Apple Pay Cash lets you send money via Messages; here’s how to use it

After a bit of a delay, Apple Pay Cash is now live for users in the US, which means you can use your iPhone to send and receive money from friends right within Messages. Transfers go straight to your virtual Pay Cash card, so there’s no need for additional apps.

The feature requires iOS 11.2 and is compatible with the iPhone SE, iPhone 6 or later, iPad Pro, iPad (5th-gen), iPad Air 2, iPad mini 3 or later, and Apple Watch. It’s presently rolling out in phases to users of the latest iOS beta, so you may not immediately be able to try it. Oh, and you’ll need to have two-factor authentication turned on, and be over 18.

MacRumors notes that transactions between Apple Pay Cash cards and debit cards don’t attract any overages; however, if you’re using a linked credit card to send money, you’ll be charged a 3 percent fee. Money that you receive is routed to your Pay Cash card, which you can either use for purchases wherever it’s supported, or you can transfer it to a connected bank account.

If it’s active on your device already, here’s how to set it up:

• Open the Wallet app.
• Tap on the Apple Pay Cash card.
• Follow the on-screen instructions to set it up, enable Apple Pay, and confirm your details in Settings.
• The activation process will then begin, and take a few seconds. When it’s done, you’ll spot an Apple Pay Cash card in Wallet that you can access and use.

To send or request a payment in Messages:

• Open any conversation with a single contact in the Messages app (group conversations aren’t supported).
• Tap the Messages App Store icon to the left of the iMessage text field, and select Apple Pay there.
• Enter an amount, and then choose whether you want to request or pay; you can then preview it before sending it out to your contact.
• Tap the arrow button to send your payment or request, and you’re done.

You can also invoke Siri and send money, by saying, “Send $10 to John.”

It’s worth noting that there are limits to how much you can send and receive with Pay Cash:

• Adding cash: a minimum of $10 per transaction, and a maximum of $3,000. Over a seven-day period, you can add a maximum of $10,000.
• Sending and receiving cash: a minimum of $1, and a maximum of $3,000, with an overall maximum of $10,000 over the course of a seven-day period.
• The same applies to transferring money to your bank account, though the overall maximum you can beam to your account over seven days is $20,000.

That should help iPhone fans ditch paper currency when it comes to paying friends for stuff. Hopefully, it’ll become more widely available in the coming days, just in time for the holidays.