Facebook Pay has been available as a means to send or exchange money across several Facebook-owned platforms for some time, but Facebook plans to expand its reach next month. In a recent announcement, the social media company says it will allow US-based businesses to use Facebook Pay as a new payment option, beginning with Shopify merchants. The Facebook Pay service boasts easy setup, fast checkout, and convenient access across various Facebook apps for things like retail purchases, money sharing, and donations to charities. It claims no additional costs to either businesses or purchasers, and currently accepts credit or debit cards, with additional payment methods to be added in the future. Facebook also says it encrypts each transaction for security and privacy, and that only essential customer details such as shipping and order information are shared with businesses. While Facebook will be testing the waters with businesses that use Shopify, it’s also planning to “expand availability with more platforms and payment service providers over time.” There is currently no information on what other platforms or providers it will expand to, or when this expansion will happen. However, Facebook’s use of the phrase “participating platforms” in the announcement implies the expanded rollout will depend on each individual service. If you’re interested in using Facebook Pay for your own shop in the future or have questions about using the service as a business, you can visit the official sign-up page.
