In a UK first, Barclays has today announced it will be the first British bank to allow people to pay each other and small businesses using just their Twitter handle. 

Launching on both Android phones and iOS devices next month (Tuesday 10th March), Twitter payments through Pingit will expand the existing service to social media and a potential  13.5 million Twitter users in the UK.  The service will be available to all Pingit customers whether they bank with Barclays or not.

To sign up, users can link their Twitter handle to their Pingit profile under the app settings.  Payments to friends, family and even small businesses are then easily completed in three easy clicks.

1.            Log into Pingit

2.            Enter the Twitter handle or select a payee from the contact list

3.            Complete the payment instantly

Darren Foulds, Director of Barclays Mobile Banking and Pingit said: "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.

"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".

With eighty per cent of UK Twitter users now accessing the social network through their mobile regularly, the offering gives people a new, fast and safe way to pay without having to always provide either bank details or a phone number. 

Launched in 2012, Pingit has now received 3.7 million downloads and over £1 billion has been sent using the app.

This new way of payment will also be available to businesses, providing an added benefit to the 57,000 companies in the UK currently signed up to Barclays Pingit service.

For further information on Barclays Pingit and to download the app visit Barclays.co.uk/pingit

For small businesses looking to source a unique QR code and Barclays Pingit acceptance mark, visit Barclays.co.uk/pingitforbusiness

Notes to editors

1. Pingit is available for Barclays customers and non-customers as long as they have a UK current account and UK mobile phone number

2. To use the service, both the payee and payer need to be signed up to both Twitter and the Barclays Pingit app.

3. There is no transaction fee for person to person payments

4. Each time a payment has been made, the recipient will immediately receive a notification as a text message. The payment can also be seen from inside the Pingit app.

About Barclays

Barclays is an international financial services provider engaged in personal banking, credit cards, corporate and investment banking and wealth management with an extensive presence in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. Barclays' purpose is to help people achieve their ambitions - in the right way.

With over 300 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 50 countries and employs approximately 135,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for customers and clients worldwide.

For further information about Barclays, please visit our website www.barclays.com.

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