MONEY TALK SUE’S GUIDE TO Ways To Pay Without Cash
Consumer expert Sue Hayward’s savvy finance tips and advice
If you rely on family and friends to help out with shopping, how can you pay them if you don’t have enough cash?
No need to make a trip to the bank; there are other easy ways to pay... Bank transfer Easy to do if you’ve got mobile banking set up on your account. If you’re paying someone new for the first time, do double-check the sort code and account number as mistakes can be costly if the money ends up in the wrong account.
My tip when paying someone new is to send £1 to them as a safety check. Then get them to check they’ve received the money in their account before sending the rest. It takes less than five minutes and means you have peace of mind, knowing the money’s gone to the right place.
Payments by phone If you’ve got phone banking set up on your account, you can transfer money simply by calling your bank. Once again, do check both the sort code and account numbers when setting up a new payment. PayPal It’s the way to pay on eBay, but that’s not the only place to use PayPal. Lots of shops and services offer PayPal payment – and if the person you’re paying has a PayPal account, you’ll just need the email address they’ve registered to the account and you can log on and pay instantly.
Pay by text This is a free service called Paym which you can use if you’ve got a mobile banking app. Both you and the person you’re paying need to register mobile numbers in order to make payments.
◆ It’s easy to set up phone or online banking – really! Check your bank’s website for step-by-step guides.
◆ Choose strong, secure passwords with a mix of letters and numbers.
◆ Don’t use your pet’s name or names of your kids. They’re too easy for fraudsters to pick up from your Facebook page.
◆ If you prefer face-to-face contact, both Natwest and Barclays offer “video banking”.