What Are Peer-to-Peer Payments?

Peer-to-peer payments, or P2P payments, are transactions that can be used for anything from splitting a dinner bill between friends to paying your rent. These payments allow the transfer of funds between two parties using their individual banking accounts, credit cards, or debit cards through a website or mobile app.
 
Consider the basics of P2P payments before deciding whether they’re right for you.

How P2P payments work

Peer-to-peer payment accounts are typically relatively simple to set up. For whichever platform you choose, you’ll sign up for an account, then link it to your bank account, your credit card, or your debit card. Some apps might require further verification to increase security. After your account is set up, you can find other users by their username, their email, or their phone number.

Once you set up your account, initiating a money transfer is usually just a couple of clicks. You choose to whom you’re sending money, specify the transaction amount, add a reason for payment if you desire, then submit the payment. Depending on which P2P payment service you use, a money transfer can take anywhere from a few seconds to a few business days. Many applications keep the money stored in the app until you manually release the funds into your personal banking account. Typically, this is a free service if you wait a few days for the transaction to process, but some P2P service providers may allow you to transfer the money instantly to your bank account for a small fee.

Research the providers to see what, if any, fees are associated with making transactions.

Peer-to-peer payment benefits

Peer-to-peer payments are all about ease of use, convenience, and speed. Once you have the P2P payment service app installed on your phone, you can typically send instant payment to friends or merchants.

Most P2P transfer services also allow you to request payment from other users. So, if you’re out for dinner with friends, instead of worrying about dividing the bill then, you could use your Discover Card to pay the tab and request their portion using your P2P platform later at your convenience.

Security risks of P2P payments

While for the most part, peer-to-peer payment services are secure, there are always risks involved when sending money online. Whether you accidentally send money to the wrong user, or you risk becoming the victim of a scam or data breach, issues can arise. Many P2P payment providers use precautions to lower these security risks, from passwords and PINS, to transaction notifications that confirm whether users did indeed send money.

To lower the risk of being victimized by fraudsters, only conduct transactions with people you know. Read up on the type of fraud monitoring your P2P payment system uses, and research the quality of the financial institution’s customer support network.

The risks that come with using a P2P payment app are things to be mindful of, but if you take the proper precautions, they shouldn’t necessarily stop you from using this easy way to transfer money.