Instagram quietly introduces payments for commerce on its platform

Instagram has quietly introduced a payments feature on its platform. This means that you can pay for any good or service directly on Instagram.

This was first noticed by TechCrunch reader Genady Okrain. He tipped Techcrunch who then confirmed this from an Instagram spokesperson. The spokesperson said that native payments for booking appointments like at restaurants or salons is now live for a limited set of partners.

The native payments feature lets you register a debit or credit card as part of a profile, set up a security pin, then start buying things without ever leaving Instagram.

This is awesome and beneficial to the numerous vendors and individuals who bombard Instagram with pictures of their goods and services.

The payment settings are now visible for users in the U.S. and U.K. A tap through to the terms of service reveals that Instagram Payments are backed by Facebook’s Payments rules.

Wonder when this will be available to Instagrammers in Africa