Facebook Messenger is launching a new service in the UK that allows users to send money to one another via the popular app.
Peer-to-peer payments have been available in the US for a while but this new feature will now be available to Messenger users in Britain.
And this is an exclusive feature as, despite Facebook owning rival service WhatsApp, the US technology firm says payments will only be available via Messenger..
Apple is also planning something similar with Apple Pay payments being made through its Messages app, but Facebook appears to have beaten the US technology giant to a UK launch.
So how does this new payment service work?
All Messenger users have to do is enter their debit card details into the app to instantly transfer money via a message.
Facebook says that all debit card credentials are encrypted and protected with bank level security.
When users want to transfer money to a friend they simply tap on the new payments icon and add the amount to be transferred.
The money is then instantly credited to the friend’s account.
To make it even easier and more convenient to send and receive money, Facebook is also rolling out M suggestions for payments.
M is a virtual assistant in Messenger, powered by artificial intelligence, and will recognise when you and a friend are discussing payments and gives an option to easily receive or send money.
So if you say ‘you owe me a fiver’ in your Messenger chat, M will pop up and remind you how easy it is to send money to your friend.
Speaking about the service, David Marcus, head of Messenger 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.”
Payments in Messenger will roll out to everyone in the UK over the coming weeks.
How Messenger’s money transfer works in full:
To send money:
Start a message with a friend
Tap the blue + icon and then tap the green Payments icon
Set up your payment account (only the first time) and then enter the amount you want to send
Tap Pay and then add your debit card
Watch the amount of money you sent rain down on the screen
To receive money:
Open the conversation from your friend
Tap Add Card in the message, add your debit card and setup your payment account to accept money for the first time
The money sent is transferred right away. It may take one to three business days to make the money available depending on the person’s bank, just as it does with other deposits.