Two years since it launched in the US, Facebook has announced that Facebook Messenger plans to add a payment feature for people living in the UK! It is yet to hit Australia but it’s certainly a sign for things to come.
The social media giant announced that the the tap and pay feature of Facebook Messenger will launch in the UK over the next few weeks.
How does it work?
With Facebook Messenger, anyone can send money to family and friends. It’s the latest way to pay wherever you are. All you have to do is link your debit card to your messenger account and tap “pay”, and enter the amount of money and hit send.
This will only work on debit cards, not credit cards, Paypal or any other online money account.
Before you can finally send the amount of money, you will be asked to enter your PIN, then the cash is transferred to your Facebook Messenger friend.
You can only make payment if you have updated your Facebook Messenger app. There’s also a limit per transaction. This works with Apple and Android handsets. The payment screen lets you select the amount to transfer and even suggest when you and your Facebook Messenger friend are chatting about money
Video from: Newsroom FB
Is it safe?
Payments with Facebook Messenger app first launched in the US in 2015. Earlier this year, the service will roll out in UK.
According to the social media giant spokesperson David Marcus, Messenger’s chief and key Facebook executive, the service as of now is intended for you to send only to close friends and family.
He added, “All debit card credentials are encrypted and protected with bank level security. Our anti-fraud specialists monitor payments, and in the rare case that we find unauthorised activity on an account, we’ll work with them to secure the account again.”
“Plus, since payments in Messenger use debit cards, as with any other debit card payment, if there are unauthorised charges, people have recourse with their bank. Finally, Messenger payments are offered as a regulated payment service, meaning they’re directly subject to consumer protection requirements.”
Is it worth it?
This feature speaks of a convenient way to do money transfer transactions thru an app. It saves us from the hassle of exchanging bank details with people and then carry out the transfer to a different app.
David Marcus also said, “Our research shows the top reasons for sending money include celebrations, social, and festive occasions. “It’s those everyday moments we’re trying to make a little easier – we’ve seen that in the U.S. most people use payments in Messenger to send less than $50 at a time.”