Everyone hates being that person who always has to ask a friend to spot for cover. And although we happily oblige, I’m sure no one really enjoys paying for someone else. Four MU students recognized this problem, and have come up with a convenient solution. 

In early November, MU students can expect the release of Gulp, an app that allows you to pay cover without cash. 

“A lot of people, including myself, don’t carry cash and so they have to pay a three or four dollar fee at an ATM or borrow from a friend. It would be a lot easier to pay with something you have all the time, like your phone,” said Joe Dietrich, one of the app’s creators. 

To use Gulp, the user enters a credit or debit card number once, where it is stored in the app on a secure server. The card information, which the app creators cannot access, then gets assigned a QR code, like a personal bar code. Once you arrive at a bar, they will scan the QR code from your phone, and you can pay your cover without ever having to search for an ATM. As an added security measure, every user’s QR code will reset after 24 hours. 

Seven of Columbia’s most popular bars have agreed in principal to use the app once it’s released, and Gulp will charge less than a dollar for each transaction, which that means fewer fees for users. 

“It’s not necessarily better than cash, but it’s much more convenient. You won’t have to plan a trip to an ATM when you’re going from one bar to another,” said Dietrich.