receive is transferred in full. And the app is free for iOS and Android.
Say you go out to dinner with friends and you can’t split the bill, so one of your friends puts the total on his or her card. With Venmo, you can clear your debt immediately. You just pull up the app, select your friend (as long as they have Venmo, though many people do), choose the amount and hit send—and you’ve just transferred the amount you owe, in real money, to your friend. It’s easy and safe (here’s a note on security) to link your bank account, but if you prefer, you can simply use the Venmo balance you rack up to pay others.
You can add a note saying what the transfer is for, which is always fun. But most of all, it’s a pretty handy tool both at home and on the road.