Game Payments

Credit Cards If a player chooses to purchase with a credit card and they have previously purchased on Facebook with a credit card, they are given the option to continue with their previous credit card details. For the case where the player wishes to purchase with a credit card but does not have one on file with Facebook, the flow will allow them to enter new credit card details.

PayPal If a player chooses to pay through a PayPal account and already have their PayPal details on file with Facebook, they will see their email below the PayPal option. Once they click Okay, their email address will be automatically entered into the PayPal login window. If the customer elects to use their PayPal account, but does not have one associated with Facebook already, they will have an option to associate their account first.

Mobile In most regions, people can additionally choose to pay via their mobile carrier, where the charge will appear as part of their monthly carrier bill, either via a direct charge or via SMS. If the customer has not previously entered mobile details with Facebook, they will be prompted to enter that information before the transaction can continue. In order to confirm the mobile is valid, a code will be sent via SMS to the number provided.

Alternate Payment Methods We also support alternate payment methods, such as Western Union and MoneyGram, which vary from country to country. See this list of supported alternate payment methods by country for more information.

Note: This is currently available only on FB Web and not in Gameroom.

Facebook Game Cards Game Cards are available in over 20 countries and in approximately 130,000 retail locations worldwide. They enable players to redeem a Game Card for an equivalent Facebook-stored balance that can be used to purchase in-game currency and goods.

Easy Integration

Developers who use our Graph API and dialogs will already be familiar with our Payments APIs.

Support for Virtual Currencies and Items

There are two common product offerings that developers make available within their app store, both of which are supported by the payments system.

The most common model is for developers to sell their own in-app virtual currency, such as "coins," through our payments system. This currency can then be used within the game in exchange for virtual goods. Alternatively, you may choose to sell individual, discrete products in your game at a set price. A simple example of this approach might be offering a "starter pack," which contains a number of goods at a discounted price.

Pricing Items in Specific Currencies

Items may be priced specifically in different currencies, enabling full flexibility with pricing strategies across multiple regions. The ability to provide a price for the item in multiple currencies means you have complete flexibility to target each region with different pricing strategies and specify appropriately rounded prices that customers are familiar seeing. If you do not define a price point for a particular local currency, people who select that specific currency will have their price automatically calculated based upon the current exchange rate between the first currency you specify and that target currency.

This architecture provides the flexibility to price goods appropriate to each region in which you're selling, but gives the assurance that if you do not provide specific pricing detail for a given region, Facebook will generate and charge an appropriate price for you.

Static and Dynamic Pricing

The simplest method for pricing a product is Static Pricing. You specify a fixed price for the item in any number of local currencies. Specifying the price up-front allows Facebook to cache the pricing data, enabling the ability to instantly display the Pay Dialog.

Items can also be priced dynamically, allowing for more control over pricing in real time. A common example of this feature is when implementing a flash sale, where you temporarily reduce the cost of items within your app by a small percentage or when A/B testing different price-points to optimize conversion. Alternatively, it can be valuable to price goods specifically to individual players, allowing you to implement loyalty discounts.

Secure Fulfillment of Purchases

Facebook has streamlined the order fulfillment process to avoid all blocking requests required before the pay dialog is closed and a purchase completed. This makes the user experience of purchasing a virtual item more efficient, leading to higher conversion rates.

There are two primary methods through which you are notified of the outcome of the purchase and a further method by which you can verify any payment information. First, Facebook will return details of the order via a JavaScript callback. At the same time, Facebook will issue a Webhook update notifying the developer that a new order has completed. Also, the transaction's payment_id can be used to verify details of a transaction via the Graph API at any time.

More details around fulfillment can be found in the payments fulfillment documentation.

Subscriptions

Expand beyond one-time payments with a new, recurring revenue stream from subscriptions. Entice new subscribers with a free trial and offer the renewal cycle that works for your game, whether that's weekly, monthly, or another time period. Game developers offering subscriptions have grown incremental revenue and increased engagement in their games.

See the subscriptions overview and best practices for more information.

Payer Conversion Tools

Specific features for mobile payments help you optimize your pricing and payment experience for people who want to charge purchases to their mobile phone bill.

Game Cards

Facebook Game Cards are a popular way of purchasing items within games. In addition to redeeming the value of a Game Card via the Facebook Game Card website, developers can also opt to offer their own in-app redemption flow. This enables players to directly redeem the full value of any Facebook Game Card straight into a game’s in-app currency.

Desktop Ads For Virtual Items and Currencies

Desktop engagement ads are a great way to bring back players of your game or app.

You can create virtual good offers which appear in the Feed or the right column with a clear call to action. This allows your existing players to buy content and get redirected to your game after they complete the purchase flow.

See Desktop App Ads for Virtual Goods for more information.