Barclays has announced it is expanding its Pingit payment service to work hand in hand with Twitter.
The service will go live on 10 March, and will be available on Android smartphones and iOS devices. The bank hails the move as a UK-first, and says it will be available to all Pingit users, whether they bank with Barclays or not.
In order to make Pingit payments through Twitter, users will simply need to log into Pingit and enter the Twitter handle of the person they want to pay. Users will also be able to transfer money to small businesses in the same manner.
“We are always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to make people’s lives easier and customer feedback plays a big part in how we chose to further develop our apps,” said Darren Foulds, the director of Barclays mobile banking and Pingit.
“Adding the ability to pay people or a small business using just a Twitter handle brings together a social and digital experience to create a new step forward for mobile payments in the UK.”
Barclays calls it “a new, fast and safe way to pay”, without having to provide either bank details or a phone number.
Related: What is Paym? A guide to the new mobile payment service
The bank also claims that 80 per cent of UK Twitter users now regularly access the micro-blogging site through their smartphone, and that Pingit could potentially now reach up to 13.5 million new customers.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
