Attention Gen Z: Here Are 9 Ways To Send Money Without Venmo

mihailomilovanovic / iStock.com
mihailomilovanovic / iStock.com

Payment apps make it easy to make purchases, send money to friends and family, pay rent or split expenses like restaurant bills and tips with a group. And because these apps make sending money so seamless, members of Gen Z seem to prefer digital payments to more traditional methods. A recent survey conducted by Billtrust found that digital payments are in fact the new norm for Gen Z — 79% of Gen Zers reported using a person-to-person payment platform at least once per month, which is more than millennials (75%) and Gen Xers (69%).

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Many of those Gen Zers are using Venmo — but although it may be one of the most popular P2P payment platforms, it isn’t the safest. Fortunately, there are more ways to send money now than ever before, so you don’t have to rely on Venmo.

Here’s a look at nine of the best payment apps of 2021.

9 Best Payment Apps: A Detailed Look

Each of the following payment apps has excellent user experiences and features that help you send money and make payments online. Here’s a comparison of their compatibility, pay limits and fees so you can decide which one’s best for you.

How To Send Money

1. Apple Pay

Apple Pay is Apple’s payment app, available for iOS users. The service also powers Apple Cash, which allows you to send and receive payments via Messages. Apple Pay is COVID-19 safe.

Compatibility

Pay Limits

Fees

Apple Pay is compatible with iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac devices.

You can send or receive up to $10,000 per transaction during a seven-day period.

Apple doesn’t charge any fees when you use Apple Pay. However, there’s a 1% fee for Instant Transfer withdrawals, up to $10.

2. Cash App

Cash App, powered by Square, allows you to send and receive money via $cashtag, phone number or QR code.

Compatibility

Pay Limits

Fees

You can download Cash App for iOS from App Store or Android from Google Play.

You can send or receive up to $1,000 during any 30-day period. However, limit increases are possible for verified accounts.

Cash App doesn’t charge any fees for most payments and transactions, except ATM withdrawals. In addition, Instant Deposits are also subject to a 1.5% fee in exchange for instant delivery.

Learn more about how to use Cash App by Square.

3. Facebook Pay

Facebook Pay is Facebook‘s payment app offering. You can even send or receive money from friends and family directly within Facebook Messenger and pay no fees.

Compatibility

Pay Limits

Fees

You can use Facebook Pay on Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and Portal.

Facebook has not published any maximum transfer limits at this time.

Facebook doesn’t charge any fees to transfer money to friends and family.

Learn about other ways to send or receive money on social media.

4. Google Pay

Google Pay is Google’s digital wallet and payment system. You can send money to individuals or even groups to split expenses.

Compatibility

Pay Limits

Fees

You can use Google Pay on both Android and iOS.

Verified accounts can send up to $5,000 during a seven-day period, while unverified accounts can only send up to $500.

Google doesn’t charge any fees to send or receive money with Google Pay. However, there’s a fee of 1.5% if you transfer out to a debit card.

Learn more about Google Pay.

5. PayPal

PayPal’s app lets you send or receive money directly from friends and family. If you’re pooling money for a gift or splitting tips, PayPal also has a Money Pool that works with groups.

Compatibility

Pay Limits

Fees

You can download PayPal for Android or iOS.

If your account is verified, you can send up to $60,000. There are other limits for instant transfers to debit cards.

There are no fees for sending money from your PayPal balance or bank accounts. However, there’s a 2.90% fee plus a fixed fee for sending money via credit card.

6. Samsung Pay

Samsung Pay is the digital wallet and payment system offered by Samsung.

Compatibility

Pay Limits

Fees

Samsung Pay is available exclusively for Samsung users. The app is available for Android.

Samsung Pay is currently available for paying businesses, not for sending money to friends and family. Only gift cards can be sent to non-Samsung users.

There are no fees to send money since the app doesn’t support the feature.

Learn more about Samsung Pay and other contactless payments.

7. Western Union

Western Union lets you send money to friends and family in more than 200 countries worldwide.

Compatibility

Pay Limits

Fees

The app is available for Android and iOS.

The maximum send amount is $500 per day per card account.

Fees depend on the transaction type, amount, currency, country of origin and recipient country.

8. Xoom

Xoom is a user-friendly payment app offered by PayPal that lets you send money to friends and family, whether in the U.S. or abroad.

Compatibility

Pay Limits

Fees

Xoom is available for both Android and iOS.

It depends on what country you are sending money from, what country you are sending money to and your account level. You can increase your limits by providing more account verification. Initial limits are $2,999 every 24 hours.

There may be fees depending on the transaction type, payment method, currency, country of origin and recipient country.

9. Zelle

Zelle is a U.S.-based payments service integrated with hundreds of bank and credit union mobile apps around the country.

Compatibility

Pay Limits

Fees

Zelle works with hundreds of banks and credit unions around the country.

Pay limits depend on your bank. If your bank doesn’t support Zelle, you can send up to $500 per week.

Zelle doesn’t charge any fees to send or receive money.

Pros and Cons of the 10 Best Payment Apps in 2021

The aforementioned nine apps — plus Venmo — have advantages and disadvantages. Here’s an overview of the best ways to send money, including the pros and cons of each.

Payment App

Pros

Cons

Apple Pay

Apple Pay is accepted by more than 85% of retailers in the U.S., going beyond sending payments to friends and family.

Only available on iOS, so you can’t use it with friends or family on Android.

Cash App

You can access banking services via Cash App, including paychecks, tax returns and early access to direct deposits.

Cash App has low initial pay limits before verifying your account.

Facebook Pay

You can use the service on Facebook’s existing services, so you don’t need to download any additional apps.

Only works on Facebook services.

Google Pay

You can earn rewards when using Google Pay to activate special offers from businesses.

Initially, there are low pay limits before verifying your account.

PayPal

You can set up a special PayPal.me link to share with friends for them to pay you. The app offers very high pay limits for verified accounts.

There are high fees for sending money from credit cards.

Samsung Pay

The service lets you use debit cards, credit cards, membership cards and gift cards from a single app. You can even get employee pricing with discounts of up to 30% on Samsung.com.

Currently, Samsung Pay only supports making purchases from businesses, not sending money to friends and family.

Venmo

Venmo offers high weekly pay limits.

You must be physically located in the U.S. to use Venmo.

Western Union

You can send cash digitally directly to the recipient or send it to an agent for cash pickup.

You can even track your transfer and get notified when it is delivered.

The app has low pay limits for sending money online.

Xoom

The service offers a money-back guarantee to give you peace of mind that only your designated recipient will receive your money.

The international fee structure can be unclear and confusing.

Zelle

You don’t need to download a separate app or create a new account to use Zelle. Instead, just log into your supported banking app, pick who you want to pay and send the money.

Each bank sets its own pay limits with Zelle.

Next, consider some of these questions you might ask before choosing your payment app.

Key Questions To Ask Yourself

The payment apps listed here have many of the same features. Which one’s best for you comes down to how you want to use it. Here are some questions to ask yourself as you evaluate the options:

Once you’ve answered these questions, the right payment app for you will probably become apparent.

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Gabrielle Olya contributed to the reporting for this article.

Last updated: Aug. 16, 2021

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Attention Gen Z: Here Are 9 Ways To Send Money Without Venmo