When I was a little girl I had my first savings account. Mom or Dad would take me down to the bank to deposit or withdraw money. The bank was open limited hours during the day, shorter hours on Friday, and closed on Saturday. When I was old enough I could ride my bicycle or walk to the branch in our foothill town.
Then our bank had the most amazing contraption installed outside; it was called an ATM or automated teller machine. With the ATM customers could do a number of simple transactions without having to talk to a teller during banking hours. My parents helped me apply for my first ATM card. The convenience was great, but purchases were still limited to cash, check, or charge.
A few years later we were introduced to the debit card. Debit cards were backed by Visa or MasterCard and were linked to your checking account in the same way that your ATM card was. Debit cards could be used at ATMs and Point of Purchase machines like the ATM card and for purchases like a credit card. The money was debited automatically from the linked account.
Now you can just use your iPhone. TabbedOut allows you to use your phone to open and pay your tab at participating restaurants and bars. The app comes with three free uses before per-use fees kick in. The great thing about this app is that you don’t have to wait for the server in order to pay your check. Your phone connects to the restaurant and pays the tab plus tip securely and easily. You don’t have to give your credit or debit card to anyone.
Search for a TabbedOur location through your phone and try it out. It’s such a novel idea that I absolutely have to download the app to my phone.