Finally: Here’s How To Pay Friends with Your Smartphone

Is it just me, or has the future turned out to be a bit of a disappointment? Hoverboards and jetpacks aside, I still can’t beam anybody up, or down, or cook steak in my microwave, or have a sassy robot maid clean my house. But Square Cash is one area in which the future seems to have delivered, and I’ve been telling everyone about it for almost a year now. But, let me back up a bit and talk about the suckiness of non-future-money: paper currency.

Do you know what happens every third time I visit the drive-through ATM to get cash? I lose my card in the machine. Do you know how many armpits, waist bands, and god-knows-what-other sweaty places every dollar bill you touch has been in? Do you know why the world looks slightly askew and your back gets bent out of alignment every time you settle back into the driver’s seat with a cash-stuffed wallet in your back pocket?

Cash, my friends. Stupid cash. And don’t even get me started on checks.

Paying for things is a fact of life. Paying back friends and family members is too. And for those of us who don’t like carrying cash and checks, getting our money into other people’s bank accounts used to be annoyingly hard. But Square Cash is the future of cash, so now it’s easy. 

Your friend Josh paid for pizza but you didn’t bring any of those sweaty simoleons along? No worries. Just open up the Square Cash app and type “$10 to Josh”. Done. 

And you know that friend who always “forgets” to pay you back, forcing you to have to nag and hound him for months about a measly $25, until you actually feel like the scumbag? Now they have no excuse: just ask them to install the Square Cash app, and bam, you can work it out right there … no nagging or awkward follow-ups. 

Square Cash is easy (really: you just have to type in your debit card number and you’re on your way), fast (transactions usually post instantly), and safe (you can lock the app down with a passcode or Apple’s TouchID, and set daily transaction limits). 

We’re not saying never carry cash. In fact, you should carry a little cash; a guy needs some small bills on hand to pay for unexpected things – service tips, street vendors or independent businesses, and emergencies. But don’t waste it on splitting take-out with your buddies or getting your sister back half of your mom’s birthday present. Keep that $20 in your wallet for when you actually need it. Send money to people you know with Square Cash. No bank trips required. 

This post is sponsored by Square, but all opinions are, obviously, mine alone. My opinion is that Square Cash is great. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that make ManMade possible.