Anyone with roommates knows that, as great as they can be, they aren’t always caring and kind. If you’re looking for a way to get your roommates to show you a little more consideration, you’re in luck: Venmo is adding a feature that will let you pay your roommates to be nice to you.
Um, yes!
If you know how to use Venmo, this feature is incredibly simple. Just open up your Venmo app and look for the “Roommates” tab in the lefthand sidebar. There, you can use your Venmo balance to pay your roommates to perform actions from several preloaded categories that include giving you compliments, asking questions about your day, and inviting you to hang out after work. If your preferred action doesn’t match one of those categories, it’s no problem—just start a new payment and enter a description, like “please leave room for my coat on the coatrack so I don’t have to keep it on the floor.”
Once the money is sent, it’s up to your roommate to perform the action. Unfortunately, Venmo cannot actually force your roommates to be nice to you after the payment. But the app does have a handy “Up The Ante” option that will let you add money to the payment until your roommates decide they’ve received enough money to warrant showing you kindness.
Yeah, we’re going to need this ASAP!
The new feature even lets you schedule weekly payments. You can automatically drop $6 into your roommates’ accounts every Monday to help them buy their own groceries instead of stealing yours. Or add a weekly group payment of $20 to incentivize your housemates to invite you on the beach trip they’ve been planning together.
Plus, a special in-app emoji pack will help you get your message of goodwill across to the people you live with. Put a “cleaning man” emoji at the end of your payment to let your roommates know that you’re happy to clean the kitchen counters while they congratulate you on your recent promotion. Or add a “silent roommate” emoji to show that you’re willing to sit quietly in your room all night if they will ask you three questions about your solo mountain-biking trip.
Wow! Gone are the days of awkwardly begging your roommates to mention your new haircut and showing up uninvited to their birthday parties only to be asked to leave. Thank you, Venmo!!! This app rules.
