Obopay - pay via mobile phone
Today I want to introduce you to a company new to me. Obopay.
The company allows money transfer via mobile. All you need is to set up an account with them, and then you can start transferring money to other mobile phones. Clearly, you need to deposit some funds. Once that is done, you can immediately transfer some money to any US mobile number. Transferring money it is easy: it just takes a text message like “transfer 123456789 8.5£ for beer”. The receiver doesn’t need to hold an Obopay account. If somebody transfers money into your account, then you can withdraw it into your bank account. Or, you can spend it with your mobile phone by paying for tickets, goods etc etc. You are instantly notified of any incoming transfer. Fees are extremely affordable: just 10c for message (on top, I presume, to the cost of the text). If you receive money and don’t have an Obopay account, just go to the website and input your bank detailes and they’ll wire them for you.
It’s a great invention. Imagine at the restaurant: no hassle with split bills. Easy to share the bill: if it’s 100£ in 3, then it’s 33.3£ each. I pay the whole, and my friends “text” me 33.3 each. Usually, the sorry person that “is volunteered” to be the deal (or the bank) will no longer be out of pocket with this cool product. I don’t know about you, but splitting a bill it’s always a challenge with Italians. If the group is 5+, then there is always somebody contributing less (and, quite strangely, they are always the same!) and somebody contributing more. Yet, the “dealer” is always out of pocket and has to make up for the balance. He asks around, and everybody swears having put in more than requested. It’s a funny world.
Apparently (and I say apparently as the product works only in US) you can also pay for tickets and other services directly.
It’s a great idea, and I wish the guys so much success to be able to quickly bring it into other countries, starting with UK and Italy. In the first one I leave, in the second one they would be helping a lot of “dealers” living a better life 
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