With the spread of smartphones and the opening of payment services to non-bank organizations, payment applications are increasingly used. Here is a selection.

Reimburse a friend, send a small sum to one of his relatives or even share costs after an outing or a trip … Good accounts make good friends! Several applications facilitate the transfer of small sums of money between individuals . Some have been developed by banking organizations to respond to new habits. Others have been created by French or foreign start-ups, taking advantage of the opening of the sector to non-banking companies. The services they offer differ to better meet the needs of their users.

Lydia

Lydia , the app that aims for simplicity

Launched in 2013 by a French startup, the Lydia payment application focuses on simplicity. When you want to send money to a loved one, just enter their phone number: even if they don’t have a Lydia account, they can request payment of the amount into their bank account. For the person who wishes to make the payment, however, the Lydia account must be coupled with a bank card, which is taken during a payment. The transaction remains secure: you must enter a code for each payment.

Lydia is a free application available on iTunes for iOS and Google Play for Android .

PayPal

With PayPal, an alternative for payments between relatives

PayPal is a payment solution used by professionals … but it also allows you to pay small amounts with friends. Both the paying Internet user and the receiving user must have a PayPal account. When sending a payment, simply choose the option “send money between relatives” to benefit from the free service. But be careful not to use this option for an online purchase, under penalty of not being able to benefit from insurance in the event of a scam.

The payment service between relatives is free, and PayPal is available in desktop and mobile versions (iOS and Android) .

Paylib

a service developed by the banks

Behind Paylib, there is a network of several banks: BNP Paribas, Banque Postale, Société Générale, Crédit Mutuel, Crédit Agricole, Boursorama, as well as Banque Populaire et Caisse d’Epargne and Hello Bank. To register for the service, you must first choose your bank to link the two supports. The application allows you to pay for purchases online or from merchants who accept contactless payment. But it also allows you to send a refund to friends or relatives: it is the mobile phone number that then serves as a “key”. A good solution for sending a secure payment between friends even when you don’t have the same bank.

Paylib is available online, but each bank offers its own application.

Facebook Messenger

Payment can also be made on Facebook Messenger.The

social network has launched online payment since November 2017 . The “Payment” option is accessible from the Messenger application options (+ icon), provided you configure your account by adding a bank card. The desired amount is directly transferred to a friend in a conversation, specifying the reason for the money transfer. Beware of the limits anyway: fraud attempts remain numerous on Facebook, especially with identity theft.

Apple Pay

Payment with your iPhone

Paying with your iPhone is possible at merchants provided you have a compatible phone and a bank card linked to your “Wallet”. But Apple Pay will also soon be able to send money to loved ones, via the Messages application. The operation is also quite similar to that offered by Facebook Messenger: a friend requests a payment, which can then be made via Messages by selecting the “Apple Pay” button and the desired amount. The service is only offered in the United States at the moment, but could then be deployed in France.