6 free ways to send money to family and friends

Whether you’re paying your share of rent or a dinner check, making a quick payment has never been easier. Here are six ways to send money to your friends and family with incurring fees:

Square Cash

Square Cash uses a simple system of “Cashtags” to do money transfers. If your recipient has a Square Cash account, ask for his personal Cashtag URL and visit the page. If you have your own Square Cash account, sign in, enter the amount to send and click “Pay.” If you don’t have an account, select the “Pay” option and follow the prompts. Other ways to send money through Square Cash include the Cash app, iMessage and Siri.

The free service has a limit of $250 per week, which increases to $2,500 in most states if you verify your identity with your name, date of birth and the last four digits of your Social Security number. You cannot use the service outside the U.S. or in U.S. territories.

Venmo

Money transfer apps like Venmo let you send money and perform other functions, like making payments at participating businesses, with your phone. Venmo, which is

owned by PayPal, also has a social function so you can share your transfer history with friends. For simple money transfers, Venmo lets you use a funding source like a bank account or money you’ve received from others through the app.

Click on the Venmo app to make a money transfer to other Venmo users. After you select an amount, you can add a note before completing the transaction.

You can also send money via the Venmo website. You cannot send more than $299.99 within a seven-day period, and Venmo is limited to use within the U. S.

Chase Quickpay

Chase Bank offers a free Chase QuickPay bank transfer option to its banking customers. Once you’ve signed up, you can confirm your account safely by using the code sent to your primary email address during the sign-up process.

Recipients don’t have to be Chase Bank customers to receive a money transfer through this service; however, they must create a log-in via www. chase.com/QP, verify their email address, and add a non-Chase U.S. account in which to receive the bank transfer.

Chase sets limits on transferring money depending on the type of transfer and whether the recipient has a Chase Bank account.

Zelle

Account holders at banks that are part of the clearXchange network can take advantage of the new Zelle app, which allows you to securely send money to others by using your bank’s mobile app. With Zelle, users just need a mobile phone number or an email address to send money to their intended recipient. No account information is shared when you send money; the program will only use your email or mobile phone number to send or receive money to or from your bank account.

Zelle is a newer offering, but more and more banks are joining. Ally Bank, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase Bank, U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo are among the financial institutions offering this service. If your or your recipient’s bank doesn’t offer Zelle, you can still send or receive money through the service by registering at clearXchange.com.

Popmoney

Popmoney offers one of the easiest ways to send money via mobile devices or email if you have an account at a participating bank — Ally Bank, TD Bank, Fifth Third Bank, Regions Bank, U.S. Bank, Bank of America, Citibank, PNC Bank, SunTrust Bank and Wells Fargo. You can send money for free if a Popmoney user sends you a request. Otherwise, it’s only 95 cents if you initiate the transfer.

Recipients don’t need a Popmoney account to accept payment. They’re notified via text or email that you’re transferring money to them. Recipients provide their bank account information, and the money is safely deposited within three days.

Paypal

A personal PayPal account lets you transfer money for free into another person’s account. You fund your PayPal balance through your bank account or with a credit or debit card. When you’re ready to send money, simply enter the mobile phone number or email address of the person to whom you’re indebted and specify the amount to send. You can do this through the website or app. The funds go into that person’s PayPal account. If your intended recipient has a PayPal. Me link, go to the link and enter the money transfer amount.

Although transferring money via PayPal is free, if you draw the funds from your bank account, you’ll pay a 2.9 percent fee for using a credit or debit card. You can send money internationally, but you’ll pay a fee that varies by country.