A few days after the launch of iOS 11.2, one of the update's biggest features has officially gone live.
Apple Pay Cash is now available in the U.S. With it, iOS users can send and receive money in their Messages app. You can send money using a debit or credit card. Apple says that payments sent with a debit card have no fee, while payments made with a credit card will be charged an "industry standard" fee.
When you receive money through Apple Pay Cash, you'll get an Apple Pay Cash card in your Wallet app. You can use this money to pay someone else using Apple Pay Cash or to make purchases using Apple Pay in stores and apps as well as on the web. You also have the option of transferring your Apple Pay Cash money to your bank account.
To begin using Apple Pay Cash, go into Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay Cash and flip the toggle there. You'll then need to set up your Apple Pay Cash card in that same Settings menu. You can then tap on your Apple Pay Cash card and scroll down to Verify Identity to verify your information and make sure using Apple Pay Cash works smoothly for you.
There's no shortage of peer-to-peer payment options out there, but Apple Pay Cash has a lot going for it. iMessage is one of the most popular mobile chat services, and because Apple Pay Cash is built into the Messages app, users don't need to sign up for any new accounts or anything like that. Now that Apple Pay Cash is live, it'll be interesting to see if it gains traction with consumers.
Are you going to give Apple Pay Cash a try?