Payment apps: how they are used and what is common in G7 countries

Informational only, not financial advice. Brand popularity shifts by year and age group. Listing an app here is not a recommendation. Age rules and features depend on the provider and your country.

What “payment apps” usually means

Parents often hear several different ideas grouped together:

• Peer-to-peer (P2P): send money to a friend or contact using a phone number, @username, or QR code (e.g. split concert tickets, pay back lunch).
• Digital wallets: store cards or balances on the phone and tap or pay online (Apple Pay, Google Wallet / Google Pay, Samsung equivalents).
• Bank-led transfer tools: send from bank account to bank account inside one country’s banking system, sometimes inside your bank’s app rather than a separate “social” brand.
• Buy-now, shop checkouts: some apps are tied to shopping, games, or creator tips rather than everyday P2P.

Teens may use these for allowance, gig or casual work, buying from people they know, gaming or in-app purchases, or because a stranger on social media asked for money (that last one is where scams spike).

Why this matters for safety

Transfers are often fast and hard to reverse. That is convenient until someone sends money to the wrong person, falls for a fake “refund” or “investment” chat, or shares screenshots of linked accounts. Pair this topic with crypto scams and the young people & money overview for a fuller picture.

Commonly used names by G7 country (broad strokes)

The G7 is Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Below are widely recognised payment or transfer methods in each; your child’s school or city may lean harder on one or two.

• United States: Venmo and Cash App for social P2P; Zelle (bank-to-bank, often inside banking apps); PayPal for online and some P2P; Apple Pay and Google Wallet for tap-to-pay and in-app.
• United Kingdom: PayPal; major bank apps with instant transfers (Faster Payments); Apple Pay and Google Wallet for cards on the phone; many young adults also use Monzo, Starling, or Revolut for spending, pots, and easy transfers (neobanks, not only “payment apps” in the US sense).
• Canada: Interac e-Transfer (bank email or mobile transfer, extremely common); PayPal; Apple Pay and Google Wallet; some use Wealthsimple Cash or bank P2P features.
• France: PayPal; Lydia for P2P and group pots; Apple Pay and Google Wallet; bank cards with contactless; Paylib has been part of the bank-led mobile landscape (usage varies).
• Germany: PayPal is very common online; Giropay-style online banking redirects for checkout; SEPA bank transfers; Apple Pay and Google Wallet growing for in-store; Girocard contactless in shops (often via bank card, not a separate US-style “cash app”).
• Italy: PayPal; Satispay for in-store QR and P2P; PostePay and bank apps; Apple Pay and Google Wallet; BANCOMAT Pay for some bank-linked mobile payments.
• Japan: PayPay (QR payments, very visible); LINE Pay and Rakuten Pay; transit and store e-money such as Mobile Suica / Mobile PASMO; Apple Pay and Google Wallet; cash is still used heavily compared with many other G7 states, but phone QR and wallet use keep growing.

What parents can do

• Ask which apps are installed and whether they are linked to a parent’s card, a teen account, or a prepaid balance.
• Agree rules for paying strangers (including concert, resale, and “help me unlock my account” scams): when to say no and when to involve you first.
• Turn on notifications for large or new-recipient transfers where the app allows it.
• Remind them that screenshots of balances or codes can be used against them; treat DMs asking for money as high risk until proven otherwise.

Related: Young people & money · Crypto scams · Gambling and prediction apps