Easy Money Exchanges With Friends And Family

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Square, Inc. The opinions and text are all mine.

Last week we all got together for a family dinner to celebrate my brother-in-law’s birthday. Dinner was great and the kids had so much fun hanging out with their cousins. As we finished eating, the bill was delivered and we all did the same song and dance trying to split the bill up. Some of us wanted to pay cash, and others were going to put it on their credit card. Those of us paying with cash also were trying to make change with the rest of the group. It was reminiscent of a comedy sketch from high school, only it really wasn’t that funny. It was more annoying than anything else! We finally figured out that my sister wanted to put it on her credit card for points so my parents gave her a check, and Pete and I gave her cash. I doubt she was looking forward to having to go all the way to the bank to cash or deposit the check, but at least we all got it figured out.

The thing is, all of that could have been avoided if we had used the Square Cash App because it is the easiest way to pay back your friends or family.

To use Square Cash, you just download the app on iOS or Android and then you answer a couple questions like your mobile phone number and your name. After that, you add your debit card and bank account info and you are ready to go. The really cool part is that there is no fee involved when you are using your debit card to send the money to friends and family, and the money can be instantly transferred to your bank account. There is even a new ability to use Apple Pay through the Square Cash app! I tested it out and I was able to send money in just a couple clicks, which is exactly what I need from an app to get a lot of use when I am on the go. I don’t have time for cumbersome apps these days and this one was so easy and crystal clear to use.

I was able to set it up on my phone and get it ready to use in less than a minute. Downloading the app on our slow cell signal took longer than the setup process! People can even send you money without a Square Cash account, but after seeing how easy it makes sending money, they will want one! There is even a referral program that popped up for me once I signed up where I could earn money back when those that I referred signed up. I think that is pretty cool. The app has a log of features that make it really progressive to use to send money, but it is all really easy to use.

I keep thinking about how useful this app is going to make my life easier, and I jotted down some ways I see myself using it.

• For those of us with teens, this is going to be life changing. I can see myself sending Maddie money for her to transfer into her account (which is at a different bank than I do my main banking at). That way I don’t have to drive over there and deposit a check.
• Pooling our money at my daughter’s school for teacher gifts, classroom supplies, and school spirit clothes.
• Splitting the check at meals and for things like gas when I am driving with friends. Although I tend to just pay it all if they are driving, but sometimes they insist on splitting it.
• Sending my parents money when they take the kids out for dinner. They love to pay for these things, but I would rather they use their money on themselves, so I try to send money with the kids to pay for their own food. I forget to put the cash out a good 50% of the time, so this would be a great option to use instead.
• Paying for coffee runs at work or when I am running late for a coffee date with a friend.

I have so many other ideas too and I know that the more I get used to using it, the more I will use it!

I plan to have it downloaded onto all of our phones to use and Pete and I will share one account with Maddie having a separate one. I’m also going to tell my family about it at our next dinner and have us all use it so that when the bill comes, it will take us seconds to get the money all squared up. That will leave us more time for laughs and having fun together. You can download Square Cash from the Apple App Store or Google Play Market and try it out for yourself.

After our experience this weekend we learned that sharing the bill with friends is easy with Square Cash, but sharing your food isn’t! Especially for Pete, he never shares his food! I’m totally not joking. He just isn’t a sharer when it comes to food like I am. That’s okay, though, he’s pretty awesome otherwise.

You can learn more about Square Cash on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

How would Square Cash make your life easier?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Square, Inc. The opinions and text are all mine.