this post was submitted on 14 Jan 2026
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I still don't know why USians don't simply use bank transfers. Uses neither cash nor credit cards, perfectly easy.
Because the US still does not have instant, or near instant bank transfers. ACH bank transfers cost money per transaction, on the order of 0.30-0.50 per transaction, and can much higher for larger transactions.
The US is just incredibly, and uniquely behind when it becomes to accessible payments. This is the reason why "FinTech" such as Cash app, PayPal, and Venmo, in addition to credit cards, are popular - they literally just don't have the infrastructure in place for you to pay back a friend after they pay for a meal.
Every other developed, and even some developing countries, have had fee free instant payments, for the better half of a decade. The UK/Hong Kong have Faster Payment System (FPS). Europe has SEPA, and most countries mandate that transfers cannot charge fees. Australia has Osko. India has Immediate Payments Service.
I read horror stories of USians paying rent by writing cheques or mailing cash to avoid bank transfer fees and subsequently stressing out about fraud. This is just insane to everyone else, who just pays via instant bank transfers.
We do have Zelle. It's just no one knows about it for some reason. I pay my rent this way. It's also less convenient since people have to actively sign up for it with their bank and many don't, so I do cashapp my friends.
Zelle isn’t available to download anymore (as least, on ios.) My landlord kept suggesting it for me to pay rent, and that’s how I discovered that it’s disappeared from the App Store.
I started setting up a bank transfer instead, but even that required precise coordination that we couldn’t get to work. I’d have to add his account to my online bank, wait for it to send two “microtransfers” of less than a dollar, then confirm the amounts on my end. Between our schedules and the fact I don’t know when the microtransations happen, we keep missing the chance to verify the numbers before the bank withdraws the microtransfers. Such a pain in the ass.
I ended up paying rent through Apple pay instead, which I still feel weird about. But I don’t have a checkbook (who does these days?) and it’s cheaper than a cashier’s check, so…
Zella isnt downloadable because it's integrated into the banking system now. It's not a separate thing.
It's literally just a direct transfer now. Straight from your banking app.
Yeah there used to be an app but now it's integrated into your banking app, so I guess yours hasnt adopted it. I go into my bank's app and have the option for them to issue a check by mail from my account, or use Zelle. It's no good for online purchases but I've paid an electrician that way before.
Yep, my landlord kept telling me to use Zelle through my banking app, but I use a small local credit union (and have zero interest in changing that. Credit unions ftw.) So I gotta do what I gotta do.