Apple and Google's slow expansion of the ability to put digital IDs like driver's licenses has added another state in California. 

Today, California Governor Gavin Newsom's office announced that both Apple and Google will be bringing support for California driver's licenses and state IDs to Apple Wallet and Google Wallet.

“We’re partnering with two iconic California companies - Apple and Google - to provide convenient, private and secure driver’s licenses and ID cards directly on people’s phones. This is a big step in our efforts to better serve all Californians, meeting people where they’re at and with technology people use every day," Newsom said in a press release.

The ability to add IDs to your phone is a part of a mobile Driver's License (mDL) pilot that California launched last year. 

The California release made sure to note that you will need to carry a physical card, most likely for traffic stops. However, they say that it is meant to speed up age verification and getting through checkpoints like those at airports or for various participating businesses.

California's mDL pilot introduced an app built by the California government which allowed Californian residents the ability to upload their IDs to their phones. 

Across the country, there have been different approaches to digital IDs. Arizona was the first to allow driver's license in Apple Wallet in 2022. Currently, you can put your IDs in the Apple Wallet in Arizona, Maryland, Colorado, Georgia, and Ohio.

Both Google and Apple started working on the ability to hold IDs in their Wallet apps in 2022. Apple's version launched with iOS 15, while the Google Wallet launched in beta in December of that year.

“We’re excited to be working with the state of California to bring IDs in Apple Wallet to Apple’s home state soon, and provide residents with an easy, secure, and private way to present their California driver’s license and state ID in person and in app using Apple Wallet,” said Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet said in a statement.

Other states have tried the state-owned app like Florida which recently shuttered their app due to an unexplained issue.

As of this writing, California's press release says that Google Wallet is getting the ability to California IDs. A Google spokesperson tells Tom's Guide that the feature is coming to Google Wallet and the company will announce more in the future.

More from Tom's Guide

• Google Wallet is getting the biggest upgrade in years — meet the 'Everything else' pass
• iOS 18 Wallet: 3 big changes coming to your iPhone
• The EU will force Apple to offer alternatives to Apple Pay on iPhone — what you need to know

As a fitness editor and a dog owner, I spend a lot of time walking and running outside, whatever the weather. Normally I’ll have completed a couple of thousand steps before sitting down at my desk at 9 AM, and more often than not, my day starts with an hour-long hike with an out milk latte in my hand, and my cocker spaniel in tow. So when I wrote an article about how to get paid to walk, I decided to download an app to my phone, just to see how much I could earn on the move.

The app I decided on was WeWard — a walking app with more than 10 million users in Europe that recently got released in the US. The app’s premise is simple: It’s free to download, and encourages people to walk more by allowing them to earn ‘wards’ for the steps they take. These wards can be converted into money, and the goal of the app is to improve health and cut down on carbon emissions. 

But how does the app work, and how do you convert your steps into money? I clicked download, grabbed my best running shoes, and left it tracking in the background to find out more. Read on to find out what happened. 

Looking for more workout inspiration? This dumbbell workout sculpts your abs in just 15-minutes, this Pilates exercise is one of the best for firing up your core, and this is what happens when you do 50 Russian twists a day for a week.

I used this app for two weeks and made money walking the dog 

The WeWard app is free to download on iOS and Android. Once downloaded, you’ll need to give the app permission to track your steps, as this is how you convert them into money. The app uses physical activity data to validate the steps you take, and geolocation data for the “I’m in” section of the app (more on this below), but promises not to sell your data with third parties.

Once downloaded and connected, your steps will appear on the app’s pedometer. You can earn up to 25 wards per day by walking, but you’ll need to log into the app to convert your steps. It won’t do this automatically — I walked 9 miles around Dublin on day three of testing the app, but forgot to click convert, so didn’t get any points for my miles. I’ve since set up a daily reminder that flashes up on my phone at 9 PM. You can earn extra wards for taking part in challenges on the app, such as converting an exact number of steps per day or converting your steps between a certain time window. 

You can also earn extra wards by visiting places on the map and checking in, buying from one of the partners on the app, watching advertising videos, or completing surveys. I didn’t do any of these things while using the app; instead, I just converted my steps each day. 1,500 steps earn you 1 ward, 3,000 steps take you to the second level of the pedometer and earn you 2 additional wards. The max number of steps you can convert each day is 20,000, and the max number of wards you can earn each day is 25 wards. 

In the UK, 1 ward is worth £0.005, in the U.S., that's $0.005, so 100 wards are £0.50/$0.50. You’re not going to get rich by walking using this app. After two weeks of strolling, and 13 days of converting my steps (let’s not talk about that forgotten day), I’ve made a total of £2.75 using the app, so I’m by no means earning enough to quit the day job just yet. That said, I haven’t had to do anything other than my normal steps to make that money. Once you reach 3000 wards, you can request a bank transfer worth £15/$15 into your account. You can also choose to donate this money to one of the app’s philanthropic projects.

My verdict after two weeks of walking with the app? It soon becomes addictive. I found myself taking extra steps, or going for a quick walk around the block to reach the final level of my pedometer on days when I’d spent too much time sitting down. And it seems it’s not just my addictive personality that’s to blame — the app launched in France in 2019 and has reported a 24% increase in the daily steps of those using the app. 

“Our goal is to get people walking the world over,” says Yves Benchimol, CEO and Co-Founder of WeWard. “Our convenience-driven society has made us inactive, isolated, and unhappy. Walking every day nurtures our bodies and minds, and walking makes the world healthier, happier, and more interconnected than ever. We’re seeking to rebuild communities and fight climate change just by incentivizing people to walk a little bit more every day.”

I’m still a few weeks away from my first bank transfer, but I’ll continue strolling with the app running in the background for now. Who knows, perhaps one day someone will develop a similar pedometer app for dogs, and my unruly spaniel can start to earn his keep. Until then, we’ll keep earning wards together.

Whatever app you choose to download to help you get paid to walk, you’ll want to be comfortable as you stride the sidewalks. We’ve hand-picked the best running shoes and the best hiking boots that will keep you comfy as you stroll, as well as the best fitness trackers to help you keep an eye on your daily step count. 

Next: Also check out — pull-up vs chin-up: Which is better for building strength?

In order for a phishing campaign to be successful, the cybercriminals behind it first need to ensure that their lures can reach potential victims, which is why they’ve recently turned to PayPal to send out fake invoices.

According to a new report from the Checkpoint-owned cybersecurity firm Avanan, cybercriminals are now using the legitimacy of PayPal to reach the inboxes of unsuspecting users.

Beginning in June of this year, the firm’s security researchers first observed this new technique which utilizes PayPal to send out malicious invoices and request payments. The cybercriminals behind this new campaign use free PayPal accounts to send emails from the company’s domain while spoofing the popular antivirus software brand Norton.

After creating an account, the cybercriminals use PayPal’s features to create fake invoices in which they edit the business name and fake phone numbers to make them appear more legitimate. 

These fake invoices also include a message that reads: “Thank you for purchasing Norton Security Premium plan, if you have not authorized this transaction please call us with your credit card details.” 

Unsuspecting users, who don’t remember signing up for Norton’s antivirus software, may call the number and provide their credit card details to avoid being changed. However, in doing so, they willingly give the attackers their phone number and payment information which can be used in future attacks.

The Static Expressway

This isn’t the first time that Avanan has observed cybercriminals abusing legitimate services in their attacks. In fact, just last month, it released a report detailing how QuickBooks was used to carry out a very similar type of attack.

As both QuickBooks and PayPal are on the Allow Lists of the best email services, emails sent from either service pass right through to reach a user’s inbox. Avanan calls this The Static Expressway and it refers to the practice of cybercriminals utilizing websites that are on static Allow Lists to ensure their phishing emails reach users’ inboxes.

In this case, Avanan notified PayPal of this new attack on July 19 and the company plans on updating its report with additional information once they hear back from the payments giant.

How to avoid falling victim to this and other phishing scams

In order to avoid this phishing scam, users first need to monitor their inboxes and PayPal accounts for fake invoices. If you receive an invoice for a product or service you don’t remember purchasing, you should check your PayPal account first to see if you may have ordered something and forgotten about it. However, you should never call the phone number on any fake invoices or provide your credit card details over the phone to anyone.

For those who are curious about the phone number on a fake invoice, Avanan recommends that users look up the phone number in a search engine first. Also, you can check a company’s website to see if the phone number provided on the invoice matches the one listed on their site.

Another big thing to look out for when it comes to phishing emails is a sense of urgency. Cybercriminals and scammers often give potential victims a short time frame to respond to their messages — this is a major red flag in regards to phishing scams and emails.

Now that Avanan is raising awareness to the fact that cybercriminals are abusing legitimate services to send out phishing emails, the companies being impersonated will likely require users to provide even more details when signing up to avoid having their services being misused. 

Samsung has just launched the Samsung Wallet, a new payment platform that combines Samsung Pay with Samsung Pass into one service to rule all your digital IDs, payment and loyalty cards, keys and more. 

In effect, this will give Samsung phone users, such as those with the Galaxy S22, a tool that’s much like the Apple Wallet available on iPhones. Secured by Samsung’s Knox security, Samsung Wallet can hold payment cards, tickets, and IDs like a driver’s license all within one location; it’s worth noting that official ID card support will arrive later in the year. 

But as an added bonus, there’s integration with the Samsung Blockchain Wallet, which lets users monitor cryptocurrency portfolios — handy for such a volatile form of digital currency. There’s also SmartThings integration, meaning you can use the Samsung Wallet to unlock doors with smart locks and digital keys; these keys can also work on cars that support them, such as vehicles from BMW, Genesis, and Hyundai. 

This level of integration should give Samsung phone users a more compelling reason to use the Samsung Wallet over the likes of Google Pay, which is widely available on the best Android phones. 

An Apple Wallet clone? 

However, the unique features the Samsung Wallet offers arguably can’t stand up to the functionality coming to Apple Wallet with the upcoming iOS 16 update.

Such features include ID cards stored in Apple Wallet that can be presented in apps for verification, all from a tap of a button. Apple Pay Later offers the ability for customers to split a purchase into four equal payments over six weeks with no interest or fees to pay. And Order Tracking provides detailed receipts and order tracking information for Apple Pay transactions that can be displayed in the Apple Wallet.

As such, there’s scope for Samsung Wallet to build out functionality, but the features it launches with are nevertheless compelling when compared to other digital wallets on Android phones. Currently, the Samsung Wallet is rolling out to Galaxy phones in the U.S., France, Germany Italy, Spain, and the U.K. All users need to do is open the Samsung Pay or Samsung Pass apps on eligible Galaxy devices running Android 9 Pie or later, and follow the update prompts.

For more on such smartphone-based wallets, check our our guide on mobile wallets.

One of the best perks about Venmo is, as long as your Venmo account is tied to your bank account, you never have to worry about adding money in the app. Even if you have a balance of zero in your Venmo, you'll still be able to make payments. The funds will just be drawn from your regular bank account. (If you don’t have the funds in your bank account, well, that’s another story.) Basically, if you enter a payment amount that’s greater than what you have in your Venmo account, Venmo automatically takes the difference from your linked funding source.

However, Venmo also has another option for users - the Venmo Mastercard Debit Card. The card functions just like any other Mastercard, letting you make everyday purchases with your Venmo balance. 

Venmo users with the Venmo Mastercard Debit Card have the option to add money from a verified bank account directly to their Venmo balance. It's super simple and takes just a few steps.

So if you have a Venmo Mastercard Debit Card and want to add money to your Venmo balance, simply follow the instructions below:

How to add money to your Venmo account

1. Add a bank account. If you haven’t already, add a bank account to your Venmo profile and verify it.

2. Tap Manage Balance. Open the Venmo mobile app and tap the "Me" tab. From there, click “Manage Balance.”

3. Tap “Add Money," then enter transfer amount. Enter the amount you’d like to transfer, and tap “Done”

Confirm the bank account you’d like to transfer money from, and tap “Next.”

5. Review the transfer information and estimated arrival date, and then tap “Add Money.” 

Note: Once you do this, there is no way to cancel your transfer.

If you have more questions, be sure to check our FAQ What is Venmo? as well as our guide on how to use Venmo and how to add money to Venmo. If you've paid someone by mistake, you'll want to know how to undo a Venmo payment to the wrong user as well as how to cancel a Venmo payment. And if you're done with the service entirely, here's how to delete your Venmo account. 

So you tried Venmo and it’s not for you. And you don’t want to just leave your Venmo account inactive – not when it’s tied to your bank account. You want to delete your Venmo account. 

It’s easy to delete your Venmo account, but you just can’t do it on a mobile device — you’ll need a desktop computer. And in order to delete your Venmo account you’ll need to make sure you have no incomplete transactions and no money in your Venmo account.

After you successfully delete your Venmo account, all of your transaction history, as well as all of your personal and bank data, will be deleted. You will get a final email showing your entire Venmo transaction history, so if you want to have a record of your Venmo transaction history, be sure to save it.

If you want to close your Venmo account for any reason, follow the steps below.

How to delete your Venmo account

1. Log in to your Venmo account on a desktop computer browser. You cannot close an account on a mobile device or in the app.

2. Check for incomplete transactions. To make sure you have no incomplete transactions hanging around, click on “Incomplete” on the homepage and address anything there.

3. Clear out your balance. From the homepage, click on “Transfer Money” and transfer any funds in your Venmo account to your bank account. Any funds remaining in your Venmo account at the time you close your account will not be available to you without contacting Venmo.

4. Open Settings, and click on “Close My Venmo Account” at the bottom of the Settings page.

5. Check your email for confirmation. Once your account is closed, you’ll receive one final transaction history email.

If you have more questions, be sure to check our FAQ What is Venmo? as well as our guide on how to use Venmo and how to add money to Venmo. If you've paid someone by mistake, you'll want to know how to undo a Venmo payment to the wrong user as well as how to cancel a Venmo payment. 

Vemo is so easy to use and is great about making you hit Pay a second time before you part with your money, so payment mistakes rarely get made. But alas, we’re human; maybe we’ve got fat fingers and paid Joe-Smith-4 instead of our friend whose Venmo ID is Joe-Smith-3. 

The bad news is, it’s not possible to cancel a Venmo payment to an existing Venmo account. Once you send a payment, the funds are available to the recipient right away. If you need the payment returned, you must have the recipient send you a payment for the same amount.

That said, Venmo Support can reverse a payment if the recipient gives their explicit permission, their account is in good standing, and they still have the funds available in their Venmo account. (Perhaps they couldn’t pay back the sender due to technical difficulties.)

But have no fear if you’re using Venmo to purchase goods or services – as long as the transaction is marked as such, Venmo now offers purchase protection at no additional cost to the buyer. Click here for details on Venmo Purchase Protection.

If you accidentally paid your friend twice (or made a duplicate payment)

1. On the app, tap “Pay or Request”
   
2. Enter the recipient’s user name, email, or phone number
   
3. Enter the amount of one of the payments 
   
4. Include a note asking them to pay you back for the money sent by mistake
   
5. Tap “Request”

If you sent a payment to a phone number or email address that has not been registered with a Venmo account yet and you want to take the payment back

You can follow the same instructions on venmo.com after logging in and clicking on “Incomplete” on the homepage. (Note: Payments sent via iMessage work a bit differently. Check out this article if you sent your payment via iMessage.)

If you believe that you are the victim of a scam, or you have paid the wrong person and they won’t pay you back

Email support@venmo.com or fill out this contact form, which can be found on the app by opening the menu and clicking Get Help → Contact Us. To get to the form on venmo.com, click on Help and then click on Contact Us at the bottom of the page. 

Be sure to include the following details: 

• Username of the person that you sent the funds to
• Amount of the payment
• Date of the payment
• Username, phone number, and email address of the person that you meant to pay

If you have more questions, be sure to check our FAQ What is Venmo? as well as our guide on how to use Venmo and how to add money to Venmo. If you've paid someone by mistake, you'll want to know how to undo a Venmo payment to the wrong user. And if you're done with the service entirely, here's how to delete your Venmo account. 

The answer to the question “Do you take Venmo?” is more and more frequently a resounding yes, as the number of people using the app has grown by several million in just the past year. Venmo is also making a push into business payments, so it’s not just friends paying each other back for dinner or concert tickets anymore – now you can use Venmo to pay for all sorts of goods and services.

Venmo is an easy-to-use app that you tie to your bank account that allows you to pay and receive money. Once set up, sending money with Venmo is as easy as entering the name of the friend or business you’re paying, tapping Pay or Request, entering an amount, a note about what it’s for, and hitting Pay. Requesting money on Venmo works the same way: Enter the name, hit Pay or Request, enter the amount and what it’s for, then hit Request.

So you’ve got a Venmo account, your friend has a Venmo account, and one of you owes the other money. Let’s get ready to Venmoooooooooo! Here’s a step-by-step guide to sending and receiving money on this popular person-to-person mobile payment service.

1. Launch the app

Launch the Venmo app on your mobile device. (You can’t send and receive money through the website).

2. Hit “Pay or Request”

Find the Pay or Request button on the home screen—it will either say “Pay or Request,” or it will look like a pencil and a square.

3. Enter a name

Enter the username, phone number, or email of the person(s) you’d like to pay or charge. Make sure you’ve got it exactly right, as you wouldn’t want to pay Joe_Smith_4 when your friend is actually Joe_Smith_5.

4. Enter the amount

If you want to send your friend $50, enter “50” in the field with the dollar sign to the right of the person’s name.

5. Leave a note

In the “What’s it for” field, located below the person’s name, type in whatever you want. As you type, suggested emojis will pop up. Choose to include them if you wish.

6. Change the privacy setting (optional)

At the bottom right of the screen is the privacy setting, which you can tap to change. “Public” indicates that everyone can see this transaction; “Friends” indicates that the transaction is only visible to the sender, recipient, and their Venmo friends; and “Private” indicates that it’s only visible to the sender and the recipient.

7. Choose your action

Tap on either “Request” or “Pay” in the blue bar, depending on which action you want to do.

8. Confirm

Tap on the green confirmation bar that will appear at the bottom of the screen.

9. Check your email

You will receive an email confirming the transaction. 

And that's all that there is to it! If you have more questions, be sure to check our FAQ  What is Venmo? If you've paid someone by mistake, you'll want to know how to cancel a Venmo payment and how to undo a Venmo payment to the wrong user. And if you're done with the service entirely, here's how to delete your Venmo account.

Venmo began as an app that allows you to pay and request money from  friends, and while it’s still the simplest and most popular way to split cab fare, Venmo has grown into a financial platform that may be all you need in addition to a traditional bank account. 

From 2021 to 2022, Venmo’s user base grew from just over 60 million users to more than 83 million—and those users were given a plethora of new ways to incorporate Venmo into their daily lives. You can get a Venmo Debit Card, a Venmo Credit Card, and get cash from your Venmo account at an ATM. You can use Venmo to checkout online at Amazon and any website that takes PayPal (which acquired Venmo in 2013) or IRL at CVS Pharmacies and elsewhere with a QR code. You can cash a check at home and even buy and sell crypto, all using the Venmo app.  

Despite all the new ways that Venmo has made it easier to access and manage your money the past year or two, the app is still super simple to use. It’s still social — Venmo features a stream showing everyone’s transactions — and still fun, with the use of emojis to indicate what a payment is for.

From how to open a Venmo account to how to use the app to how the Venmo Credit Card compares to others to how Venmo is different from its sister PayPal, here’s everything you need to know if you’ve ever wondered what is Venmo.

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What is Venmo?

Venmo is a mobile payment service that provides a way to pay friends and others when you don’t want to deal with cash. Venmo account holders can transfer funds to other Venmo account holders quickly and easily through a mobile app.

Venmo is also a way to pay for things online at authorized websites or in person with a Venmo Debit Card or new Venmo Credit Card. 

How does Venmo work?

To use Venmo, you must first set up an account, which you can do by downloading the Venmo mobile app (available for iOS and Android) or at venmo.com. In addition to the usual name, address, and phone info, you will be asked to enter your bank account information. You must link a bank account to your Venmo account in order to use Venmo. (Note: Venmo is only available in the United States and only compatible with U.S.-based banks.)

Once you are signed up, it’s fast and easy to pay someone or request money from someone: Using the app (you can’t pay or request money through the website), find the Pay or Request button on the home screen—it will either say “Pay or Request,” or it will look like a pencil and a square. You then enter as many people — by username, phone number, or email — as you’d like to pay or charge, the amount, and a note. Emojis will pop up as you type certain words in your note, and you can choose to use them or not.

For more detailed instructions, please see our guide on how to use Venmo.

All Venmo users are also assigned a personal QR code, and you can scan someone else’s to find them or show yours to a person or merchant to be scanned. However you’ve entered the info, once you’re ready to make the transaction, tap “Request” or “Pay” depending on the action you want to take. If you are paying someone, they will receive an email to click on to accept the payment, and then you will receive an email confirmation.

If you are requesting money, the other person will receive an email for the request, and you’ll receive an email notifying you that you’ve been paid. If you are making a payment and don’t have enough money in your Venmo account, Venmo will automatically take the difference from your linked bank account. On the other hand, if you have a lot of money in your Venmo account and want to transfer it to your bank account, on the app, simply go to the menu and click on “Transfer balance.” On venmo.com, click on “Transfer money” on the homepage.

What are the fees for using Venmo?

Venmo costs nothing to set up, nothing to send or receive money, and there are no monthly fees. So how does Venmo make money, you ask? Well, it didn’t for a long time. But Venmo is facilitating more and more transactions between its users and businesses, and when it does that, it charges the business a small percentage of the sale, similar to a credit card company. This is how Venmo makes most of its money.

There is also a lot of potential money to be made using the data Venmo collects, though that has yet to be sorted out. Note that there are, in fact, some fees, but they are easily avoidable. For example, there’s a 3% fee for sending money using a linked credit card and a 1% (max $10) fee for moving money between your bank account and your Venmo account instantly (it normally takes one to three days).

How do you reach Venmo customer service?

Accidentally pay the wrong person and they kept the money, or need help with something else? Venmo does not have a general customer service phone number, but there are a few ways to reach them. Which route to go depends in part on the topic of your question. 

1. You can send a message about anything to support@venmo.com or by filling out this contact form, which can be found on the app by opening the menu and clicking Get Help and then Contact Us. To get to the form on venmo.com, click on Help and then click on Contact Us at the bottom of the page.
2. You can chat about any topic in the Venmo mobile app (M-F, 7:00am-1:00am EST; and Sat-Sun, 9:00am-11:00pm EST). To start a chat, from the menu, click on Get Help → Contact Us. Note there is no chat function on venmo.com. 
3. For questions related to the Venmo Mastercard Debit Card, send a message through this contact form, email debitcardsupport@venmo.com, chat in the mobile app, or call the phone number on the back of your card. 
4. For questions related to the Venmo Credit Card (powered by Visa), call Synchrony Bank at the phone number listed on the back of your card. If you lose your card, call Synchrony Bank at 855-878-6462

If you don't want to use the service anymore, here are instructions on how to delete your Venmo account.

Is there a Venmo card?

As noted above, there are two Venmo cards, one debit and one credit. The Venmo Debit Card, powered by Mastercard, is connected to your Venmo account and allows you to shop at participating merchants. Like other debit cards, you can also use it at an ATM to get cash from your Venmo account. (Withdrawals are limited to the funds in your Venmo balance up to $400 daily, and there is a $2.50 fee for using an out-of-network ATM.)

The Venmo Credit Card is a Visa issued by Synchrony Bank that allows you to make contactless payments, split your credit card purchases with friends on Venmo, request new virtual card numbers and earn cash back on your purchases that goes straight into your Venmo account (3% cash back on your top spend category, 2% on the next, and 1% on everything else). The Venmo Credit Card has no annual fee. Note: Not all Venmo account holders are currently eligible to apply for the Venmo Credit Card — if you are eligible, you’ll see a Venmo Credit Card section at the top of the main menu of your Venmo app.)

What is Venmo for Business and how does it work?

Venmo for Business allows business owners to accept Venmo payments in their apps, online, or in person with a unique business QR code. When a business sets up a Venmo Business Profile (free of charge; there is a 1.9 percent plus $0.10 fee per transaction), customers can pay them the same way they pay their friends on Venmo. It’s easy to set up a business profile under your existing Venmo login and seamlessly switch from your personal profile to your business profile in just a tap.

Venmo also offers Purchase Protection for both buyers and sellers on any transaction identified as being for goods and services. (Payment Protection is also available for payments to strangers for things like concert tickets or a couch, as long as the transaction is identified as being for goods and services.) 

Here’s how to set up a Venmo business profile:

• In the Venmo app, tap your profile picture in the top left corner, then tap “Create a business profile.”
• Customize your profile, adding details that make you special.
• Tap “Publish.”

How do I buy and sell crypto on Venmo?

Venmo is a great platform to get your feet wet in crypto investing. They have solid educational resources (articles and videos) and keep it simple by only offering four different types of crypto to invest in: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and Bitcoin Cash. What’s more, you can invest as little as $1, get price alerts to track your investment, and share your crypto investments in your Venmo feed. 

Here’s how to buy crypto on Venmo:

• Open Venmo and tap the crypto icon in the menu at the bottom of the screen.
• Tap on the coin you’d like to purchase.
• Tap “Buy” (You’ll need to tap Agree to terms and conditions the first time)
• Enter the amount of money you’d like to invest (as little as $1)
• Tap “Review”
• Tap “Buy”

Is Venmo safe?

Yes. But you need to be vigilant. The transactions themselves are super safe: Like it’s competitors, Venmo uses encryption to help protect your account information and monitor your account activity to help identify unauthorized transactions. For another layer of security, you can add a PIN code to the app. There have been some Venmo-related scams, but a little common sense can avoid them: Don’t send money to strangers or for things that look like pyramid schemes. 

For more, check out our guide on how to cancel a Venmo payment and how to undo a Venmo payment to the wrong user.

There is, however, a privacy concern regarding Venmo’s social feed: A lot of people make a fuss about the fact that Venmo’s default setting is Public, meaning your transactions are visible to everyone on the internet in Venmo’s emoji-filled stream. So if you’re not comfortable having the world know who you had dinner with last night, you must elect to make your transactions either private or visible only to friends.  

What are the Venmo limits?

When you sign up for Venmo, your person-to-person sending limit is $299.99. Once Venmo has confirmed your identity, your weekly rolling person-to-person spending limit is $4,999.99. The overall combined spending limit for person-to-person, authorized merchant payments, and Venmo Debit Card purchases is $6,999.99 per week. Click here for details.

Venmo vs. PayPal vs. Zelle: What's the difference?

PayPal started out as an e-commerce payment platform and added person-to-person payments; Venmo started out as a person-to-person payment platform and added e-commerce capabilities. So you might suspect that each platform is stronger in its original purpose — and you’d be correct.

PayPal works internationally, has a better security track record and higher spending limits, whereas Venmo makes it simpler, faster, and more fun--emojis!--to pay and request money. Zelle, meanwhile, is the big banks’ answer to Venmo and PayPal. The main differences are that Zelle is a function within your bank’s app rather than its own app, the money transfers instantly as opposed to one to three days, and its security is as solid as the steel vaults in the banks behind it. 

Millions of people use it every day to make payments online but is PayPal safe to use? If you're yet to set up a PayPal account, this may well be the first question you ask. But even if you're one of the company's 392 million active users, you could still be wondering if your financial data is being kept secure and whether you're at risk of fraud and identity theft.

PayPal was founded in 1998 and it certainly created a well-tested and highly-trusted online payments system during that time. Lots of major brands use PayPal for their online payments and it's regularly used to transfer money between friends and family. Most people have also come across it when buying items on eBay. But is it really one of the safest ways to conduct a transaction?

How does PayPal secure transactions?

When you enter the details of your bank account, credit card or debit card (depending on what you want on file), the data is encrypted and stored in PayPal's secure database. Since this is a single online vault, your financial data is only kept in one place rather than across multiple locations. It is regarded as a safer way of retaining your information.

Any transaction you make is also secure. When paying for an item, your financial details are never shared. A seller or someone you're transferring money to will never ever see the numbers of your bank or card accounts. That's one of the main points of PayPal — the fact you don't share actual financial information with sellers or people you transfer money to. 

What's more, all transactions are encrypted at both ends using secure sockets layer (SSL) protocol technology with 128-bit encryption. And, as a back-up, every transaction is monitored for anything suspicious day and night. If anything is flagged as odd, a member of PayPal's team is alerted and this helps to protect against email phishing, identify theft and fraud.

Are users protected if something goes wrong?

It's all very well having a secure financial system but that, in itself, doesn't protect you if the person you're sending money to turns out to be dodgy. You could legitimately use PayPal to buy an item through an encrypted transaction, only to discover the recipient doesn't intend to send the goods or ends up shipping something of poor quality.

In such a situation, PayPal should have your back thanks to Buyer Protection. We say “should” because not all transactions qualify (you're not covered if you buy a vehicle, real estate, industrial machinery or pre-paid cards, for instance, nor items that violate PayPal's policies). You also need to open a dispute in the PayPal Resolution Center within 180 days of the purchase or payment but it's a nice safeguard, nonetheless. If PayPal finds in your favor, you will be refunded.

Am I protected if I send money to friends and family?

PayPal can be used to transfer money to people you know using the PayPal Friends and Family option. The transactions are just as safe as if you're making a purchase online and they don't attract any fees (unless you're sending international personal transactions).

You may, however, encounter sellers asking you to pay for items and services using the Friends and Family option. Don't! Sellers will be trying to avoid paying PayPal's business transaction fees and while they may tempt you by offering a small discount, be aware that you won't have Buyer Protection. Those transactions should instead always be conducted via the PayPal Goods and Services option.

What if I am selling something?

Again, the transaction will be safe and secure — you won't see the buyer's financial details and they certainly won't see your's. PayPal will protect you if payment has been sent without authorization from a hacked account, for instance, or if a buyer claims they did not receive the item you sent. So long as you have proof that you sent an item and that it was received, you're eligible for Seller Protection.

Should I use a credit card with PayPal?

If you can, yes. Although credit card protections don't apply if you're using them via online payment systems such as PayPal, if anything does go wrong, you at least have the option of seeing if your credit card company can help. 

By using a credit card, you are also distancing PayPal from accounts that potentially contain a large amount of cash. You'll likely find it easier to sort unauthorized payments made through a credit card than you would if someone ended up taking money from your bank account. And money swiped out of a bank account could land you in a heap of trouble if it leads to missed mortgage payments and so on.

How can I make using PayPal even safer?

You should also use a complex password rather than something easily guessable and safeguard your login further by registering your mobile phone to use a PayPal Security Key — otherwise known as two-factor authorization. When you login to your PayPal account, a PIN will be sent to your mobile and this adds an extra layer of security.

Regularly check the email address associated with PayPal, too. Emails are sent whenever a transaction is made and if anything looks odd, you can report it with a view to be refunded.

Finally, try not to use PayPal on a public WiFi network unless you are using the best VPN service. In general, it's still going to be really difficult for someone to hack your PayPal account but it's better to be safe than sorry (and to be wary of public WiFi in general).

Two types of transactions can be made through PayPal. Payments are either classified as “goods and services” or “friends and family.” As the names suggest, the two are for different things. PayPal's friends and family option is only used to make payments to known contacts whom you trust. It's a way to send money to personal accounts while keeping costs to a minimum. On the other hand, goods and services is for those buying from a business or a complete stranger selling something via an online marketplace.

PayPal has removed the option to send a “friends and family” payment to a business account. You’ll only be able to send “goods and services” payments to ensure you receive the appropriate purchase protections. But before we get onto that, here’s how to use PayPal goods and services. 

How do I use PayPal goods and services? 

The steps are pretty similar whoever you’re paying, with the only difference between the two lying in the penultimate step. 

1. Log in to your PayPal account. 

2. Click “Send & Request” on the navigation bar at the top of the screen.

3. Enter the phone number, contact name or email address of the person you’re sending money to, or select a contact that's already attached to your account.

4. Enter the payment amount, and add a note. Then press Continue.

5. Select “Paying for an item or service” in the pop-up that appears. 

6. Choose where the money is coming from. Check through the details, then when you’re sure everything is all okay, press submit to send your money through. 

How much does it cost to use PayPal goods and services? 

When you send/receive money for goods and services through PayPal, you’ll be charged a 2.99% fee. International commercial transactions incur an additional 1.5% charge as well. 

On the other hand, within the United States (or within the U.K.), personal payments between friends and family are free via PayPal, as long as you’re paying directly from your PayPal balance or bank account.

You can find up-to-date details of the merchant fees you’ll be charged for receiving money here.

Do I have to use PayPal goods and services for marketplace deals? 

Previously, you had the option to use friends and family to pay for something bought on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist, although it was against PayPal’s terms of use. However, that option has been removed. PayPal has made the decision to limit friends and family payments to personal accounts only, in order to ensure business payments are covered by PayPal’s Purchase Protection. This way, when you make a business payment, you’ll be guarded against any potential damages or losses. 

New to PayPal? Here’s how to set up a PayPal account.  

When making a payment with PayPal, you can choose whether your payment is for “friends and family” or “goods or services.”

If your payment is going to someone you know personally, you should use the “friends and family” option. However, if you plan on purchasing something from an unknown seller, make sure to use “goods and services.”

Since using the friends and family option typically carries no fees, you may be tempted to use it when making a business transaction. However, this means you sacrifice purchase protections associated with goods and services payments. To combat this, PayPal announced they are ending fee-free friends & family payments for business accounts.  

How do I use PayPal friends and family? 

 Using PayPal friends and family is pretty straightforward. Here are the steps to complete a payment. 

1. Log in to your PayPal account. 

2. Click “Send & Request” on the navigation bar at the top of the screen.

3. Enter the phone number, contact name or email address of the person you’re sending money to, or select a contact that's already attached to your account.

4. Enter the payment amount, and add a note if you like. Then press Continue.

5. In the pop-up box, select “Sending to a friend.” 

6. You may now be prompted to choose a bank account to pay from. Finally, you'll get one final chance to check all the details are correct before you press submit and send your money on its way. 

How much does it cost to send a PayPal friends and family payment? 

Within the United States (or within the U.K.), personal payments between friends and family are free via PayPal, as long as you’re paying directly from your PayPal balance or bank account. If you’re paying via debit or credit card, there’s a “small charge” of 2.90% + a fixed fee. 

International payments between friends and family do, however, have a fee attached. It’s charged to the sender and comes in at 5% of the sent amount, up to a maximum of $4.99.The minimum international fee is $0.99. 

Can you use a PayPal friends and family payment to buy things from strangers? 

Previously, the answer would be yes, but you really, really shouldn’t — and not just because it’s against PayPal’s user agreement. However, PayPal has recently made changes so you will non longer be able to submit friends and family payments to business accounts anymore. 

Previously, the lack of fee made it a tempting option for sellers to use instead of ‘goods and services,’ but scammers can use this approach to take the money and run, knowing that you’ll have no recourse to open a fraud claim with PayPal. If you sign off someone as a friend or family member, PayPal reasons, then you’re vouching for the contact and therefore you’re not entitled to extra protections.

Therefore, PayPal has made the decision to limit friends and family payments in order to ensure business payments are covered by PayPal’s Purchase Protection. This way, when you make a business payment, you’ll be guarded against any potential damages or losses. 

 For more information on PayPal, check out our guide on how to set up a PayPal account.

It's well worth knowing how to set up a PayPal account if you want to make payments or transfer money online. As one of the most popular online payment systems, PayPal lets you send money between friends, family and business associates without having to share your financial details. It also lets you pay for items.

Although you must connect a bank account or credit card to PayPal, the information is encrypted to keep it safe. When you buy an item online using the service, you only need to log into PayPal to carry out the transaction. The online store never gets to see your card details, CCV number or bank account information.

As well as adding a layer of security, PayPal also offers additional peace of mind. It has buyer protection safeguards, refunding the cost of items if they do not arrive and protecting you against fraud. It also allows you to spread payments. 

There are some fees involved, but that is mainly if you're dealing with a business. Money can be sent between friends and family for free. You can also transfer money from PayPal into your bank account. Here are step-by-step instructions for how to set up a PayPal account via a web browser on your computer. 

How to set up a PayPal account in a browser

1. Go to PayPal's account selection page and choose the kind of account that you want to set up by clicking the button next to either Personal Account of Business Account. Then click Next.

2. Indicate where you live by using the drop-down menu to select your country or region. Again, click Next.

3. Now type your mobile number. This number will be used to receive a confirmation text and it will be linked to your account so ensure you enter it accurately.

4. Once you have received a text from PayPal on your cellphone, enter the confirmation code in the boxes. If you have not yet received a code, click Send Code Again.

5. Now you need to set up your profile. Enter your email address and your legal name. You also need to create a password. Indicate whether or not you want to stay logged in and click Next.

6. Now you need to add an address. Enter your street address — one which corresponds to your bills — and you may be able to find where you live from the list of suggestions. Otherwise, fill in each of the boxes manually and confirm you are at least 18 years old. Click Agree and Continue.

7. You are going to be prompted to add a debit or credit card to your account. Either click Get Started if you are looking to buy an item from a website or click Try It Now if you are going to be sending money to friends or family. You can also click Not Sure? Add card to use later. In all three instances, you will be taken to the same page.

8. And this is it. Add your debit or credit number and select the card type. Now type the expiration date, security code and billing address. When you have accurately completed these fields, click Link Card.

If you would rather connect your PayPal account to your bank account, click Link A bank instead and fill in the required details.

9. It's a good idea to explore the PayPal dashboard before you do anything with your new account. You will reach the dashboard whenever you go to paypal.com and sign in.

Click the Notifications icon at the top of the page and you will see any actions that you need to complete. Typically, for new accounts you will be prompted to link a credit card if you did not previously do that. 

How to create a PayPal business account

The process for setting up a PayPal business account is similar to a personal account. You will, however, need to give details of your business and either enter your employer ID number or, if you are sole proprietor, your social security number. You also need to enter personal information such as your date of birth for verification purposes.

At this stage, it's also worth knowing what PayPal friends and family is — and how it works.

Once you've finished setting up your PayPal account, you might want some ideas for what to spend your money on — in which case, head to our Best Amazon deals, Best Buy deals and sales, Best cheap TV deals and Best Apple deals for inspiration.

With stores encouraging shoppers to use contactless payment, knowing how to use Apple Pay is more than just convenient — it's becoming essential. With Apple Pay, you can buy things just by placing a compatible device near a point-of-sale terminal without having to hand over cash or a credit card. 

Apple introduced Apple Pay in 2014, with support for the iPhone first. Apple Pay has since made its way to other devices, including the Apple Watch, Mac and iPad. Want to how to use Apple Pay with an iPhone? That's what we'll focus on here.

• Why you should use Express Transit Pay through Apple Pay
• What are the best iPhones you can buy right now?
• How to apply for the Apple Card

Apple Pay works with most debit and credit cards from leading banks, allowing you to store your credit or debit card info on your iPhone. You can use Apple Pay at millions of brick-and-mortar stores — basically any store showing an Apple Pay or contactless payment logo accepts Apple Pay. With the introduction of Apple Pay Later, these purchases can even be split into four payments over six weeks.

In addition, you can use Apple Pay to verify online purchases or send cash to friends via the Messages app. Transit systems in five U.S. cities support Apple Pay, as do transit operators in Canada, the UK, and China, among other countries. And if you use Apple Card — Apple’s credit card — you can earn 2% back on Apple Pay purchases.

But before you can put Apple Pay to work, you’ve got to set it up first. Here’s how to get started with Apple Pay and how to use your phone to pay for things once you’ve got Apple Pay enabled.

How to use Apple Pay: Set up

You’ll be prompted to enter credit card info for Apple Pay when you fire up your iPhone. But in your excitement to start using your new phone, it's possible that you breezed past this step. No matter — it’s easy to go back and enable Apple Pay or add extra payment cards that you might have skipped over the first time.

1. Open the Wallet app on your iPhone.

2. Tap the plus button in the upper-right corner of the screen.

3. You’ll be prompted to either enter a credit or debit card or apply for an Apple Card. For this step-by-step, we’ll enter a credit or debit card. (This screen is also where you can add transit card information, if you live in a place that supports that feature.)

4. You’ll be taken to a screen to add cards. If you’ve got cards on file from a previous iPhone backup, you’ll be able to add those by entering their CVC. You can also add a different or a new card entirely if this is your first time using Apple Pay.

5. The Wallet app will prompt you to add a credit card in the frame of a view finder so that it can scan in your credit card number. You can also enter your credit card number, expiration data and CRV manually. Apple will confirm all this info with your card issuer and if everything’s OK, the card will be added to your wallet.

You’ll receive a notification when your credit or debit card is ready to use via Apple Pay.

How to use Apple Pay

You can use Apple Pay in a variety of ways, including in apps, on web pages, and to ride trains and subways. But the most common way to use Apple Pay is in stores at a point of purchase in lieu of swiping or dipping a credit or handling over cash. How to use Apple Pay in a store to make contactless payments varies depending on what iPhone you use.

With iPhone X or later

1. Double-click the Sleep/Wake button on the right  side of your iPhone.

2. Select the card you want to use by tapping it, and double-click the Sleep/Wake button when prompted to pay.

3. Glance at your iPhone if you’ve set up Face ID to verify your identity, or enter your PIN or password.

4. Hold your iPhone near the payment terminal. Your payment is complete when you see Done and a checkmark on the screen.

With an iPhone 8 or earlier

1. Place your finger on the Touch ID button on your phone.

2. Place the top of your iPhone near the contactless card reader. Your payment is complete when you see Done and a checkmark on the screen.

Now you're familiar with Apple Pay, check out 15 essential Messages tips every iPhone owner should know to find out how to use the Messages app like a pro, or how to use Focus mode in iOS 15. And take a look at how to use Live Text in iOS 15 to familiarize yourself with copying text.  It could also be worth knowing how to sign documents on iPhone.

Apple dropped a bit of a bombshell into its WWDC 2021 presentation this past June: iOS 15 will let an iPhone or an Apple Watch hold digital versions of the user's house keys, hotel room keys, workplace ID cards and, last but not least, driver's license or other government-issued form of identification.

"With the Apple Wallet app, we set out to replace your physical wallet," said Apple vice president of Wallet and Apple Pay Jennifer Bailey. As Bailey pointed out, Wallet can already "hold" touchless credit cards and transit cards and wireless-key-fob codes for some modern vehicles.

"However, to be fully free of your physical wallet, there's one more thing we need to bring to iPhone, and that's your ID," Bailey said. "So we're bringing identity cards to Apple Wallet."

• iOS 15 release date, beta, supported devices and all the new iPhone features
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"This fall, you'll just scan your driver's license or state ID in participating U.S. states," said Bailey.

Today (Sept. 1), Apple released a list of the first states to sign up for the digital-ID program: Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Utah. Together, those states comprise about 43 million people, or about 13% of the total U.S population.

Apple wouldn't say much else, adding that information about when those states would start implementing the program, and when the TSA would start accepting Apple's ID, "would come at a later date."

Bailey added that Apple was even working with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to let digital driver's licenses held on iPhones become acceptable proof of identity to board U.S. domestic flights.

An Apple press release after the presentation referred to "Identity Cards" with specific capitalization, although it wasn't quite clear if that was the official name of the feature. Bailey mostly referred to just "ID."

Convenient or creepy? Security experts weigh in

So is letting your iPhone become your primary means of identification really a good idea? Is that what smartphones are meant to do?

Some of the security and privacy experts we spoke to weren't worried.

"From a usability perspective, I'm stoked," said Patrick Wardle, a well-known Mac hacker and founder of the Objective by the Sea security conference. "[I] hate having to dig out my ID when traveling, and worrying about misplacing it. Having it on one's phone seems like a no-brainer."

"From a risk perspective, a digital ID stored cryptographically on your phone (and in the cloud) is just as, if not more secure, than a physical ID in some ways," said Sean Gallagher, a senior threat researcher at Sophos.

"If your wallet is stolen or lost, you have lost control of your government ID," Gallagher added. "If you lose your phone, at least you can remote delete your wallet along with all the other sensitive information, and it is (or should be ) protected by a passcode."

Yet Thomas Reed, director of Mac and mobile security at Malwarebytes, wasn't so sanguine about the idea of a digital ID.

"Apple has a lot to think about on this front," he told us. "Although I imagine that it is possible for Apple to make these digital IDs secure and private, it's going to be very tricky to get it right."

iPhone as ID Card: It was inevitable

We can see why Apple's new feature could creep some people out. Other digital device and services, including many password managers, already let you store information from your driver's license securely as a backup. 

But this is the first time we've heard of a digital item that can completely replace your physical driver's-license card. Letting your iPhone become your proof of identity seems like uncharted territory. Is Apple replacing the government as the ultimate authority of personal identity?

"I understand the unsettling feelings this evokes, but this was an inevitability," said John Shier, senior security advisor at Sophos. "Millions of people have been using features like Apple Pay and Google Pay without incident for a while ... If the implementation is secure enough to be trusted by banks and card issuers, it legitimizes the technology for other uses."

"I don't think that Apple is replacing or assuming the function of a government agency," Shier added. "They are not holding the data centrally and are not issuing the documents. They are simply providing people with a secure way to digitally store their physical IDs."

Digital IDs are not a new IDea

Digital driver's licenses that you can hold on your smartphone are not a new idea. USA Today wrote about them more than two years ago, reporting that "a dozen states are in various stages of testing mobile or digital driver's licenses that operate on smartphones." 

The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) has a page detailing various efforts along such lines around the world. There's even an internationally agreed-upon standard for digital driver's licenses. 

In fact, Apple is kind of playing catch-up here. Qualcomm teased in 2019 that it was working with Google on such a feature for Android phones, and Google this past October confirmed that an API for mobile driver's licenses was built into Android 11. Presumably, that's to let developers create third-party ID apps.

"There are already similar implementations in Europe that are using digital IDs in the place of physical cards," Shier told Tom's Guide. "If the worry is in Apple having access to the data, the fact that it resides solely in the Secure Element should allay those worries."

A single point of failure

It's fair to say that Apple may be out in front of Google on this issue now. Which gets to the next question: Do you want your iPhone (and maybe soon your Android phone) to be the crux of your entire identity? Do you want it to hold ALL the keys — to your house, to your car, to your office, to your life? Do you want to create a single point of failure?

"You mean like carrying a purse?" asked Melanie Ensign, founder of the security and privacy communications firm Discernible, Inc. "It doesn't significantly change the current authentication mechanisms/vectors themselves, just speeds up the process."

"When you hand your physical ID to a TSA agent, what do they do with you?" she asked. "Put it in a scanner/camera! Apple Wallet merely moves the scanning process to much earlier in the journey."

Apple's goal is to make itself indispensable to its users, and Apple Wallet's new functions create further customer lock-in to the Apple ecosystem. If your apps, your email, your credit cards and now your very ability to drive a car and board a plane are tied to Apple, it will be that much more difficult to switch to another smartphone platform. 

"I don't know that I'm that worried about the technology itself, but I'm concerned that people might come to rely on it too much," Shier said. "If you routinely leave your house without your physical wallet and keys, what happens when your phone's battery dies on your way to the airport?"

On the other hand, he pointed out, "if you ever lost your wallet while travelling, having these things on your phone would at least provide some way to pay for items and identify yourself until you managed to get home and have the documents replaced."

Can you hack a digital ID?

Bailey said in her presentation that all these valuable documents and digital authorization keys will be held in the Secure Enclave hardware chip on an iPhone. 

It's pretty hard to hack those, but it's less difficult to hack iOS in general, and if the iPhone's screen can display the driver's license, then another app might be able to see it. 

Let's look at this practically. If your smartphone, your house keys, your car keys and your driver's license are all be one item, then if your iPhone is lost or hacked (it does happen), then you might be in serious trouble. 

Despite this, Wardle is calm.

"From a privacy point of view, I'd still sleep well at night, as the physical security of iOS is quite impressive," he told Tom's Guide. 

"If my iPhone gets stolen, sure it has my 'digital soul' [with] all the things (and now maybe even IDs?), but unless you're the FBI with $1M+ you're not getting access to them. ... To a thief, it'd just be a relatively useless paper weight at that point."

That might depend on how exactly the thief gets the phone. Gallagher wondered about "social engineering methods combined with technical methods" that could "allow a digital wallet to be picked."

"It’s just much more unlikely if you follow basic phone privacy measures," Gallagher said. "But I can envision someone convincing a person to unlock their phone and then snatch it from their hands and run."

Like Wardle, Shier is not worried about the technical aspects, and believes that there's an advantage to Apple doing this instead of a less capable organization.

"I think the security and privacy aspects of this are proven and solid," he told us. "It mostly comes down to individual users' comfort with using digital representations of items they've only ever used in physical form." 

"In some respects," Shier added, "I'd rather see this initiative led by a company, who thus far seems to be on the right side of privacy and security, rather than leaving it to individual local, state, or federal governments who don't have a great track record with either."

What about showing your Apple ID card to police?

Then there are more practical matters. Reed wonders what will happen when a cop pulls you over and all you've got to show is a digital driver's license.

That procedure "generally involves handing over my license and proof of insurance, which the police officer takes back to his car," Reed pointed out to Tom's Guide.

"How is this going to work with a digital driver's license? I'm certainly never going to be comfortable with handing over an unlocked phone to anyone, including a police officer," he said. "Apple will need to find a way to secure the driver's license, or any other critical piece of identification, such as an insurance card."

Police generally need a warrant to get a person to reveal a PIN or a passcode, but some U.S. courts have ruled that a cop can force you to unlock your phone with a fingerprint. Either way, it might be best if Apple develops a way to transmit the ID data without unlocking the phone.

"Many people would be quite hesitant, and rightly so, in handing their phone to a police officer or TSA agent," Shier said. "Being able to tap your phone on a receiver that then displays the information to the requesting party would be a good idea."

Will Apple's ID cards make it easier to create fakes?

As Apple described the procedure, all you need to do to import your driver's license into Wallet is to scan it with your iPhone. If that's all there really is to it, then are teenagers all across America going to print out fake IDs at home and import them into Wallet so that they can drink at bars?

Or, as Reed pointed out, could you even steal someone's identity with an iPhone?

"Someone could very easily scan a driver's license that doesn't belong to them or scan a fake ID," he told us. "How is Apple going to validate that the license is truly yours, and that it's valid? Will this become a new avenue for identity theft or creation of false identities?"

It's possible that states are already building safeguards into their physical drivers' licenses. 

"If this includes a photo of the barcode, it's much harder to fake," Ensign said. "We already use QR codes for authentication all the time, plus if it's connected to any other data on your iPhone, it's much better authentication than a physical ID card alone."

"I don't think it's Apple's responsibility" to prevent the creation of fake IDs, said Shier. "If the issuing agency has made it too easy to forge a document, then they should reconsider how they can improve the document's security features. They could even work with technology companies to embed anti-forgery mechanisms into the documents that would be recognized as legitimate by Apple."

A long-term privacy game

Ensign said that the introduction of Wallet digital IDs puts the long game that Apple has been playing regarding privacy and trust into greater perspective.

"It becomes increasingly more obvious why Apple pushed privacy so hard in everything it said for the last several years, with enough action behind it to reap the reputation value," she said.

"They knew this was coming, and needed public trust to make it work," Ensign added. "It was a long-term bet, one that any less patient company could never pull off."

The new, redesigned Google Pay app arrived on the scene in late 2020 and could be a life-changer in a couple of ways. For those who prioritize convenience in their finances, Google Pay could replace Venmo, Quicken, Splitwise and your plastic credit cards – handling and understanding your everyday financial transactions just got simpler and safer. 

And for those who have some concerns about this one tech behemoth knowing as much about your money as they do your search habits? Google Pay could be the thing that has you finally throwing your phone in a lake and heading to a bunker. 

Before you fully commit to either option, we’ll tell you everything you need to know to use Google Pay —  and of course, we’ll give you the concrete steps you can take to get Google Pay working for you.

What is Google Pay?

No surprise here — Google Pay is kind of everything. As the latest player in the online wallet game, Google Pay really does replace the contents of that tattered billfold, moving everything to the one item we never leave behind: Our phones. 

Google Pay is a quick way to:

• Make Payments. Google Pay offers the features you need to pay your friends or service providers (just as with PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle), divide the check (as with Splitwise or Splittr) and buy stuff at larger businesses (at either a physical counter or an online checkout). 
• Save and earn money. Google Pay consolidates and facilitates the rewards programs you already have and offers a new rewards program as incentive to use Google Pay. 
• Get insights. Google Pay lets you slice and dice your spending so that you can make smarter decisions about it. 

Who accepts Google Pay? 

People and services in the U.S. and India: Interpersonal payments are, as of this writing, available in the U.S. and India. 

Online retailers at “participating websites” in most countries in the world. 

Point-of-purchase payments for those with Android phones (see below) at over a million stores in the U.S., U.K., and other countries. Wherever you see the contactless payment icon – you can use Google Pay.  

Does Google Pay work on iPhone? 

Yes, but not fully. Google is jumping OSes with Google Pay, a sure sign that the company is gunning for full-on ubiquity in the financial space.  Currently, payment of friends and family is available for both Apple and Android users, but point-of-purchase payment is currently possible only for those with Android phones. 

So, any U.S.-based Android user is well positioned to take full advantage of the Google Pay ecosystem. For anyone else, Google’s made it easy to check feature-by-feature availability. 

Google Pay account: How do you set it up? 

Getting up and running takes just a couple of steps:

1. Go to wherever get your Android or iOS apps, and download Google Pay. (In the Apple Store, choose the pre-redesigned version still exists and is marked “old app”. Look for "Google Pay: Save, Pay, Manage" to get the new app.) 
2. Once you have the app, you’ll need to connect a bank or a credit card. Then, press “Payment” at the bottom of the app screen. The app will walk you through setup, and will ensure you verify your identity.

Note: You can get going with payments with just one financial connection – your bank or PayPal login, or a credit card. But for real spending insights, eventually you’ll want to take the time to tell Google Pay about all the credit cards you use. 

Is Google Pay safe? 

The common theme for all e-wallets is that they’re safer than actual wallets. How? 

For starters, there’s fewer physical parts to lose. But going a bit deeper, an e-wallet like Google Pay is also safer than swiping your card, because Google Pay never provides a retailer with your credit-card number. Rather, it provides the retailer with a token containing your bank information. So if that retailer gets hacked, none of your info will be at risk. 

At point of purchase, Google Pay works with “near-field communication” (NFC) technology – the same technology that powers contactless payments worldwide, which is why you can use Google Pay wherever you see the contactless symbol. Just like with an online purchase, NFC doesn’t pass your card info along – just encrypted tokens. 

And for those who think of safety not just in terms of data transmission, but also about germs? It’s worth noting that Google Pay at point of purchase is 100% contactless – no cards changing hands, and no machines to touch but the one that is already yours. 

All this security might cost some convenience for some: You’ll need to have your automatic screen lock turned on to use Google Pay.

What is Google Pay Rewards? 

Google Pay Rewards is, for now anyway, the huge carrot with which Google looks to be growing its user base. Google has teamed up with hundreds of businesses and is reaching into its own deep pockets to provide you a financial incentive for using Google Pay and for getting others signed up.  

Once I was in the system, reward opportunities just kept coming at me – in the app whenever I opened it, in my Gmail account, and of course, a whole new set of ads when I’m just consuming news online. 

How does Google Pay help with saving and spending? 

Google Pay might be just the ticket for anyone who’d like to understand their spending but doesn’t want to go full Mint/Quicken with the best personal finance software. Google Pay shapes its insights by payee (“How much have I paid on my student loan so far this year? How much do I spend at my local pub?”) as well as by category.

Google Pay is also flexible. Your question “What did I spend on food last month?” can pivot on food overall, giving you the info about grocery stores, restaurants and any other obvious food item that shows up on a credit-card bill, or just show what you spend dining out. 

How do you send and receive money with Google Pay? 

Just tap the Send button at the bottom of the screen. The app will ask whether you want to pay or receive money, and you’ll follow the simple instructions from there to enter the person (by phone number, email address, or contact) and amount.  

Google makes a big show of insisting someone doesn’t need to use Google Pay in order to receive money, and technically, it’s right. However, when I tried to send using the Payment button, the app created a sales-pitch text to send to the contact. The trick to sending without recruiting is to hit the “Send” button – not the “Payment” one. It’s a frustrating hiccup in an otherwise glossy user experience.  

Should you use Google Pay? 

To consolidate everything you use to spend your money, earn rewards while doing it and gain actionable insights around your behaviors, Google Pay really is a one-stop financial shop, replacing myriad existing applets. But only you can determine how you feel about Google knowing even more about you.

What did I decide? I’m going to keep using Google Pay for three months. At that point, the app has promised to ask again whether I want it to provide the insights for which it needs to look deep inside my data; I might or might not say yes.

The battle between Venmo vs PayPal isn't truly much of a fight, since both mobile payment apps are part of the same company. PayPal bought Venmo in 2013 but kept it as a separate entity. 

The digital wallet apps are very similar. They both easily and securely transfer money between bank accounts and process credit card transactions. They're also free for personal use. But there are key differences; for instance, PayPal now offers business financing options, like lines of credit.

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PayPal is a pioneer in the online payment space. It was founded in 1998 specifically to handle online commerce, bought by eBay, then spun off into a separate company.

Venmo began in 2009 and targeted everyday, personal payments. The app also has a social component in its newsfeed of transactions, which can be shared publicly or with a network of friends or restricted via privacy settings. Venmo was acquired by Braintree in 2012, then Braintree was acquired by PayPal a year later.

Some people only use Venmo, others only use PayPal, while many give and receive money on both. Venmo has become especially popular with younger users and the brand has become a verb ("Venmo me"). 

Here's our guide to the Venmo vs PayPal and which money app might be the best fit for you.

Venmo vs PayPal: At a glance

Venmo vs PayPal: Payments and limits

Venmo and PayPal allow users to transfer money using their account balance, bank accounts and credit/debit cards. 

New Venmo userss have an initial person-to-person sending limit of $299.99. Once their identity is confirmed, that increases to a weekly rolling limit of $4,999.99.

Since PayPal is integrated into many e-commerce sites, the transaction limit is higher at $10,000.

Venmo vs Paypal: Fees

It's free to sign up for either a Venmo or PayPal account and the mobile apps are also free to download.

Both services offer free account balance and bank transfers. But they both charge a fee for credit card purchases: PayPal's is 2.9% of each credit/debit card transaction plus $0.30 (in the U.S.) and Venmo's is 3% for credit card transactions (none for debit card purchases).

Venmo and PayPal both charge for instant transfers, as well. Venmo has a one-business day withdrawal window, while PayPal's is one to two business days. For instant transfers, both services add a 1% fee with a maximum of $10.

Venmo vs Paypal: Availability and platforms

Venmo is available only on mobile via iOS and Android apps. It's limited to the U.S. Meanwhile, PayPal is available on iOS, Android and by web browser in more than 200 countries and 25 currencies.

Venmo vs PayPal: Security and protection

Both Venmo and PayPal have secure, encrypted transactions and monitor accounts  for fraudulent activity. 

Venmo clearly positions itself for transferring money, person-to-person, between friends and acquaintances. The service states this on their site: "Venmo should only be used to transact with people you know. Do not use Venmo to pay or receive payments from people you don’t know, especially if the payment involves the purchase or sale of a good or service."

Venmo does not offer buyer or seller protection, which it also states in their policies: "Venmo does not offer a buyer or seller protection program for transactions conducted using the Venmo app or Venmo.com, regardless of the nature of the payment (or charge), unless expressly offered to you by Venmo."

Since PayPal is used for e-commerce, it does offer buyer and seller protections (listed here), such as 24/7 monitoring, fraud prevention and dispute resolution.

Venmo vs PayPal: Features

Venmo isn't just an online payment platform; it's part social media. Users can scroll through and comment on a newsfeed of transactions from their Venmo network of contacts and share their own transactions (or not, which they can manage through their privacy settings). 

While PayPal can be used for personal transfers, it offers a ton of features for businesses such as its "Business in a Box" plan that includes payment processing and financial tracking. PayPal also offers business and working capital loans. 

Venmo vs PayPal: Which is the right payment app for you?

Venmo and PayPal are so similar that most people can use either for their regular, everyday money transferring needs. They both link to bank accounts, charge for credit card purchases and offer fast withdrawal times. 

Venmo may be the better fit if you want to make simple transfers to friends, like splitting a restaurant tab or paying your half of the electricity bill. Younger users may like the social aspect of seeing and commenting on their network's transactions.

PayPal is the best choice for transferring large amounts of money and sending money overseas. It's also the more secure option for business purchases and sales since they offer buyer and seller protections. 

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Visa really is everywhere you want to be. It’s not just a marketing slogan, but a cruel fact I learned when I tried to rely solely on my Apple Card during a recent trip to Italy.

I’ve been testing out Apple’s credit card since it launched in August. And that includes taking it overseas to see how this card performs away from the safety of an Apple Store. The verdict? The Apple Card isn’t always the best travel companion, at least when you head overseas.

Apple Card: It just works (sometimes)

When I landed in Rome, I found the ItaliaRail machine and purchased two tickets from the airport to Roma Termini station in the heart of the city. I noticed the tap-to-pay sign, even in my sleep-deprived, jetlagged state. (It may have been noon in Rome, my West Coast-fixed brain was feeling every bit like it was  3 a.m. in California). I pulled out my iPhone, not knowing what to expect. To my surprise, Apple Pay worked — I’ve got the Apple Card set up as my default method of payment — and my first attempt at using the Apple Card in Italy was a success.

My second attempt at using Apple Card was at the Vodafone kiosk in the Fiumicino airport, where I was also able to use Apple Pay. This airport, it seemed, was completely on board with mobile payments.

I tried to stick with Apple Card throughout my vacation — a quick jaunt in Rome and a week in Florence and Tuscany — just to make paying off the trip easy, but it wasn’t as seamless an experience as I had hoped after those early successes, especially when I turned to the physical Apple Card you’re meant to use when mobile payments aren’t an option.

Apple card declines: An investigation

In Florence, there were few tap-to-pay terminals. Even worse, it seemed no one accepted MasterCard, the global payment network used by Apple Card. Almost everywhere I handed over my white titanium Apple Card, from restaurants to museums, the server or customer service agent would invariably return with: “No MasterCard,” and, in some cases, “Your card was declined.”

It was the latter that threw me off, especially when it happened three times in one day at three separate venues. 

“Hmm,” I thought. “Maybe I should’ve put a travel alert on the card.”

I thought Apple had placed a freeze on my spending after a few Italian transactions to prevent fraud. So I opened the Wallet app and selected my Apple Card, then tapped on the ellipses that hides the support contacts at the top right. I decided to send a message to the Apple Card support number about my international woes, but my text didn’t go through. (I forgot that the Vodafone customer service agent had turned off iMessage when I bought an Italian SIM card; otherwise this might have worked.) Then I tried calling the support line, but the automated recording was in Italian. Just as I was about to give up hope and retire my Apple Card for the rest of my trip, I called the support line again — this time using Skype so I could control the language. 

After a brief hold, I was connected with Darnell, an Apple Card specialist with Goldman Sachs and an overall lovely human being. He asked for my last name and the last four digits of my social security number to look up my account (as the card lacks an actual number). Then Darnell said something that took me by surprise: My card hadn’t actually been declined anywhere.

Apple Card: You’re using it wrong

Darnell told me it was possible that retailers and restaurants where it had been “declined” just didn’t accept MasterCard, and didn’t realize Apple Card was a MasterCard at first. 

Another possible explanation: The Apple Card’s magnetic strip is oriented on the flip side of where most credit cards strips are — on the bottom of the rear of the card instead of the top — and isn’t as obvious as most strips. It looks like a silver design element in contrast to the white, which may have confused some merchants.

Because there were no records of declines on my card, the only conclusion I (and Darnell) could come to was that the card had been swiped incorrectly.

This seemed more likely after I handed over the card at a museum in Florence, only to be told that my card was declined. Then I noticed the universal tap-to-pay symbol on the card reader and decided to give Apple Pay a shot. My Apple Card transaction worked instantly. 

Bottom line

After racking up all of those “declines,” I became less inclined to hand over my physical Apple Card while traveling. It added unnecessary time and irritation to every transaction. But my back-up card, the American Express Platinum, was also rejected all over Italy. So the card I used most often during my vacation ended up being an old Chase Sapphire Preferred — a Visa.

I still used Apple Card wherever I saw a tap-to-pay or mobile payments sign to earn the 2% cash back that Apple promises. But I’ve learned my lesson: When traveling internationally, always carry multiple forms of payment. And never leave home without a Visa — just in case.