We are officially in the digital age and this involves a whole series of lifestyle adjustments that can be more or less difficult to digest. One of them, which undoubtedly has the greatest impact on our habits, refers to digital payments. In fact, the use of cash is constantly discouraged and there are more and more Application to make online payments from your smartphone.
After an initial period of mistrust, many users like you have approached this world. In this way, it is possible to leave the house with only your smartphone and pay contactlessly in thousands of stores, from large chains to small ones.
Given the confusion that often pervades the topic, the time has come to provide some clarity. Today we will show you the The best applications to pay with your phone.. Are you ready to start this journey?
index- 1. Types of apps to make payments from smartphones
- 2. Application to pay friends and family
- 3. App to pay bills and send bank transfers
- 4. App to pay from a smartphone with NFC
- 5. How to make payments from a smart watch
Types of apps to make payments from smartphones
When talking about payments from smartphones, it is good to point out that there is not a single type of application at your disposal. In fact, the digital market offers you various solutions, depending on your needs. There are applications that allow you to pay by NFC, services that allow you to pay bills and public receipts and finally software to send amounts to family and friends without having to pay commissions.
For this reason it is very important to know all these alternatives and perhaps have more than one on your smartphone. In the following paragraphs we will show you what they are. The best applications to make payments from smartphones. conveniently divided by category. In this way we can satisfy all your curiosities and guide you towards the service that best suits your purposes.
Application to pay friends and family
The first kind of application to make payments that we want to present to you, are the ones that you can use it with friends and family. How are they different from other services? In case you want to send money to your girlfriend or your parents, you will hardly want to pay one. commission on the total amount. In fact, many apps impose a small fee for each transaction and it would be great to be able to avoid it.
Therefore, in this case, some applications for paying friends and family have, like PayPal, a dedicated function. This at the same time prevents him from having guarantees of a possible refund but we are sure that this is a minor option in this case. However, always be very careful not to use the "Friends and Family" feature for online purchases. In fact, in the event of fraud, this would cause you to lose all the protections provided by law. Let's now see the best applications in this sector.
- PayPal: Available for both Android and iOS, it is the most popular smartphone payment app in the world. It can be used to send money to friends and family or to make online purchases.
- Satispay: This relatively recent service has had excellent success in our country. In fact, it allows you to make payments in more than 100.000 merchants without commission costs for the buyer and very low costs for the merchant. With Satispay, available on both the App Store and Google Play, you can also send money to all your contacts who use the application. Read How Satispay works.
- N26: It is a smart banking service that has gained a lot of popularity in the last two years, present on both iOS and Android. The services offered are countless and you will have at your disposal a true online checking account, complete with a connected card. In addition to allowing you to send payments to family and friends, N26 also contains a section dedicated to cryptocurrency, where you can take your first steps in the world of trading. In this sense, we invite you to consult our guide dedicated to the 10 best cryptocurrencies of the moment.
- Revolution: Very similar to N26, this service allows you to have a space to deposit your savings. You can use it both as an online checking account and as a small savings drawer. Obviously also with N26, available on both iPhone and Android, you can send money from your smartphone to friends and family. If you wish, you will also have a card linked directly to your Revolut account.
App to pay bills and send bank transfers
Another category of applications to make payments from a smartphone, very useful in any situation, is the one that allows you to make transfers and solder the newsletters. In this case it is mainly banking services. Therefore, you will be "forced" to use your bank account, since you will need a supporting current account. If, on the other hand, you want to resolve your situation before a public body, there is a service designed specifically for this purpose.
In any case, always remember that nowadays making bank transfers from a smartphone is a real child's play. Do not forget, however, that you must contact your bank branch to activate the service. In fact, you will need a user code and password to log in. So make sure you have everything available before downloading the app you want.
Finally, remember that normally, even if it is small, bank transfers from smartphones They have a cost. This is charged to you at the time of the transaction and is usually specified on the statement. To find out the actual cost of the service that your bank applies, consult the institution's website or call the office closest to you.
- BancoPosta: Poste Spagnane is one of the most widespread in our country and offers a widely used mobile banking service. Through the application, available on both iOS and Android, you can make transfers, make payments and much more.
- Unicredit: Unicredit, the country's first banking company, is present throughout the country and offers an excellent digital service. In addition to smart banking from a PC, you can use your smartphone to make payments using the Android or iOS app.
- Intesa Sanpaolo: Intesa Sanpaolo also offers a whole series of digital services, with just a touch on your smartphone screen. If you download the application on iPhone or Android you can make bank transfers, pay bills and control all your movements.
- BPER Bank: After the acquisition of UBI Banca, BPER consolidates itself as one of the largest Spanish banking companies. Through the app for iOS and Android you can carry out all the operations available with your checking account, including bank transfers and receipts.
- ME: Previously known as PagoPA, the IO app allows you to pay for everything related to public administrations simply with your smartphone. They range from vehicle tax to dining vouchers, without forgetting that it is also used to file the Green Pass. You can download IO on Android or iOS smartphones. To use it you will need to connect a credit or prepaid card. In this link you will find more information about the IO application.
App to pay from smartphone with NFC
Paying directly with your smartphone when making a purchase in a physical store has long been no longer a pipe dream. Major device manufacturers and other brands have developed cashless and fully digital payment systems.
To use the best apps to pay from a smartphone you only need the chip they have built in NFC, Abbreviation of Near Field Communication, which is a two-way wireless data exchange system that works up to a maximum distance of 10 centimeters. Initially seen as an optional system, not always used by users, it has become the default system for contactless payments around the world.
As you will see shortly, the options you have at your disposal to pay with your smartphone are numerous but they always use the same methods. Google Pay or Apple Pay are not a checking account in themselves, but rather a kind of wallet. Here you can enter yours debit cards, t o prepaid cards and then use them with complete autonomy.
Google Pay
Google Pay was first released in 2015 under the name Android Pay. It is an application to pay with your smartphone installed and usable on all Android smartphones. You can easily set up your account by entering your personal details and your preferred payment method. Once in the store you will not have to unlock your smartphone: just bring it close to the receiver and use one of the biometric sensors to make the payment.
In addition to the numerous physical stores, you can also use Google Pay for online payments. This way you will simplify the payment procedure and you will not have to enter your credit card details every time. If it is not present on your Android smartphone, you can download Google Pay directly from Google Pay. Until recently, Google Pay could also be downloaded on iOS devices, but for some time now this option is no longer available in our country.
Apple Pay
Evidently, Apple, a few months before Google, had also developed its own application for digital payments from smartphones. Apple Pay see the light in 2014 and can be used on all the Cupertino company's devices, including iPad and Apple Watch.
Its fields of use are almost unlimited: they range from payments in stores and supermarkets to online purchases through the Safari browser. Apple Pay arrived in Spain in 2017 and over the years it has been adopted by an increasing number of users.
Even with Apple Pay you can use all types of credit, debit and prepaid cards issued by Mastercard, Visa or American Express. Once you have connected the card to your account you can make purchases anywhere without having to carry the card with you.
Another interesting detail about Apple Pay is the Cash feature, which allows you to send money directly through iMessage. This feature, currently available in the United States, will likely come to Europe as well. Apple Pay is already present on your iOS smartphone and you will not need to download it from the App Store.
Samsung Pay
Samsung Pay It is the third participant in this competition between applications that allow payments from smartphones. More widespread in Asia than in the West, it remains an excellent option for all those users who own a Samsung or, in general, Android smartphone. The operation does not differ much from that of the two rivals.
Once you have downloaded the application from Google Play, you will have to configure it by entering your credit, debit or prepaid card information, which will be verified with your banking institution. Once verification is complete, you will be ready to make digital payments in both physical and online stores. Samsung Pay can also be used on board Samsung smart watches, which use the proprietary Tizen operating system.
PayPal
Di PayPal We already told you about it at the beginning of this guide. This is a well-known service, especially for online payments in e-commerce. Actually, PayPal can also be used for payments in stores, although with some limitations. Merchants who accept transactions with the PayPal payment system are fewer than those who accept PayPal.
Additionally, you can only use the application for QR code payments. In this case, in fact, the NFC chip is not used but a connection is established by importing the coordinates of the recipient of the payment. You can download the PayPal app on Android and iOS smartphones.
How to make payments from a smart watch
In addition to your smartphone, you can also make digital payments with smart watches. In fact, all the most modern "smart watches" integrate the NFC chip and, with the appropriate application installed, allow purchases to be made on the wrist. Among the most important brands in this area we can undoubtedly include Apple with Apple Watch, Samsung with Tizen devices and Google with all its Wear OS smartwatches.
If you want to delve deeper into this topic, we recommend that you carefully read our special dedicated to best smart watches Inside you will find all the most interesting models of the moment, in a guide updated periodically and always up to date.
The best applications to make payments from your smartphone
