Twitter introduces Tip Jar feature for sending money to other accounts
7 May 2021, 12:34
The payment feature is currently being tested on a limited number of accounts.
Twitter is introducing a Tip Jar feature that will allow users to send and receive money to support other accounts on the platform.
The social media giant said the feature has initially been made available to a “limited group” of accounts on the English-speaking version of the app on iOS and Android.
Content creators, journalists, experts and non-profit organisations are among the first group to be given access to the new tool, Twitter said, which will enable users to send money via a number of online payment platforms, including PayPal.
A new icon will appear on the profile of these accounts, which if tapped will show the available payment services for sending a tip.
Twitter said it would not take any commission from transactions that take place, and it plans to steadily expand Tip Jar to more people and more languages in the future.
Using the social media platform to solicit tips for their work has been a common practice on Twitter for many years, with many people ending viral threads with links to their work or their page on subscription sites such as Patreon.
“Tip Jar is an easy way to support the incredible voices that make up the conversation on Twitter,” the platform’s senior product manager Esther Crawford said.
“This is a first step in our work to create new ways for people to receive and show support on Twitter – with money.”
In announcing the feature, Twitter said it remained in “testing” for now, but it had “more coming soon”.
