The spread of smartphones and the birth of services for streaming music and films have changed not only habits but also the way of thinking of many people. Until a few years ago, in fact, there were far fewer your language who spent money on the purchase of software or the subscription of services related to the world of the Internet.
He also thought about contributing to this (positive) change of mentality WhatsApp that with its paltry annual fee, equal to just 89 cents, allows you to exchange messages for free on the Internet using smartphones of any brand. Of course, the problems related to the unfamiliarity that a large number of people have towards technology still remain to be overcome. But in my small way I'm also here for this.
UPDATE: since January 2016 WhatsApp is 100% free. It is no longer necessary to pay the annual subscription of € 0,89 and therefore the information in this post is to be considered obsolete.
Today, for example, I want to try to provide a clear answer to all those who write to me (and there are many) asking me: "How can I pay for WhatsApp?”Because they cannot find the right option to do so or have difficulties with payment methods. If you are also one of these, I will be happy to help you solve the problem.
The payment methods accepted by WhatsApp are three: the one used as the default option is credit card (also rechargeable) associated with your Google, Apple, Microsoft or BlackBerry account (depending on the smartphone in use); alternatively there is the possibility to complete the transaction with a PayPal account online (which can be opened and used at no cost) and finally there is the option to pay via telephone credit.
If you haven't already done so, you can associate a credit card to your Google account on Android by opening the Play Storepigging your pulse Menu located at the top left (the icon with the three horizontal lines) and selecting the item My Account from the bar that appears laterally. Next, you have to press on the items Add payment method e Add credit or debit card and fill in the form that is proposed to you with your card details.
If you are using an iPhone, however, you must open theApp Store, select the tab First floor, scroll the page that opens to the bottom and press the button Apple ID: [your email address]. Select quindi la voce View Apple ID from the box that appears, enter your Apple ID password and go to Payment info. Fill out the form that is proposed to you with your card details and that's it.
As for PayPal, if you are interested in opening an online account on this platform (keep in mind that you will still have to associate it with a credit card or bank account in your name) follow the instructions in my tutorial on how PayPal works.
Well, now you are ready to pay WhatsApp and renew your subscription to the service. Then go to the panel of settings of the app (on Android, for example, just press the icon of three dots at the top right and select the item Settings from the menu that appears) and select the items Account> Payment Info from the screen that opens.
Then select the period for which you intend to renew the subscription: 0,89 € for one year, 2,40 € for 3 years or 3,34 € for 5 years and first presses the button with the logo of the default payment method on your smartphone (eg. Google Walleton Android) and then on Buy Now to complete the credit card transaction.
If you want to use another of the available payment methods, press on price in alto a destra, select the voice Payment methods from the box that opens and choose whether to pay with PayPal or with the telephone credit.
Not very comfortable on the small screen of your smartphone? Would you rather complete the renewal of your WhatsApp subscription directly from your computer? It can be done, but only if you use PayPal as a payment method.
The procedure to follow is to auto-send you the link for the WhatsApp payment via email, open the message from your computer and complete the transaction there.
To retrieve the link to auto-send you, open WhatsApp on your mobile, go to the menu Settings> Account> Payment Info e pulsing sul pulsating Send payment link. Therefore, type your e-mail address in the field in which to indicate the recipient and send the e-mail.
Once your subscription has been renewed, you can check the new subscription expiration date by going to the menu Settings> Account> Payment Info of WhatsApp and consulting the field Service expiration.
You can also pay WhatsApp on behalf of another person and give them one, three or five years of subscription to the service. The function is only available on Android but the gift can also be intended for those who use other platforms (eg iPhone or BlackBerry).
To pay for the WhatsApp subscription on behalf of another person, go to the menu once again Settings> Account> Payment Info of the app, presses the button Menu collocato in alto a destra and seleziona la voce Pay for a friend from the box that appears.
So press the button Select a contact, choose the recipient of the gift (it must be in your WhatsApp contacts) and complete the payment as seen above. More info is available in my tutorial on how to give WhatsApp to a friend.
