digital money – PSafe Blog

A Round-Up Of the 5 Best Online Banking Apps

PSafe Newsroom — Fri, 28 Oct 2016 16:49:07 +0000

When ATMs were first introduced, they presented customers with the idea that many banking functions should be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week without the need to step into a branch and deal with a teller. With the rise of smartphones, that idea has been extended so that many banking functions are now available without the need to ever leave the couch.

Just because customers want banking to be easy and convenient, however, doesn’t mean that they don’t also want their money to be completely safe and secure. And not only do customers want their funds to be safe from thieves, but they also want all of their financial and personal data to be well-guarded, too.

Which banks have successfully launched apps that have that much-desired mix of safety and convenience? Here is a list of the top five online banking apps that walk that fine line:

American Express didn’t start out as a bank, but its banking app allows you to link easily with other banks to make fee-free saving easy.
Capital One consistently wins praise for its “Sureswipe” feature and for the overall reliability of its app, since no one wants to try to deposit a check and get the dreaded “service not available” message.
Chase has been investing heavily in its online banking app in recent years. The result is a feature-rich experience that has functions (like a touch-ID log on) to allay your safety concerns and smart design (like showing images related to your location) for a sense of fun.
PedFed, like many large credit unions, is making a real effort to move its customers to online banking to keep costs low. With its pleasant interface, that effort is likely to succeed.
Simple is a totally online banking platform, so it makes sense that it knows what customers want from an online banking app. Its offering is attractive and intuitive.

One thing you absolutely must consider, no matter which banking app you choose, is how safe and secure your own phone is. Mobile phones are vulnerable to hacking just like other computer devices are. The best way to protect your financial information is to install products, like those available from PSafe, that have been specifically designed to keep your phone and other devices safe and secure from hackers and thieves.

Bitcoin and Other Competing Alternative Currencies

PSafe Newsroom — Thu, 27 Oct 2016 21:47:30 +0000

Bitcoin is probably the best known of all the alternative currencies (also known as altcoins), but it is hardly alone. Bankrate lists twelve alternatives to Bitcoin; the Huffington Post claims there are hundreds.

Developed as a substitute for government-backed currencies or the precious metals like gold and silver that have traditionally been used as money, cyber-currencies promise the anonymity of cash combined with the convenience of online buying and trading. Because altcoins aren’t typically linked to a credit card, bank account, or any other identifying marker (unlike, say, Paypal), altcoins promise to keep purchases private. And because they aren’t linked to a specific country, they should help spur global commerce because there won’t be any of the ordinary friction caused by currency exchanges. But despite the opportunities that these new currencies offer, critics note that it can be a bit hard to find merchants that accept them.

For now most of the action surrounding altcoins is confined to producing and investing in them. While alternative currencies are generally defined as anything that provides an alternative to the dominant national or multinational currency systems, including both barter and private currencies (like, say, trading stamps), cyber-currencies are generally understood to be completely digital and decentralized in in their creation, trading, and control.

Since the barrier to entry in the altcoin world is low, the key is to convince users that your currency has integrity in both its creation (so units maintain their value) and its ledger system (so units can’t easily be stolen). Bitcoin has convinced many investors that it has mastered these two critical elements, and so in the years since it was first developed, Bitcoin has increased in value, relative to other indexes. But there continues to be a sense of overall distrust of Bitcoin and other altcoins among many in the financial world, as well as by many economists and those in positions of power in governments across the globe.

Whether you are choosing Bitcoin and similar alternative currencies to protect your privacy or as an investment in the future, PSafe Total was developed to help you. Its anti-virus feature will quickly and constantly scan your phone to find and fix all security breaches. So go ahead and explore the world of altcoins: with PSafe, all your data and other information is safe and secure!

Popular Apps That Allow Digital Money Transfers

PSafe Newsroom — Fri, 21 Oct 2016 19:01:22 +0000

Some of us like to keep a couple of dollars on our person at all times. Certainly, there are still times when you need a little physical cash on hand in 2016, such as when leaving a tip at a restaurant. Still, you’re more likely to use digital transactions — it’s safer to have your money in your bank than in your pocket, and in the event that you lose your wallet, you don’t lose your hard-earned cash. While sticking with a card is fine if you’re going shopping, what about if you owe friends a little bit of cash for dinner and you have no dollars on your person? What then?

Lucky for you, there are plenty of apps available on smartphones that allow for seamless, easy transactions. Below, we look at the most popular apps you may find convenient.

Venmo
Perhaps the most widely used app on this list, Venmo has established itself as a fantastic way to transfer money to your contacts not only because of its slick and seamless interface and the ability to send and accept cash without transfer fees, but because so many people trust Venmo for their money transfer needs. Unlike the other apps on this list, Venmo is a dedicated money transfer system — the app does nothing outside of money transferring, so you may feel more secure trusting Venmo with your financial data. If you only need a platform to exchange money between friends and family, Venmo is probably what you’re looking for.

PayPal
If you’ve been relying on online commerce for a while and just need to handle money transfers within the United States, there’s PayPal. The long-lived ecommerce platform has proven a solid option for money transfers domestically, as those can be processed free of charges. The app does have a few downsides, however: transferring money from your PayPal account to your bank accounts requires a manual transfer from your PayPal balance, and it isn’t as immediate as Venmo is. Moreover, the service does charge if you use your credit or debit card for money transfers.

Snapchat
Snapchat is one of the world’s most popular social media platforms that also happens to support money transfers, or as they are referred to in-app, Snapcash. Simply add your payment information onto your account, and money transfers can be sent and received as easily as a Snap can. Since Snapcash support is handled by Square instead of the Snapchat team itself, the security issues that plague the social media network aren’t something to worry about if you prefer to send your friend $5 after losing a bet along with your latest Snap Story post.

Google Wallet
Google Wallet is easy and convenient for anyone that has a Gmail account and has friends as contacts on their Gmail account. Simply click on the dollar icon if you need to manage money between you and your friend when composing a message to them, and you’re free to send money either from your Google Wallet or from any connected debit cards. If you already use Google Play on your Android smartphone, this may be the option that requires the least amount of work to setup and use.