Girl’s Night Out: “Serving” Friends and One of You! *Giveaway*

This giveaway is now closed. Thanks for stopping by. The winner is Jennifer Q. Congrats!

This post is sponsored by Serve from American Express. Sign up for Serve and receive $10 credit towards your first use. Comment below within the next 7 days for your chance to win an extra $100 credit to your account!

Organizing a girl’s night out was so easy when I was single and much younger.  Between busy schedules, household duties, and children, it’s a bit more of challenge.  When I looked back at the very last time Katie, Liz, Aracely, and I had gotten together for a girl’s night out, we realized it was about a year. Since it’s the season of giving and “serving,” and I’m working with Clever Girls Collective and Serve to try their clever new service which makes sending and receiving money a breeze, I asked if I could take them out to dinner.  After a little re-arranging of schedules and babysitters, we finally managed to get together for an awesome evening of incredible food, laughter, conversation, and bonding.

In order to treat the girls to a meal, I simply asked that they sign up for a free account with Serve so that I could reimburse them after our meal.  The sign up process was relatively easy, and I like the fact that I didn’t have to input a credit card or bank account information (you will have to do this, however, if you want to send and receive money but it’s not required in the initial sign-up process). No credit check is required and the account is secure since a pin (that you’ve created) is required when you send money. I also feel confident using the service since it’s provided by American Express.  You can read all about how Serve protects you and your identity here.

Once each of us signed up for an account, we encountered a few hiccups.  Because the premise of the service is that it’s secure, verification is required.  At least two of us were locked out of our accounts while trying to verify our them, however a phone conversation with Customer Service assisted us in getting our accounts verified and unlocked.

With regards to sending and receiving funds…depending on where the source of those funds is coming from, it could take 1-5 business days from a checking account.  Funding from a linked debit or credit card occurs immediately.  This is something that should be taken into consideration, particularly if you need funds immediately.

So here is what I like about Serve:

1. It’s free…mostly! Next year (June 1st, 2012 to be exact), funding your account from a credit card and withdrawing cash from an ATM will require a fee. However, money transfers and funding your account from a checking account are free.

2.  It’s easy!  Once you’ve gotten past the verification process, you can simply go into your account and send or accept funds online.

3.  It’s super secure! Not only is the service backed by American Express (how’s that for credibility?), the service uses multiple layers of protection so that your identity and your account are secure.

4.  There’s an app for that!  Away from your computer? Download the free mobile app and you’ll have the ability to manage your account (send and receive money) while on-the-go.

5.  There’s a card for that!  Want to make purchases with the funds from your account?  Included with the services is a prepaid, reloadable card that can be used to make purchases anywhere (online and offline) American Express is accepted.  In fact, one of the gals I “served” is actually using her card to make purchases instead of transferring that money to her own bank account.  Brilliant!

Last year, I introduced a few of the gals to The Melting Pot, a fantastic fondue restaurant where guests can “cook” their own food.  We absolutely LOVE the restaurant, so we headed over once again for a girl’s night out.  If you’ve never dined at the restaurant, I highly recommend it, even if it is a bit pricey.  The food is diverse and incredibly flavorful, and the atmosphere is warm and relaxed.  In the busyness of the season, it’s a welcome change to be able to sit down for a good amount of time with friends to catch up on life.

Once we dipped the last of our desserts in our gourmet chocolate fondue, it was time to pay the bill.  Even if you’re with the closest of friends, isn’t this the most challenging part?  Figuring out who ordered what, calculating tax and tips… We actually used the app to figure out the tip and split the bill.  And that same night, I went home and reimbursed each of the gals for dinner.  Quick. Easy. Clever.  And as an added bonus, since each of the girls received a $10 credit for signing up, they actually made money off the dinner I treated them too. Awesome!

For more information or to sign up for an account, just visit Serve.

Remember to sign up for Serve and receive $10 credit towards your first use. Comment below within the next 7 days for your chance to win an extra $100 credit to your account! Official sweepstakes rules and regulations may be found by clicking here. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

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Caryn Bailey

Caryn is a NICU nurse by day, blogger by night and mom 24/7. She savors the warm Southern California sun and loves to travel, shopping, baking, reading and frequenting her local tea room. Caryn created the column Lavishly Green for Peekaboo Picks Magazine to share her best tips for going green in style, she is the Former editor for Family Review Network, former OC Family Magazine online contributor, former Orange County Moms Blog contributor, former Evenflo Savvy Parent contributor, former member of the Totsy Advisory Board and former freelance writer for CBS Los Angeles.

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