In March, Truecaller launched a pay service in their messaging platform. With a few taps, users can now send and receive money to friends within the app. All they need to do is link their banks with the app during the initial set up process and from there they can make transactions by simply entering their MPIN.
Today, the service got an update that enabled users to “nudge” others to send them money owed or payments. The request money feature sends a notification to the recipient containing the amount owed, a small note and the button to pay instantly by entering the MPIN as you can see on the image below.
So now you do not have to take tens of minutes composing that awkward text asking your friend for that loan money you gave them. Just type “loan” and enter amount being requested and Truecaller will do the rest. Unfortunately, this feature is only available in India for now, that’s why we are asking Safaricom to integrate it into MPESA, especially now that they have a service PIN option to pay instantly (no need to go the MPESA menu).
In addition to the money request feature, Truecaller also introduced sharable payment links. These links can be shared on a website or sent to other apps allowing those who click on them to pay you/ send you money through Truecaller. This feature can be ideal for situations where people are trying to raise money for a worthwhile cause, such as donations. MPESA could benefit from this too, it would take away the need to remember complex paybill numbers. Online merchants and retailers could simply add a payment link at checkout and customers would pay instantly by clicking it instead of using till numbers. Simple, isn’t it.