现金(Cash)曾经是王道，但如今我们大多数人的钱包里都没有纸和硬币。相反，越来越多的客户开始进行数字支付，甚至在此过程中放弃了磁条卡和芯片卡(stripe and chip cards)。这是数字支付服务时代(payment service era)，是时候拥抱适合您需求的服务了。
什么是数字支付服务？
数字支付(Digital Payment) 服务(Services)是不言自明的。从本质上讲，任何允许您在没有现金、支票、借记卡或信用卡的情况下以数字方式向企业和个人支付商品和服务的服务都属于这一类。
它们仍然可以与您的银行帐户或信用卡(bank account or credit card)相关联，但这些付款方式绝不会暴露给您付款的任何人。一些数字支付服务允许您使用智能手机或智能手表亲自付款。
数字支付服务(Digital Payment Service Do)应该做什么？
理想情况下，您选择的数字支付服务(payment service)应该让您在零售商处在线和亲自付款。您可能还想要一种轻松向朋友和家人汇款的方法，而无需等待银行转帐或处理ATM 机(ATMs)上的现金。联合付款的方式（例如分摊餐馆账单(restaurant bill)）也可能是一个重要特征。
除了方便之外，数字支付服务(payment service)还必须是安全的！其中许多服务对在线支付很有吸引力，因为它们不会将您的银行或信用卡详细信息(bank or credit card details)暴露给任何人。他们还倾向于制定保护政策，如果您是欺诈的受害者，他们会退还您的钱。使用这些支付平台的供应商会被激励做诚实的生意，否则他们将面临被踢出局的风险。
这些服务应该提供的第三件重要的事情是广泛接受。如果您不能放心地将现金和银行卡(cash and cards)留在家中，并且知道您可以使用您的服务进行支付，那就无济于事了！由于点击支付终端现在如此普遍，因此提供NFC（近场通信）支付的服务通常会满足这一要求(requirement sewn-up)
移动设备支付的工作原理
有几种方法可以使用数字支付服务(payment service)。如今，大多数智能手机和智能手表都具有NFC功能，与触碰支付卡使用的技术相同。设置数字支付服务(payment service)后，您需要在支付终端(payment terminal)上点击您的设备，通常是在输入密码或执行生物特征(biometric)验证之后。
与某人进行应用到应用交易时，您将使用互联网连接(internet connection)进行转账，因此您不必在同一个位置。一些服务还可以使用二维码(QR codes)进行支付。例如，店内会展示二维码；(QR code)您将使用支付应用程序(payment app)扫描二维码(QR code)，输入金额，然后完成支付。
最佳数字支付服务
哪种数字支付服务最适合您，很大程度上取决于您居住在世界的哪个地方。以下选择的支付服务列表是从美国的角度(US perspective)选择的，美国读者会发现它们被广泛接受和方便。
苹果支付(Apple Pay)
Apple Pay是一种集成到大多数 Apple 设备中的数字支付服务。(payment service)您可以使用iPhone 或 Apple Watch(iPhone or Apple Watch)在商店中点击支付，也可以在支持它的网站上在线支付。例如，Airbnb支持Apple Pay，您可以在iPhone 或 Mac上使用(iPhone or Mac)FaceID 或 TouchID(FaceID or TouchID)来验证您的购买。由于 Apple 自己的内部信用卡(in-house credit card)与 Apple Pay完全集成，Apple Pay变得(Apple Pay)更加强大。
谷歌支付(Google Pay)
(Google pay)对于寻找Apple Pay 竞争对手的(Apple Pay competitor)Android用户来说， (Android)Google Pay是一个很好的解决方案。它提供了一组非常相似的功能，让您可以在点击支付终端、网站和Google Play 商店(Google Play store)内支付店内商品。
三星支付(Samsung Pay)
Samsung Pay是三星(Samsung)的内部数字支付解决方案(payment solution)，最早可用于2015 年的Galaxy Note 5的(Galaxy Note 5)Galaxy手机。它也适用于精选的三星(Samsung)智能手表，但它不像手机型号那样全面。
一些Galaxy手机（例如Note 10+）具有磁刷模拟器(swipe simulator)，因此它们可以与没有点击支付功能的卡终端一起使用。不幸的是，该功能已被Galaxy S21等较新的手机型号删除。
如果您已经在使用兼容设备， Samsung Pay(Samsung Pay)是一项出色的服务，但您找不到提供该服务的网站。此外，如果您想向非企业的另一位Samsung Pay 用户汇款(Samsung Pay user)，你们都需要申请并拥有三星借记(Samsung debit)卡，这严重限制了该功能的实用性。
贝宝(PayPal)
PayPal可能是最著名的在线数字(online digital) 支付服务(payment service)。正是这家公司首先提出了在您的信用卡和在线商店(credit card and online stores)之间建立中介的想法。
虽然PayPal已成为付款或获得付款的最佳场所之一，但您可能不知道您也可以在店内使用 PayPal 付款(PayPal in-store)。虽然这是使用PayPal 应用程序(PayPal app)和企业主提供的(business owner)二维码(QR code)来实现的。它不像点击付款那样方便或普遍，但如果您已经是PayPal 用户(PayPal user)并且知道附近有几个地方提供它，那么它是一个很好的补充。
PayPal 确实可以轻松地向家人和朋友(family and friends)汇款，然后他们可以直接在网上消费或将其提取到关联的银行账户(bank account)。
现金应用(Cash App)
Cash App是一种金融服务，它使使用数字支付比使用实际现金更容易。首先(First)，只要他们都拥有Cash App ，就可以轻松快速地在朋友和家人之间转移资金。您可以获得与您的应用帐户余额关联的虚拟(account balance)借记卡(debit card)，并将资金提取到您的银行帐户(bank account)。
虽然Cash App不提供在商店中点击付款的方式，但他们的虚拟借记卡(debit card)确实可以与Apple Pay配合使用，因此您可以通过这种方式在终端使用其他人通过Cash App向您发送的钱。(Cash App)
文莫(Venmo)
Venmo是(Venmo)PayPal旗下的数字支付服务(payment service)，专注于个人之间的资金转移。您可以订购实体卡以在店内使用，(use in-store)或在支持实体卡的商店使用二维码(QR code)付款。如果需要，用户可以将钱从Venmo转移到银行账户。(bank account)
数字支付是未来
现金(Cash)仍然会存在一段时间，但数字支付服务正在削弱实物货币的使用，这要归功于它们的速度和便利性(speed and convenience)。再加上加密货币使用的增加，可能有一天，您唯一能看到硬币和纸币的地方就是博物馆！
What Are the Best Digital Payment Services to Start Using?
Cash used to be king, but most of uѕ have wallets devoid of paper and coins these days. Instead, more and more customers are paying digitally, ditching even magnetіc stripe and сhip cards in the process. This is the digital payment service era, and the time is right to embrace the one that fits your needs.
What Is a Digital Payment Service?
Digital Payment Services are fairly self-explanatory. In essence, any service that allows you to pay digitally for goods and services to businesses and individuals without cash, cheques, debit cards, or credit cards falls into this category.
They can still be linked to your bank account or credit card, but these payment methods are never exposed to whomever you’re paying. Some digital payment services allow you to pay for things in-person using a smartphone or a smartwatch.
What Should a Digital Payment Service Do?
Ideally, the digital payment service of your choice should let you pay for things online and in-person at a retailer. You may also want a way to give money to friends and family easily, without having to wait for bank transfers or deal with cash from ATMs. A way to make joint payments (such as splitting a restaurant bill) can also be an important feature.
Apart from being convenient, a digital payment service has to be secure! Many of these services are attractive for online payments because they don’t expose your bank or credit card details to anyone. They also tend to have protection policies in place that will pay your money back if you’re the victim of fraud. Vendors who use these payment platforms are incentivized to do honest business, or they run the risk of being kicked out.
The third important thing these services should offer is wide acceptance. If you can’t confidently leave your cash and cards at home in the knowledge that you can pay with your service, it’s not helping! Since tap-and-pay terminals are now so common, services that offer NFC (near-field communication) payment generally have this requirement sewn-up
How Mobile Device Payments Work
There are several ways to use a digital payment service. Today, most smartphones and smartwatches have NFC capabilities, the same technology used by tap-and-pay cards. With a digital payment service set up, you need to tap your device on a payment terminal, usually after entering a pin or performing a biometric verification.
When doing app-to-app transactions with someone, you’ll use an internet connection to transfer money, so you don’t have to be in the same location. Some services can also use QR codes for payment. For example, there will be a QR code on display in the store; you’ll use the payment app to scan the QR code, enter an amount, and complete the payment.
The Best Digital Payment Services
Which digital payment services work the best for you will largely depend on where in the world you live. The list of selected payment services below is chosen from a US perspective, and US readers will find they are widely accepted and convenient.
Apple Pay is a digital payment service integrated into most Apple devices. You can use an iPhone or Apple Watch to tap-and-pay in stores, and you can pay for things online on sites that support it. For example, Airbnb supports Apple Pay, and you can use FaceID or TouchID on an iPhone or Mac to verify your purchase. Apple Pay is made even more powerful thanks to Apple’s own in-house credit card, which is fully integrated with Apple Pay.
Google pay is a great solution for Android users looking for an Apple Pay competitor. It offers a very similar set of features and lets you pay for in-store items at a tap-and-pay terminal, on websites, and within the Google Play store.
Samsung Pay is Samsung’s in-house digital payment solution that works with Galaxy phones as far back as the Galaxy Note 5 from 2015. It also works with a selection of Samsung smartwatches, but it’s not as comprehensive a list as the phone models.
Some Galaxy phones (such as the Note 10+) feature a magnetic swipe simulator, so they’ll work with card terminals that don’t have tap-and-pay. Unfortunately, that feature has been removed with newer phone models such as the Galaxy S21.
Samsung Pay is an excellent service if you’re already using a compatible device, but you won’t find websites that offer it. Also, if you want to send money to another Samsung Pay user who isn’t a business, both of you need to apply for and have a Samsung debit card, which severely limits how useful the feature is.
PayPal is probably the most well-known online digital payment service. It’s the company that made the idea of having an intermediary between your credit card and online stores popular in the first place.
While PayPal has become one of the best places to pay for things or to get paid, you may not know that you can also pay for things using PayPal in-store. Although this is achieved using the PayPal app and a QR code put up by the business owner. It’s not nearly as convenient or universal as tap-and-pay, but it’s an excellent addition if you’re already a PayPal user and know a few places in your neighborhood that offer it.
PayPal does make it easy to send money to family and friends, who can then spend it directly online or withdraw it to a linked bank account.
Cash App is a financial service that makes working with digital payments much easier than actual cash. First and foremost, it makes it easy and fast to move money between friends and family, as long as they all have the Cash App. You can get a virtual debit card linked to your app account balance and withdraw money to your bank account.
While Cash App does not offer a way to tap-and-pay in a store, their virtual debit card does work with Apple Pay, so you can use money other people send you on Cash App at a terminal in this way.
Venmo is a digital payment service owned by PayPal, focusing on moving money between individuals. You can order a physical card for use in-store or pay using a QR code at stores that support it. Users can transfer money from Venmo to a bank account if they need to.
Digital Payments are the Future
Cash will still be around for a while yet, but digital payment services are putting a dent in the use of physical money, thanks to their speed and convenience. Combined with the increased use of cryptocurrencies, there may come a day when the only place you’ll see coins and banknotes is in a museum!
