Facebook Messenger introduced Venmo-like QR Codes and personalised payment links in a bid to enable person-to-person payments with Facebook Pay.
With the update, users can access their QR code and link in Messenger’s settings in order to request a payment. Facebook notes the features work even if you aren’t already Facebook friends, which should make it easier to send or request payments to strangers.
This feature is rolling out to US Messenger users and there’s no need to download a separate payment app or add new contacts on the fly.
The new features could be especially handy for those who buy and sell on Facebook Marketplace where transactions often begin on Messenger. Instead of turning to Venmo or another third-party app to finalise the payment, buyers and sellers might have more incentive to use Facebook Pay instead.
Users just need to visit their Messenger settings and tap “Facebook Pay,” then share the payment link or allow a friend to scan the QR code.
Those who want to be able to send and receive money in Messenger have to be at least 18 years old and will have to have a Visa or Mastercard debit card, a PayPal account or one of the supported prepaid cards or government-issued cards, in order to use the payments feature. They’ll also need to set their preferred currency to US dollars in the app.
After setup is complete, users can choose which payment method they want as default and optionally protect payments behind a PIN code of their choosing.
Facebook Pay first launched in November 2019, as a way to establish a payment system that extends across the company’s apps for not just person-to-person payments but also other features, like donations, Stars and e-commerce, among other things. Though the QR codes take cues from Venmo and others, the service as it stands today is not necessarily a rival to payment apps because Facebook partners with PayPal as one of the supported payment methods.
Although the payments experience is separate from Facebook’s cryptocurrency wallet, Novi.
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