Payment apps like PayPal and Venmo make it feel like money is just money — fast, interchangeable, and settled the moment you see a confirmation.

But behind the scenes, not all systems are doing the same job.

In this episode of Money, Clearly, we explain why payment apps can feel like bank accounts during everyday use — and why they behave differently when something is delayed, questioned, or disputed.

You’ll learn:

• Why seeing a balance doesn’t always tell you where money lives

• How authorization and posting are different moments in the system

• Why reversals and disputes feel different depending on how money moved

• What changes when money sits inside an app instead of a bank account

This episode isn’t about what to use or what to avoid.
It’s about understanding how money moves — and why systems that look the same don’t always play by the same rules.