You can send people money on Twitter to show your support and approval of their tweets, or their work outside of the app. And it’s all done using the Tips feature. You can also use this feature to send your favorite Twitter users some money as and when you see fit.
Here’s what you should know about Twitter’s Tips feature and how to use it…
What Is Twitter’s Tips Feature?
Tips is a Twitter feature introduced in May 2021 that lets you support people on Twitter by sending tips for their contributions, content, and work on the platform or elsewhere. This is done through a third-party payment service, with options provided on the person’s account.
When first launched, Twitter said in a post on the Twitter Blog:
In the same blog post, Twitter’s Senior Product Manager Esther Crawford cites the platform’s users as inspiration for this feature, saying the company wants to make it easier for users to support each other beyond likes, comments, and retweets.
The company says that the feature will help users support each other, show appreciation, help out during tough times, and financially support the work of journalists and creators.
This forms part of Twitter’s attempt at making its platform a more pleasant place for all who use it. During the same month, the social media platform also launched a feature that gives you a heads up when you’re about to send a tweet that could be harmful or offensive to others.
Read more: How Twitter’s New Mean Tweets Prompts Work
After the initial testing of the feature with limited profiles, Twitter began rolling out the feature fully, starting with iOS users in September 2021, followed by Android users in November 2021.
How Twitter’s Tips Feature Works
All Twitter users can receive tips via Twitter’s Tips feature—whether you’re a creator, journalist, expert, or nonprofit organization—as long as your account has the feature enabled.
Twitter also gives you multiple payment options to receive tips, depending on service availability in your region. The update in September 2021 also brought Bitcoin payment support to the feature using Strike.
Here are the payment options users can add to receive money via Tips:
Bandcamp Cash App Chipper Patreon PayPal Venmo GoFundMe PicPay Bitcoin payments via Strike Razorpay
All the money you send goes directly to the recipient. Twitter does not take a cut from it. However, the payment platform you use to send the payment may charge a transaction or withdrawal fee.
How to Use Tips to Pay People on Twitter
So if you want to send a tip, how do you go about it?
First, you’ll need to ensure the account you want to tip has the Tips feature enabled.
You’ll know it is enabled if you see the Tips icon next to the Follow button on their profile page, which appears as a cash icon.
Next, tap the Tips icon to view the list of payment services or platforms that the intended recipient has enabled on their account.
Now, select the payment service or platform you prefer to use. You will be taken off the Twitter app and directed to the selected service where you can make the payment.
The amount you pay is entirely up to you.
Once you complete the payment, it will be sent to the user’s account via the relevant service.
The creator you are choosing to tip simply has to have an account with the payment platform you wish to tip them through. For example, Bitcoin, through Strike—a payment app for sending and receiving Bitcoin payments—is one of the tipping methods available to you.
Twitter users wanting to receive Tips through Bitcoin simply need to sign up for a Strike account and add their wallet to their account.
A Great Way to Spread Generosity on Twitter
Twitter’s Tips feature is another way the company is encouraging kindness, consideration, and positivity on its platform.
It’s also a great way for content creators to make extra cash apart from social media campaigns, which allows those who aren’t influencers to be rewarded for their content in a meaningful way.
