BlackBerry Ltd. announced in a blog post on Thursday, Aug. 13, that is has partnered with PayPal to enable BlackBerry Messenger users to send and receive mobile payments via their chats.
To send mobile payments using PayPal, users simply select the PayPal "Send Money" icon in the messenger, and will be directed through the setup to add their PayPal account.
Users will be able to send money via PayPal once their contacts, too, connect their accounts to BBM. They don't need the PayPal app to integrate their account.
BlackBerry Messenger users can then select that PayPal icon that is located directly in BBM, enter in the amount of money they wish to send, and hit send.
"Whether you're paying a roommate back for rent or splitting dinner with friends, buying a group gift or sending your kid some spending money, sending money with PayPal through BBM is easy because it's where your conversation is already happening," Matt Gromada, PayPal's director of consumer product marketing, said in the post. "People don't have to leave BBM to send a photo or file. So, why should they have to with money? Pay and get paid in the moment, right in your BBM conversations, using your mobile device."
The beta for the PayPal integration launched today, and is available for BlackBerry, iOS and Android BBM; however, it's only available to select users in Canada. There are plans to roll out the PayPal BBM mobile payment option to more countries in the near future.
BlackBerry has tested mobile payment options in the past, such as the instant payment app BBM Money that allows Indonesian users to pay for goods in stores and online no matter what bank they use, as well as a prepaid mobile credit option.
As more mobile payment options continue to launch, PayPal continues to find new markets to explore. PayPal is currently a supported form of payment in over 1,000 stores including Best Buy, Home Depot, and Subway.
Photo: Eduardo Woo | Flickr
