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What Is Meta Pay (Formerly Facebook Pay)?
Social media giant Meta has created an easy and secure way to purchase products and services. Should you add it as a payment method for your customers?
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Meta Pay is gaining momentum as a payment platform for companies that practice social selling via Meta’s platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp. Businesses can also add a Meta Pay button to their e-commerce websites to provide another payment option to customers.
In this guide, we’ll explain how Meta Pay works and help you determine if it’s right for your business.
What is Meta Pay?
Meta Pay is a digital payment system that provides a secure way to purchase products and services on Meta’s social platforms.
“Meta Pay represents a streamlined digital payment solution designed to simplify transactions across Meta’s platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp,” explained John Price, CEO of SubRosa. “It allows businesses to seamlessly accept payments, manage transactions and integrate selling directly into social media experiences, enhancing customer convenience and engagement.”
How does Meta Pay work?
Businesses that have an online store with Shopify can use Meta Pay to:
- Accept payments on Instagram and Facebook shops
- Accept payments via Messenger and WhatsApp
- Provide a secure payment option on Shopify ecommerce websites
In order to use Meta Pay, customers will have to create an account. Then, they will have to add a debit or credit card or link a PayPal account.
Meta Pay then automatically loads saved payment, shipping and contact information, making checkout on Meta platforms quick and easy.
What can customers use Meta Pay for?
Customers can use Meta Pay to:
- Pay friends and family through Messenger and WhatsApp.
- Donate to charities and fundraisers on Facebook and Instagram.
- Purchase products from brands on Instagram and Marketplace.
- Buy event tickets on Facebook and Instagram.
- Check out faster when purchasing from an online store with Meta Pay enabled.
How do customers use Meta Pay?
To use Meta Pay, customers can simply access one of their Meta apps and follow these steps:
1. Begin making a payment on a Meta app (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger or WhatsApp)
2. Enter your debit or credit card, or link your PayPal account.
Source: Meta
3. Create a PIN to secure your Meta Pay account
Source: Meta
4. Send money
Source: Meta
5. Review your available payment methods and transactions.
Source: Meta
How can businesses accept Meta Pay?
To accept Meta Pay as an e-commerce payment option, businesses need to work with a payment processing partner who can integrate with Meta Pay.
If you sell via Meta apps and aren’t a Shopify merchant, you’ll be charged Meta’s processing fees. You can manage your Meta Pay setting in Meta Business Suite.
Payments made with Meta Pay are typically deposited into your account right away. Any payments that aren’t processed immediately are reviewed within 24 hours.
For customers, Meta Pay is free, even when sending or receiving money. But, users who link their PayPal account should be aware that they may be charged fees by PayPal for certain transactions, like donations.
How much does Meta Pay cost?
Meta Pay is free. Meta does not charge businesses or consumers a fee to send or receive money.
However, your bank or payment processor may charge fees related to Meta Pay. Check with them to determine whether you’ll incur any fees associated with Meta Pay payments.
Is Meta Pay safe?
Meta Pay is a secure payment method that includes the following:
- Anti-fraud technology: Meta deploys anti-fraud monitoring technology to detect unauthorized activity and stores it separately from your profile data.
- Encryption and advanced data storage: Meta Pay encrypts payment card and bank account information.
- Alerts: Meta Pay will notify you if it detects unusual activity.
- PIN and biometrics: Users have the option to create a PIN or enact the fingerprint or facial recognition on their mobile device for an extra layer of security. When sending money, you will be required to input the PIN or clear the biometric scan. Meta will not receive or store the device’s biometric information. This added level of security may not work with all payments.
What are the pros and cons of Meta Pay?
Before you decide whether to accept it as a payment method, weigh the pros and cons.
Pros of using Meta Pay
- Meta Pay is part of a well-known company.
Meta’s platforms are extremely popular, boasting billions of active worldwide users. That popularity translates to a certain level of built-in trust for Meta Pay.
“Businesses benefit from Meta Pay due to its direct integration with social commerce,” said Price. “Its ease of use and familiarity for consumers who already use Meta platforms regularly make it appealing.”
- Meta Pay streamlines social media purchases.
Meta Pay is an easy way for small business owners who sell on social media to get paid. You can use it across all of Meta’s apps, and as making a purchase is incredibly easy for customers, you’re likely to see more sales.
“The main thing that makes it such a powerful payment solution is that it simplifies the user journey by removing any unnecessary steps,” said Michal Gawel, a digital marketing consultant for Voluum. “When shoppers don’t have to open a separate site or re-enter their details, they’re more likely to follow through.”
“For brands we work with, especially in beauty and wellness, this has led to noticeable improvements in conversion rates and fewer drop-offs at checkout,” added Elena Novikova, CEO of Lumus Inc.
- Meta Pay setup and usage are simple.
Meta Pay is simple to set up and easy to use, both for businesses and consumers. Users only have to enter information once and can easily track payments and search payment history within Meta Pay. It’s an especially useful tool as part of your company’s overall social strategy.
“Its strength is simplicity,” explained Novikova. “If you’re running ad campaigns on Meta platforms, being able to close the loop right there—without asking the customer to jump between platforms—matters.”
- Meta Pay offers purchase protection.
Meta Pay offers free purchase protection on eligible purchases. This covers situations where the item is damaged, substantially different from described or never received. However, certain purchases, like vehicles, perishable items, antiques and tickets are not covered.
Cons of using Meta Pay
- Meta Pay usage is limited.
Meta Pay may not be helpful for online merchants that operate a storefront without Shopify as an e-commerce platform or that don’t need to accept payments through Meta’s apps. Businesses may find better rates with other credit card processors and their customers might prefer to use other services.
“Businesses should consider that reliance on platform-specific payment systems like Meta Pay might limit flexibility compared to more universally accepted solutions such as PayPal or Stripe,” said Price. “While Meta Pay excels in social commerce integrations, it doesn’t yet match the global acceptance and extensive third-party integrations that competitors offer.”
However, that doesn’t mean businesses should disregard Meta Pay completely. “It should ideally be part of a broader, diversified payment strategy to maximize flexibility and customer reach,” explained Price. But keep in mind that managing multiple payment types could become complicated for some business owners.
- Meta Pay’s functionality isn’t universal.
While Meta Pay offers users many convenient ways to pay for products and send money across various apps, there are certain platform-based and regional restrictions. For example, sending money via Messenger is not possible outside the US or in the state of Wisconsin.
If your business has an international customer base that is equally spread out across Meta’s different platforms, it is worth checking to see if Meta Pay is the best option.
- Meta Pay offers a basic service.
While Meta Pay offers quick and convenient payments, there isn’t much to the service beyond that, especially compared to traditional payment processing services.
“Businesses don’t get full control over the customer experience, and the reporting tools are limited compared to platforms like Stripe or Shopify,” explained Novikova. “If you’re used to having clear attribution data or building out post-purchase flows, Meta Pay can feel restrictive.”
- Meta Pay has a longer sales deposit time.
Compared to other services that boast one to three day deposit times, Meta payouts can take up to 30 days. This could slow down payments and hurt your cash flow.
However, when sending or receiving money from a friend through Meta Pay, it will be deposited immediately. Be aware that your bank may take a few days to approve the transactions.
Which is better: Meta Pay or PayPal?
Meta Pay isn’t the only digital payment method that’s popular with consumers and small businesses. PayPal, a leader in digital payments, is also a viable choice.
Choose Meta Pay if …
- You’re a small merchant without a storefront or payment processor.
- Most of your sales come from one-on-one contacts with customers who purchase through social media or in person at events.
- You’re looking for a free way to accept digital payments.
Choose PayPal if …
- You operate an online business and sell your products through multiple venues.
- Your business accepts several payment methods and has a payment processing system in place.
- You don’t mind paying a fee to PayPal for the sale.
For business owners who do a lot of sales on social media or through one-on-one contacts with customers, Meta Pay is a no-brainer. With no fees and enhanced security, it’s not surprising that so many business owners are embracing this payment method.
Jennifer Dublino contributed to this article.
