'How does Cash App work?': Cash App's primary features, explained

• The Cash App, by Square, is a payment app that allows for direct peer-to-peer payment via your mobile device.
• Cash App users can get an optional Visa debit card that allows them to use funds from their Cash App account to make purchases from retailers or even withdraw cash from an ATM.
• You need to have a working bank account tied to your Cash App account to transfer money. 
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Cash App is, quite simply, an app for sending and receiving money. Users can create a free account that will then let them instantly send or receive money from other users within the same country. 

Once you download the Cash App app, you choose a unique username, which the company calls a $cashtag. Users can also be found using the phone number or email address tied to their account. 

How Cash App works

You can add funds to your Cash App account using a debit card linked to an existing bank account. You can also transfer funds from your Cash App account to your bank account, a process that usually takes two to three days.

Cash App has two primary functions: paying people and getting paid. To accomplish both, you start by tapping the dollar sign icon "$" at the bottom of the app. 

Next you enter the amount in question, then tap "Request" or "Pay," depending on the circumstances. Then, enter the other party's $cashtag (or email or phone) and send or request the money.

One of the things that sets Cash App apart from other online payment platforms is the free Visa-certified debit card, called a Cash Card, that users can request. This debit card can be used at standard brick-and-mortar retail locations and at ATMs to take out cash.

When using the Cash App, be extra mindful of entering recipients' information properly, because if you accidentally send money to the wrong party there is no real recourse to get it back once the transfer has initiated other than asking for it and hoping they do the right thing by refunding it, although you may be able to cancel certain pending payments. 

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

• How to cash out on Cash App and transfer money to your bank account instantly

• How to activate your Cash App card so you can make payments without having to use your personal bank account

• How to increase your Cash App transaction limit by verifying your account

• How to add a credit card to your Cash App account on iPhone or Android

• How to change your Cash App PIN on an Android or iPhone

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