Instagram launches in-app payments for tickets and bookings
- Friday, May 4th, 2018
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Instagram has quietly rolled out a feature that enables users to make payments natively on its app, as it continues on its journey to becoming a major commerce player.
The feature, which was first reported by TechCrunch, enables users to book tables at restaurants, make appointments at salons, and eventually book tickets for movies and events.
It lets users register a debit or credit card as part of their profile and set up a security pin. For now, the payment option is available to some users via a limited number of partners in the US and the UK. 
First introduced in the US toward the end of 2016, the Facebook-owned app’s existing shopping functionality enables businesses to tag products in their posts with links to their shopping site. Since then, it has rolled out the feature to several other countries around the world.
Recently, social app rival Snapchat launched shoppable AR lenses, which enables brands to add a button to their lens with a link to a product purchase page.
