Meta Pay (formerly called Facebook Pay) lets you shop, send money, donate, and check out across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and participating online stores, all with one saved payment method. Setting it up takes about two minutes, and once your card or bank account is linked, you can use it anywhere Meta Pay is accepted without re-entering your details each time.
How to Set Up Meta Pay
You add a payment method once through your Accounts Centre, and it becomes available across Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger. The steps differ slightly depending on whether you’re on a phone or computer.
On iPhone or Android:
- Open the Facebook app and tap the Menu icon (bottom right on iPhone, top right on Android).
- Scroll down and tap Settings and privacy, then tap Settings.
- Tap Accounts Centre.
- Under Account settings, tap Meta Pay.
- Add a debit card, credit card, or PayPal account and save it.
On a computer:
- Click your profile picture in the top right corner of Facebook.
- Select Settings and privacy, then click Settings.
- On the left side, click Accounts Centre.
- Click Meta Pay and add your preferred payment method.
Once saved, you can manage your payment methods, swap cards, or update your contact information from the same screen at any time.
What You Can Do With Meta Pay
Meta Pay works differently depending on which app you’re using. Here’s what’s available on each platform:
- Facebook: Shop on Marketplace or from business pages, donate to charitable or personal fundraisers, buy event tickets, and purchase in-game items.
- Instagram: Shop from businesses that have checkout enabled and make donations to fundraisers.
- Messenger: Send money directly to friends and family in the United States. The money goes straight into the recipient’s bank account with no fees from Meta (though your bank may charge its own fees for the transaction).
- External websites: Some online stores accept Meta Pay at checkout. When you see the Meta Pay button, you can complete your purchase using your saved card details without typing them in again.
Sending Money Through Messenger
To send money to someone in a Messenger conversation, open the chat, tap the plus icon or the payment icon, enter the dollar amount, and confirm. You’ll need a debit card linked to your account for person-to-person transfers. The recipient gets the funds deposited directly into their bank account, and Meta doesn’t charge a fee on either end.
If someone sends you money and you haven’t set up Meta Pay yet, you’ll be prompted to add a debit card so the funds have somewhere to land. There’s no digital wallet balance to hold onto. Money moves from one bank account to another, with Meta acting as the middleman.
Using Meta Pay at Checkout
When you’re buying something on Facebook, Instagram, or a participating external site, Meta Pay pulls in your saved card and shipping details so you can complete the purchase in a few taps. You won’t need to dig out your card or fill in forms from scratch.
On Facebook Marketplace, keep in mind that Meta Pay only applies to items with a “Buy Now” or shipping option. Local pickup deals where you meet the seller in person are handled with cash or another payment app outside of Meta’s system.
Security Features
Meta Pay includes several layers of protection to keep your information safe. Your payment card numbers are encrypted and stored separately from your profile data, so even if someone accessed your Facebook account, they wouldn’t see your full card number.
You may be asked to create a four-digit PIN when you first make a payment, and in some cases a PIN is required for every transaction. If your phone supports it, you can also use face ID or fingerprint authentication as an extra step before confirming a payment.
Meta monitors payments with anti-fraud technology and sends notifications if it detects unusual activity on your account. If an unauthorized transaction shows up on your bank statement, Meta offers live chat support available 24 hours a day, plus email support.
Where Meta Pay Is Available
Meta Pay is available in over 100 countries across North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East. Shopping, donations, and checkout features work in most of these regions. However, person-to-person money transfers through Messenger are currently limited to the United States.
The specific features you see may vary by country. If you open the Meta Pay settings and don’t see an option to send money or add a payment method, it likely isn’t supported in your region yet.
Managing Your Payment Methods
You can add multiple cards or PayPal accounts and choose a default for each type of transaction. To update or remove a payment method, go back to the same Accounts Centre path you used during setup: Settings, then Accounts Centre, then Meta Pay. From there you can delete old cards, add new ones, or change which card is used by default.
If you ever want to stop using Meta Pay entirely, you can remove all payment methods from your account through the same settings screen. Any pending transactions will still process, but no new charges will go through once the methods are removed.