Facebook is introducing Facebook Pay, which will provide people with a convenient way to pay directly through Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp.

People already use payments across Facebook's apps to shop, donate to causes and send money to each other. Facebook Pay will make these transactions easier.

With Facebook Pay you can add your preferred payment method once then use Facebook Pay where available to make payments and purchases on Facebook's apps, instead of having to re-enter your payment information each time.

You will be able to set up Facebook Pay app-by-app, or choose to set it up for use across apps (where available).

Payment history, management of payment methods and updating of your settings will be all found in one place.

In addition, you will get real-time customer support via live chat in the US (and in more places around the world in the future).

Facebook Pay will begin rolling out on Facebook and Messenger this week in the US for fundraisers, in-game purchases, event tickets, person-to-person payments on Messenger and purchases from select Pages and businesses on Facebook Marketplace. And over time, Facebooks plan to bring Facebook Pay to more people and places, including for use across Instagram and WhatsApp.

Facebook Pay supports most major credit and debit cards as well as PayPal. Payments are processed by companies like PayPal, Stripe and others around the world. Facebook clarifies that Pay is built on existing financial infrastructure and partnerships, and is separate from the Calibra wallet which will run on the Libra network.

Facebook Pay has been designed to securely store and encrypt your card and bank account numbers. You can also add a PIN or use your device biometrics, such as touch or face ID recognition, for an extra layer of security when sending money or making a payment. Facebook says it does not receive or store your device’s biometric information.

Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said earlier this year the company is planning to unify the messaging infrastructure across its platforms.

He said the company would encrypt conversations on more of its messaging services and make them compatible as direct messaging was likely to dwarf discussion on the traditional, open platform of Facebook’s news feed in a few years.

Facebook also said the new service will collect user information such as payment method, date, billing and contact details when a transaction is made and that it would use the data to show targeted advertisements to users.