FreeCharge users would now be able to send and receive money via WhatsApp, the instant messaging platform used by over billion users across the globe. We had earlier reported that Facebook has launched a similar money transfer functionality in its ‘Messenger’ app.
FreeCharge users have always had an option to transfer money to each other using the app’s built-in wallet system, but the ability to transfer money via some third party app is just awesome.
Here is how you can send money to your WhatsApp contacts using the FreeCharge mobile app:
- Open FreeCharge mobile app and open the FreeCharge menu by swiping from left to right.
- Tap on “FreeCharge on WhatsApp”. Now tap enable to grant accessibility permission to FreeCharge app. That’s it, you are done with the setup.
- Now open WhatsApp, touch on the contact whom you want to transfer money, and send a message in the following format:
‘AMOUNT in Rs.FC. For instance if you want to transfer Rs. 100 to your friend then send him/her ‘100FC’ as the message. - The moment you press the send button, a FreeCharge window will pop-up asking whether you want to send or receive money. Just select the appropriate option.
This is a really easy way to send and receive payments from your friends, but as of now, this functionality is available only on the FreeCharge Android app.
All that is required is that both the parties should be using FreeCharge, and the sender (or the initiator) should have enabled “FreeCharge on WhatsApp”.
This method of sending money via WhatsApp will not just convince many to try FreeCharge, but would also encourage them to start using mobile wallets for transferring money. It would be the beginning of a new era in India where the majority of smartphone owners use the internet just for accessing social networks and WhatsApp-ing.
“Social payments is a key pillar for a great customer experience and a stepping stone to building habit commerce. Today, we have taken social payments to the next level by enabling consumers to pay via social platforms like WhatsApp. We are confident that this step will make digital payments a part of daily life of Indians and Freecharge will be at the heart of it as the Payments Operating System for a Digital India,” said Govind Rajan, COO at FreeCharge.
Not much has been revealed about the security of transactions made using this procedure, but it wouldn’t be wrong to assume that the FreeCharge app would be monitoring your WhatsApp activity for specific keywords. If you don’t care much about that, then a whole new world of money transfer via IM awaits you.
