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Snapchat Snapcash Going Away Aug. 30

Snapchat is planning to shut down its peer-to-peer mobile payment service at the end of August. Posts on Twitter indicate that many adult content creators have embraced the service as a way to accept payment for private content.

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

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Those who rely on Snapchat's Snapcash are going to have to switch to another payment service.

As was first reported by TechCrunch, Snapchat is planning to shut down its peer-to-peer mobile payment service at the end of August.

Snapchat, in partnership with the mobile payment company Square, first introduced Snapcash back in November 2014 as a way for users to send money to friends. In the Snapcash section of the settings menu, you can link a debit card, enable an option to require a security code before sending money, and view your transaction history and receipts. But soon, that will no longer be an option.

"Yes, we're discontinuing the Snapcash feature as of August 30, 2018," a Snapchat spokesperson told PCMag in an email. "Snapcash was our first product created in partnership with another company – Square. We're thankful for all the Snapchatters who used Snapcash for the last four years and for Square's partnership!"

There's no official word as to why Snapchat is giving Snapcash the boot, but it's likely that the feature simply failed to catch on with the masses, considering there are so many other mobile payment services available these days, such as Venmo, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and PayPal. As TechCrunch noted, posts on Twitter indicate that many adult content creators have embraced the service as a way to accept payment for private content.

Meanwhile, Snapchat has been busy as of late, between tweaking its widely-panned redesign and adding new features such as group video chat and the ability to recall messages. The company also recently started peddling its second-generation Spectacles and introduced a new developer kit that lets third-party app makers integrate some of its "best features"—such as Bitmoji and publicly shared stories—into their own apps.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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