Facebook Messenger expands its payment feature to groups

After introducing peer-to-peer payments within Messenger in early 2015, Facebook is now launching group payments, making it easier to split a lunch bill or chip in on a group gift.

The feature is currently available only for users on Android and desktop users while iPhone users can expect the payment support function very soon.

“It's free, simple, fast and secure. Whether you're splitting a restaurant bill or chipping in for a group gift, all you need to do is go to a new or existing Messenger group conversation to get started,” Facebook product manager Partha Sundaram said in a blog post.

The process is simple. Users can tap the plus sign on the bottom left-hand corner of a group conversation to access additional features, which include the payments icon, a dollar sign. They can then select who to send or request money from and whether they’d like to include the entire group or only some members. They can also mention in a note about what the money is for. Each time someone in the group has paid, a message will appear in the group thread. Users can also review the status of requests in a full-screen view.

The service is free to use and does not require a password, but users need to link their account with a debit card. As per Facebook, the money is transferred to bank account within five business days.

Though, many other payment services like PayPal, Venmo, Snapchat, Square Cash and China-based WeChat also offer the feature, however, Facebook has the advantage of more than 1 billion monthly users globally. In 2015, when the peer-to-peer payment services was launched, the company said it managed more than 1 million transactions daily on the site.