By Stephanie Humphrey
By Stephanie Humphrey
Apps like Cash App and Venmo have made it easy to send or receive money from family and friends for things like concert tickets, group dinners, and travel arrangements. However, we all know “that” person – the one who itemizes their meal down to the last penny. Or the person you have to track down, reaching out multiple times until you finally get their promised share for the hotel room in Cancun. But what if there was a way to avoid all the awkward haggling or stalking, get the money in a timely fashion – and no one has to come out of pocket upfront?
Fuse is a way for everyone splitting a payment to do so seamlessly. When you sign up, you get a Fuse card – it’s a virtual credit card, but there is no credit check required. You add your bank account information to the card, along with anyone else’s bank account information that is contributing to the payment. The total payment is made upfront using the virtual credit card, then everyone’s share is deducted from their own respective bank account. If you connect a bank account to Fuse, it is completely free to use. If someone connects a credit card for payments, the app does take a processing fee. There are so many different reasons this could be useful to a group, including:
Recurring bills: Fuse works especially well for recurring bill payments. If you have roommates, most of the bills are likely in one person’s name only. One roommate gets the electricity turned on in their name, while the internet service may be shared from a different roommate’s account. That person pays the bill and then gets reimbursed by the other roommates, and this usually works pretty well – until it doesn’t. With Fuse, you can add a merchant and invite your roommates to split the charge. Now the bill gets paid on time and the account holder isn’t stuck waiting for people to pay them back.
Group dinners: No one wants to be the person at the restaurant itemizing the bill at the end of brunch and picking out their specific order items. But it’s also unfair for everyone to share the cost burden of one diner’s endless mimosas when all you had was the fruit plate and toast. With Fuse, you can scan the receipt, invite all the attendees to share the scan, then everyone can tap on what they ordered and just pay for those items. The tax and tip are split based on the individual order. Then everyone pays using the payment method they entered into the app. Easy breezy! No more smartphone calculators at the table, and no more discrepancies – or hurt feelings – when the bill comes.
Fuse makes it easy to split a payment any way you need to – by ratio, in equal portions, by percentage, or by the exact amount everyone owes. You can create groups of people you regularly split costs with, like roommates, your brunch besties, or the vacation crew. And the Fuse account holder will even get cash back rewards at select locations by using the Fuse card to facilitate payments. With this unique innovation in the finance industry, you won’t be charged any interest on the card or carry a revolving credit balance either. It truly is a win-win for any type of group activity that requires a shared expense – with Fuse, you no longer have to worry about money feuds!
Stephanie Humphrey is a former engineer turned tech-life expert and author. She is a contributor to Fox 29’s “Good Day Philadelphia,” and the co-host of “The Tech Jawn” podcast. You can find Stephanie all around the web @TechLifeSteph and purchase her book “Don’t Let Your Digital Footprint Kick You in the Butt!” on Amazon.
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