Best Mobile Payment Service Apps

These days, paying for stuff with your phone or smartwatch is a total breeze, thanks to all the awesome mobile payment apps out there. Gone are the days of fumbling for your wallet - now you can just tap your device and boom, the payment is done. It's super convenient, especially with the improved payment terminal tech and the fact that more and more credit cards support that contactless "tap and go" thing.

The pandemic really pushed this whole mobile payments trend into overdrive too. I mean, who wants to be touching a bunch of buttons and handing over cash these days? Using your smartphone or watch for all your banking and purchases is more appealing than ever.

To see how these mobile payment apps stack up, my team recently tested out a bunch of the top ones - Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Venmo, and Cash App. We looked at how easy they were to set up, what features they have, how secure they are, any fees involved, and the customer support. Turns out, the clear winners were Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Google Pay

With Google Pay, the availability can vary depending on what kind of transaction you're trying to do. But the cool thing is, it works across both Android and iOS devices, and you can even use it right in your web browser. And the best part? There aren't any pesky fees. The only catch is that if you want to do an instant transfer, it has to be from a debit card.

Another neat thing about Google Pay is that since it uses browser cookies, you don't actually need your phone to complete online payments. But you do have to link it to your Google account, so you'll need to exchange emails to get it all set up. And just a heads up, it won't work with work or business accounts - you'll need a personal Google account.

Apple Pay

The good news is Apple Pay works in tons of countries around the world. And the interface is super sleek and user-friendly, which is why it's such a standout option. The downside is it's only compatible with Apple devices - no Android support here.

If you want to use Apple Pay, you'll need to set up either Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode on your iPhone. And on your Apple Watch, you've gotta have a passcode too. Oh, and you've gotta be at least 13 years old to use it.

One neat feature is the peer-to-peer payments, but those are only available in the US. To send money to someone, you'll need their phone number or email so you can send it through the Messages app. The upside is you get 2% cash back on all your transactions!

If you've got an Apple Watch, you'll need to connect your cards and bank accounts directly to the watch to use it for payments. And the latest iOS 16 update is gonna let you use Apple Pay through other browsers besides just Safari on your iPhone.

Cash App

You'll see Cash App getting compared to other big mobile payment apps like Venmo and PayPal a lot. But one thing that sets Cash App apart is that you can actually send stocks and Bitcoin to your friends through the app. And they have this really cool feature where you can do international money transfers to the UK for free.

Now, you might want to pair Cash App with another payment app like Apple Pay or Google Pay if you're using it for in-store purchases. That way you can just add your Cash App debit card to those other apps and use them to pay at the register.

Cash App is kind of its own thing with some unique features, but it can also work really well when you combine it with other popular mobile payment services. It's a pretty versatile option!