Facebook Messenger will soon let UK users send money to friends and family

Facebook has let users send money to friends and family through its Facebook Messenger app for well over two years. Now, the social giant is bringing the same functionality to the UK, marking the first time the service has launched outside of the US.

UK users making payments via the Android or iOS app will reportedly enjoy the same quick and simple process as their US counterparts.

All you’ll need to do is bring up a message chain with one of your Facebook friends, tap “+” and then hit the green Payments icon. You’ll then be prompted to enter your debit card details followed by the amount you want to ping over.

You’re also required to register a debit card to receive money using the app. Facebook has been keen to stress that all details and transactions will be encrypted and that every payment will require a PIN to stop fraud.

The maximum for a single payment will be £2,500 which caps out at £10,000 every 30 days. However, the feature is typically used to send far smaller sums. “In the U.S. most people use payments in Messenger to send less than $50 at a time,” said David Marcus, head of Facebook Messenger.

The update is expected to rollout in the next few weeks, although it’s unclear whether or not the service will include support for PayPal which was added to the Messenger app in the US last month, but Facebook did confirm that user will be able to initiate payments using its digital assistant, M.

UK consumers aren’t exactly flush with convenient peer-to-peer payment services when compared to US users so it’s nice to see Facebook making the leap over the Atlantic.