Apple plans to add person-to-person payments through Apple Pay when iOS 11 launches later this year, which looks to be a great way to pay the rent, split a restaurant bill, or remind your friend that they owe you money. But Apple Pay will be limited to interacting only with other iOS users, and it may be some time before the service rolls out around the world. So what other choices are there?
Circle Pay has been around for a while and is one of the most well-known cash transfer apps. Last week the app launched Faster Payments, which means that cash is sent and received almost instantaneously, with no time wasted waiting for funds to clear.
On top of that, last month Circle Pay added Cross-border Payments for the UK, US and Europe with no fees or markup. That means you can transfer money to someone halfway across the world at the same exchange rate you’d see if you Googled it.
Right now you can get extra credit for sharing the app
The app is completely free to use, and super quick to set up – just let your device camera scan your debit card. Payments are secure and you can even send money to people who don’t have the app, so long as they’re in your contacts.
Everything is conducted through a chat interface (complete with GIF support) which puts casual human communication front and center of all transactions.
There are some decent alternatives out there depending on your exact situation, but many of them are US-only solutions or include fees and foreign currency markup. With these latest improvements Circle Pay is increasingly looking like the service to beat when it comes to money transfers.
Related reading: how to set up and use Apple Pay