“I still don’t understand anything with these WhatsApp payments!”. Well, you are not alone. Whether you use an iPhone, an Android, a Blackberry or other, sooner or later the time comes for everyone: to continue using the application you have to go out a few euros. And here comes the doubts. How are payments made? How much does it really cost? Is there a way to save? How to defend yourself from scams?

Let’s try to definitively remove any doubts. Here is a guide that explains how to pay WhatsApp without “getting cheated”. Let’s see what the payment methods are, how to use them and how much the application really costs.

Update 2016: WhatsApp is free for all users -> read the news

Before moving on to the practical aspect, let’s find out how much it costs and what are the official payment methods of WhatsApp. Knowing them is essential. Everything else is either a scam, or a method that doesn’t work.

WhatsApp costs 89 cents a year (after the first free year). This is the only cost of the application, which will never ask for money to send messages, photos, videos, etc. If you hear about additional costs, stay away. There is no doubt that it is a scam.

WhatsApp offers two other alternative subscriptions , which allow you to save. The first is the 3-year subscription , at a price of 2.40 euros (with a saving of about 10%). The second is the subscription for 5 years , at a price of 3.34 euros (with a saving of 34% compared to the price of the subscription for one year). See also: all the info on WhatsApp costs .

The costs are stable, let’s see what are the official payment methods of WhatsApp:

Paypal

To use this service you need to have a Paypal account. It is an online payment method and is considered to be one of the safest money transfer services in the world.

Credit or rechargeable card

When we talk about paying for WhatsApp by credit or rechargeable card, we mean the card that we have associated with our account on the Google or Apple stores, depending on the type of mobile phone used.

Telephone credit

The latter option provides that the payment is made by deducting the money from the mobile phone recharge. For many it would be the easiest and most comfortable, but in Italy it is only available for Wind customers. Also, you need to have a 3G or LTE connection.

How to pay for WhatsApp: instructions

Now let’s see all the steps to make the subscription payment on WhatsApp. Before paying for Whatsapp it is important to know when our service expires . To do this, click on “Account Info” (“Account” on IOS) and select “payment info”. Once in the ” payment info ” window , you can see when the service expires and proceed with the payment by selecting one of the three methods available.

1. Pay with Google Wallet (credit / rechargeable card)

The first form of payment that Whatsapp provides is Google Wallet. Through this option you pay for Whatsapp as when you make a normal purchase on Google Play. As you can see, this is a Google Play purchase. If it is not the first time that we have bought through this platform, the payment method will appear and just click on “Buy” to complete the payment. If, on the other hand, this is the first time we use this system, Google will ask us to add a credit card or a prepaid card. If you want to add a credit or debit card, a new window will appear where you can enter your data. In this way, the WhatsApp payment is done securely. In addition, Google stores our data and the next time you want to pay you can do it with a click, without re-entering the data.

2. Pay with PayPal

PayPal is one of the safest ways to pay online. It is an electronic wallet that allows you not to give our bank details every time you make an online purchase. If you already have an account, just click on this form of payment, enter your details and the payment will go smoothly. If you don’t have a PayPal account, just go to the official website to create one and then return to WhatsApp.

3. Pay by e-mail from a pc

If you don’t have an account with Google Wallet or PayPal, perhaps the easiest way to pay for Whatsapp is to send the link via email. In this way we will be able to pay Whatsapp from our computer. To do this, just click on the “Send url for payment” option and enter your email address. Thus, you will receive an e-mail indicating the steps to make the payment from your pc.

NB Sometimes, after making the payment, it is necessary to restart the phone to make it active. Be sure to take this step every time you renew your subscription.

Pay Whatsapp to a friend

With the new WhatsApp update, you can also pay for a friend’s subscription. This option, for example, can be very useful for a parent who wants to pay for the WhatsApp of a child, who usually does not have a credit card.

If you’ve been wondering how to pay Whatsapp to a friend, it’s much easier than it sounds. The first thing you need to do is go to the Whatsapp settings and select “Contacts”. Once this option is selected, you will see the ” Pay for a friend ” item. Click on this option and you will see the usual payment screen appear. Then click on “Select a friend” and follow the normal instructions as explained above.

This “gift” method currently only works on Android phones , in the sense that it can only be done from Android, even if the recipient can have any other type of phone (IPhone, BlackBerry, etc.).

There is only one alternative reserved for iPhone iOS users, who can use the gift system on the Apple App Store . To pay for WhatsApp to a friend from iPhone, open the App Store and go to Featured -> Send gift . At this point, where the item “To:” appears, enter the email of the friend associated with the Apple ID and on the item “Other” enter the amount you want to load, remembering that the minimum is 10 euros . At this point just select the item “Today”, add a message, choose a postcard to associate and click on “Buy” to complete everything.