{"id":7133,"date":"2022-04-11T09:48:15","date_gmt":"2022-04-11T13:48:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/?p=7133"},"modified":"2025-08-23T17:14:30","modified_gmt":"2025-08-23T21:14:30","slug":"the-importance-of-money-transfer-apps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/2022\/04\/11\/the-importance-of-money-transfer-apps\/","title":{"rendered":"The Importance of Money Transfer Apps"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Today, almost everyone has a money transfer app on their phone. Facebook Messenger, PayPal, Venmo, Cash App\u2013everyone has heard of these. Before these services existed, money had to be transferred in less convenient ways. Technology has allowed families and friends to send one another money in the blink of an eye. These apps are surpassing mobile banking at soaring rates. When people are in need of money, it is important that they receive it as soon as possible. That is why these apps are useful for people who have moved away from their family but still need support.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Three of the most popular money transfer apps.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In 2016, Elisabet Hernandez met her now best friend Paula Santiago on Twitter. Hernandez is from B\u00edo B\u00edo, Chile. She is 20 years old. Santiago is from Montevideo, Uruguay. The two are the same age. When they first met, they got along instantly. Hernandez was struggling to flourish in Chile, where the government situation was going through a rough patch. She would often vent to Santiago.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI met Paula and she told me how it was living in Montevideo. I knew that I had to go there. The situation in Chile was bad. The government was failing us, and it felt like we were always at war with the system,\u201d Hernandez said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Hernandez also suffers from juvenile arthritis. When she was living in Chile, getting her medication was near impossible. The healthcare and education systems were full of problems that did not exist in Uruguay. She told her father about Santiago and her desire to flee to Uruguay. Hernandez\u2019 father was hesitant.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cIt was an emotional conversation. He was worried about how I would be able to survive with a stranger in another country. We video called a few times with Paula. I needed to convince him that she was a good person. We both cried a lot when he said that he would let me go.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The situation in Chile persuaded Hernandez\u2019 father to send his daughter away for a better chance at life. Today, her situation is better in Uruguay. Still, she is unable to work due to her condition. The healthcare system is better in Uruguay, but it is terribly slow. If Hernandez does not have money for her medication, it takes a long time for it to be approved through the free system.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cThe cost of living has always been high here. But it\u2019s even worse because Elisabet has to get medication each month. We are both students. I want to be a teacher and Eli likes pottery and crocheting,\u201d Santiago said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Hernandez\u2019 father sends her money for food, medication and other bills. Hernandez also has a friend in the U.S. who sends her money every few months for groceries and supplies for her favorite hobby: crocheting stuffed animals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI have always wanted to sell my stuffed animals. I can\u2019t work too fast because of my arthritis. I always thought that it would never happen. Technology is growing fast here, and I heard that I can open an online shop and be paid through the same money transfer apps I use with my father.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Hernandez believes that if it weren\u2019t for money transfer apps, she would not be happy and healthy right now. She would be without medication, food and hobbies. Leaving her father and going to a brand-new country was not easy for her. Luckily, technology allows her friends and family to care for her. It also lets her stay connected with them. Without technology, life would look much different for this young woman who wants to pursue her dreams.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Today, almost everyone has a money transfer app on their phone. Facebook Messenger, PayPal, Venmo, Cash App\u2013everyone has heard of these. Before these services existed, money had to be transferred in less convenient ways. Technology has allowed families and friends to send one another money in the blink of an eye. These apps are surpassing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":245,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7381],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archives","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/245"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7133"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7133\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8162,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7133\/revisions\/8162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}