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People using Venmo to spy on cheating spouses

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Re: People using Venmo to spy on cheating spouses

#191

Post by robbiemitchell »

Kluny wrote: post #183
ajkjk wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I imagine my feelings about Venmo reflect a lot of peoples': Basically it was the first way to send money on mobile phones that wasn't miserable or charged fees so everyone started using it. By the time PayPal owned it it was already popular. Everyone wanted to easily send money for at least, like, 10 years before that. It was the first mainstream option and it still felt really late. (PayPal already existed but was.…

I still don't get it. My bank's app lets me send money to people via interac e-transfer. It's kind of a pain in the ass to add a new payee each time, but the payee doesn't need to have any app themselves. It works through email and the bank's website. It's free too. What does venmo have that isn't covered by that?

> It’s kind of a pain in the ass to add a new payer each time

This is one reason Venmo is successful. Paying someone is easy. Receiving money is easy. No one wants to spend 5 minutes setting up a payee on their phone when they’re splitting a dinner bill.

Re: People using Venmo to spy on cheating spouses

#192

Post by marssaxman »

cortesoft wrote: post #16
booleandilemma wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Especially when “the wrong word could get you in trouble”: https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_571f8057e4b01a5ebde34b97/...

It is so ridiculous that the comment for a payment would be used against someone. Writing jokes in the 'for' line on a check is a time honored tradition when paying your friends money. I don't want to live in a world where I am not allowed to make jokes because it might get me a visit from the FBI.

I don't want to live in that kind of world either, but it goes on existing around me all the same.

Re: People using Venmo to spy on cheating spouses

#193

Post by ajkjk »

tbrownaw wrote: post #163
chillacy wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At this point there are too many network effects around venmo, if you're splitting the BBQ with 5 people and 4 have venmo and you don't, it's not as convenient for the requester. That's why I got venmo initially, and now it's super easy to request money from friends and 2nd degree friends, since my network is all venmo. I know 1 person who uses square cash and he's over 40, and I know 2 or 3 less tech-literate friend…

I feel like I'm missing something here. If I go out somewhere with a bunch of friends, we just ask for separate checks.

We used to do that, but splitting with an app is easier so we've gradually stopped. Especially because many restaurants don't like doing separate checks, or have a limit to how much they will split, or it just feels mean and inordinately complicated to ask the waiter to do it when we have a way to sort it out ourselves.

Re: People using Venmo to spy on cheating spouses

#194

Post by ajkjk »

alistairSH wrote: post #188
smelendez wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think "splitting the BBQ" as in someone is buying and cooking a bunch of food and their friends are helping with the cost. But anyway, some restaurants don't split checks and most don't like to because it's extra work for their staff.

How does PayPal fail this use case? Or cash (the horror)?

People don't carry cash as much as they used to, because they don't need to, because apps can do it.

Re: People using Venmo to spy on cheating spouses

#195

Post by Kluny »

megy wrote: post #190
Kluny wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I still don't get it. My bank's app lets me send money to people via interac e-transfer. It's kind of a pain in the ass to add a new payee each time, but the payee doesn't need to have any app themselves. It works through email and the bank's website. It's free too. What does venmo have that isn't covered by that?

> I still don't get it. My bank's app lets me send money to people via interac e-transfer. You don't get it that most banks do not do that? I am unsure why you are confused about that?

Every bank in Canada does it, even the tiny credit unions. It's common throughout Europe. I don't know about Australia, but they probably have it too. I don't know, just another example of Americans being backwards and thinking everyone else has the same problems. I seriously can't believe it's 2018 and this isn't mandatory for every bank yet.

Re: People using Venmo to spy on cheating spouses

#196

Post by chillacy »

alistairSH wrote: post #188
smelendez wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think "splitting the BBQ" as in someone is buying and cooking a bunch of food and their friends are helping with the cost. But anyway, some restaurants don't split checks and most don't like to because it's extra work for their staff.

How does PayPal fail this use case? Or cash (the horror)?

My friends and I largely don't carry cash, and even though I typically carry a single 20 and a 100 dollar bill for emergencies, it's hard to split cash unless someone else can give you change, which requires them to carry a bunch of 5s 10s 1s (coins?).

Paypal fails like I said because of network effects. More people in my friend group have venmo than paypal (even though paypal owns both), so when it's time to pay, venmo is the default.

Nothing is inherently wrong with paypal, it's just that nobody in my group uses it. So, just plain old network effects.

Re: People using Venmo to spy on cheating spouses

#197

Post by nailer »

gowld wrote: post #43
mipmap04 wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While it is weird, it's worth noting that the transaction information it shows just shows who paid who and an optional narrative. They don't show actual dollar amounts. That being said, you can always post privately. Not sure why people post publicly.

It's still insane to make that public by default.

Was going to reply but you've basically said it. You could pay an ex-partner when you're not supposed to be seing them, a liquor store when you're supposed to be sober, or a sex worker when you're supposed to be ashamed. Not showing dollar amounts doesn't make this sane.

Re: People using Venmo to spy on cheating spouses

#198

Post by rdm_blackhole »

Kluny wrote: post #195
megy wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I still don't get it. My bank's app lets me send money to people via interac e-transfer. You don't get it that most banks do not do that? I am unsure why you are confused about that?

Every bank in Canada does it, even the tiny credit unions. It's common throughout Europe. I don't know about Australia, but they probably have it too. I don't know, just another example of Americans being backwards and thinking everyone else has the same problems. I seriously can't believe it's 2018 and this isn't mandatory for every bank yet.

Australia just got PayId this year which means you can send any amount of money to anybody who signs up via their banks and receive money in seconds.

Until last year you had to wait up to 3 days to do an interbank transfer but not anymore. (same bank transfer would usually clear within the day)

I have used it quite a bit since it was released and I have to say that it does the job. The only downside is that it is tied to your phone number and I am not really sure what the process is if you want to change it.

Re: People using Venmo to spy on cheating spouses

#199

Post by eurticket »

bas wrote: post #97
gkoberger wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hmm, I think most people use it to pay friends back for brunch or drinks. It's not like you're streaming all your credit card purchases. It's kinda like checking in on Foursquare with friends... it's a public way to expose your social graph a bit. It may not be for you, but people love social media. To put it a different way: it's so successful because, despite there being lots of ways to pay back friends, none of th…

> it's a public way to expose your social graph a bit. Why is this a thing?

so they can say it's public data and sell the ish out of it

Re: People using Venmo to spy on cheating spouses

#200

Post by rando444 »

megy wrote: post #190
Kluny wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I still don't get it. My bank's app lets me send money to people via interac e-transfer. It's kind of a pain in the ass to add a new payee each time, but the payee doesn't need to have any app themselves. It works through email and the bank's website. It's free too. What does venmo have that isn't covered by that?

> I still don't get it. My bank's app lets me send money to people via interac e-transfer. You don't get it that most banks do not do that? I am unsure why you are confused about that?

Perhaps it's the people's problem for not demanding a better system.

Many other countries in the world bank transfers are easy and free (within the country). I can transfer to anyone from my phone, and do all the time. No apps or special services needed.

IMHO America likes to hinge these arguments on "our system is too old, we're just too big, etc.", but when it comes down to it are just excuses to allow banks to continue fleecing their customers.

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