Vipps

In simple terms, Vipps is a mobile payment app that consumers can use to pay bills and purchase products and services. It also allows people to send money to each other. For businesses, it's another way to receive money that's more convenient and secure than cash.

Vipps is a Norwegian business that is backed by several of the country's banks. The company started out as a DNB app and has since grown into an independent company, although DNB owns a majority stake in the company.

How do I apply for Vipps?

Anyone with a Norwegian personal identification number (fødselnummer), a Norwegian 8-digit phone number, a Norwegian bank account, and a debit card can sign up for an account for free. To get started, simply download the app from the Apple or Android app store.

It makes a difference whether you link the app to your bank account or debit card. If you send money from a Vipps account that's linked to a bank account, the recipient will receive the money immediately. If you send money via a debit card, it can take up to three business days.

Send and receive money

This is the feature I use the most, both personally and between friends. You might be wondering why we don't just use our bank's mobile app to transfer money. The answer is simple: convenience.

While this option is totally possible, the key difference with Vipps is that you don't need to know the account information of all the payers or payees. All you need is their phone numbers, which you most likely already know.

Another convenient option is to request a payment. This is ideal if you want to split a bill. One person is responsible for splitting the bill, and then all everyone has to do is approve the amount.

Going a step further is the settlement feature. This enables everyone on the team to add an expense to the app. Once the expense is complete, the app calculates how much each person needs to pay in order for everyone to pay what they owe or receive what they're due. This is perfect for cabin trips, for example, which is exactly when I used it!

Paying Expenses

As I mentioned earlier, you can also use Vipps to pay bills or purchase products and services. This can be done in person by simply sending the money to the other person's phone number. Some businesses have five-digit Vipps numbers that can be used in place of a regular phone number.

You can also use Vipps to shop online. For example, you can use Vipps to buy train tickets on the Vy app. By selecting Vipps as the payment method, the Vy app will open the Vipps app for you to confirm the payment, and then return to the Vy app to complete the payment process.