Facebook has changed to Meta, and this is not the only change that the company intends to bring forward. Meta has introduced a new payment service called Split Payments which is a very interesting feature. It was revealed in an announcement on Friday.
“If you’ve struggled with dividing up (and getting paid back for) group dinners, shared household expenses, or even the monthly rent, it’s about to get easier. Next week for Messenger fans in the US, we’re starting to test Split Payments, a free and fast way to share the cost of bills and expenses,” said the Facebook blog.
This new feature is easy to use. You start by clicking on the “Get Started” button in a group chat or the Payments Hub in Messenger. This will then give you the facility to split a bill evenly or modify the contribution amount for each individual — with or without yourself included. Also, you can add a customized and personalized message with the payment calculation.
Once the Facebook Pay details are confirmed by you, your request will be sent and viewable in your group chat thread. Dividing expenses has never been easier.
It is arguable that Venmo and other services are more suited for transactions like these as Facebook has a notorious history of data breaches and violation of privacy. There will be a lot of people hesitant to share their personal bank details and finances with the company.
Therefore, in order for this change to work, the company needs to earn the trust of the users and make massive changes that ensure their data will be secure with Meta.
Meta is usually seen as a social medium to connect with friends and family. Nobody expects the platform to aid in their financial calculations. Time will tell if people accept this new feature and make use of it or not as they already have options like Venmo to rely on.