It is the middle of summer and that means that a lot of money is again being spent on the terraces in our country. Great to enjoy a drink with friends, but it is of course not so nice if you always have to pay the bill. Time to put an end to that. We give 8 tips for payment apps.
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Of course you can also have everyone pay for themselves on a terrace. But in practice usually one person pays, that is easier. And that's where things often go wrong... asking for money isn't nice, especially if you have to remind someone several times that he still owes you something. Plus, you have to keep track of all of that. Fortunately, there are many apps and ways that can help you these days. We highlight a few for you.
01 We all pay
The We all pay app, which is only available for iPhone, is not affiliated with any bank or financial institution. This is primarily a handy – and free – solution to quickly identify who has to pay what amount to whom. The app works simply. As soon as you start the app, you can add an account. Since this app is not connected to a financial institution, this does not mean an account number, but an account moment/receipt. In our example, we'll add a three-person lunch. Indicate who was present, i.e. who all have to pay. Don't forget to add yourself here too. In the tab Payments then press . at the top New payment. There you indicate who paid and what it was about, for example if one person paid for the parking costs and the other for food and drinks. Specify the total amount paid and choose who should contribute at the bottom. So you can disable someone who does not have to pay, handy if you did this as a gift for someone. Finally, press Solution, after which an overview is shown of exactly who has to pay what to whom. Press Send email to send a message to the persons concerned to let them know how much they have to pay. Unfortunately, the functionality of the app ends here, you can't keep track of who has made a payment.
02 Tikkie
Tikkie is also an app that allows you to share an account, but with the option to pay via iDeal. The app can do this because it is made by a bank (ABN Amro), for which such functionality is of course easy to implement. When you have downloaded Tikkie (for iOS or Android) and started it, you have to enter your name, telephone number and bank account number (the latter is of course because the app wants to know where the money should be deposited). You can then indicate that you want to receive a notification (push message) when someone has paid a bill. To start a payment request, press the plus sign at the bottom right. It is striking that with this app you have to do the math yourself. Suppose the bill was 60 euros and you divide it evenly between the three of you, then enter 20 euros and press Next one. You can now enter a description of the event to be paid for (up to 35 characters) and then press . at the bottom Share via WhatsApp. By pressing the dots next to it, you can also share via other channels, such as Facebook Messenger, SMS and so on. A message will then be sent containing the amount, description and a payment link. When the recipient presses this, he/she can pay directly via iDeal. The disadvantage of this app is that you have to send a request for each person separately.
Revenue model
It is of course fantastic that you can share bills so easily, but the sun rises for nothing. Where do these types of apps actually make their money? The answer to that is difficult to give, because it differs per provider. Initially it was claimed that banks held the money for several days to profit from the interest, but we have not been able to find any evidence for this. Banks are therefore not revealing much about this, with the exception of ABN Amro, which indicates that it does not earn anything from the app – in fact, lose money on it. However, the use of the app does provide the bank with useful insights into the payment behavior of consumers, so it is of course beneficial to the bank indirectly. In addition, there is now a test in which companies can use Tikkie (ABN) to offer customers extras (for example, extra legroom just before a flight). The lack of a revenue model is noticeable in the fact that a number of parties, including Rabobank and ING, have already thrown in the towel after a year.
03 Florin
This app was not made by a bank, but by a number of young entrepreneurs who want to form a front against banks. They cannot do without the banks completely, because they need iDeal for the operation of this app, but it is of course interesting that there is also an app that is not owned by one of the major banks. When you have downloaded the app (Android or iOS) and created an account with all associated data, you can start immediately by pressing Ask for a refund. Then add the contacts to whom you want to send the request (Florin works via your phone number), choose an icon and enter a description. Enter the amount in which you want to request a refund, add a photo (of the event or of a pleading puppy-eyed look) if necessary and press Send. The amount is now automatically divided between the people, whereby you can easily change the distribution key. Press . again Send and the request is sent by SMS, or you choose another app such as WhatsApp. The recipient will now receive a message with a payment link and can pay immediately.
04 Bunq
The nickname of Bunq is Bank of the Free. This has to do with the fact that the financial institution behind the app has nothing to do with all major banks and is therefore more independent. Unlike the other apps, Bunq is not just a payment request service, but an actual bank account where you can deposit and withdraw money. It is therefore best to ask you something when you create an account. You can only send your payment requests to people who also have Bunq. In principle, sending a payment request is very simple: you press . at the bottom Request and choose a contact person and indicate how much you get from this person and why. The customer will then receive the payment request in his/her Bunq app. You can only pay with a balance on your Bunq account, so not with iDeal. If both parties have a Bunq account with a certain amount on it, this is a quite handy and quick method. Another nice option is that you can also pay by scanning your fingers with your camera. If one of the two does not have a Bunq, this will not work. If you like Bunq very much and if you want to convert your Bunq account into a 'real' bank account, you can, but then you have to provide extra information such as proof of identity.
