back to article #Forwhy: American Express lets you pay by tweet

Credit card company American Express has launched a service that lets customers buy things using Twitter. The new Card Sync service from American Express syncs customers' credit cards to their Twitter accounts and allows Twits to burn the plastic from the comfort of of their Twitter app. "You can turn a hashtag into more than …

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  1. Dan 55 Silver badge
    Facepalm

    What could possibly go right?

    I asked what could possibly go right because the list is shorter.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: What could possibly go right?

      remember that craze about that... what was it, half-life?

      lol, I wasn't that wrong - SECOND life. More like a no-life.

      anyway, expect similar now. Cause like, they're bred this way: can't stop about how to make more money in new, innovative ways, blah blah blah. Cause like, you know, if they don't, somebody else will, and pull the rug from under their polished shoes. Race race race

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: What could possibly go right?

        I have literally no idea what you were trying to say there.

  2. Colin Millar
    Facepalm

    Charge card plus twitter

    Yeah - that sounds like a plan.

    I heard that twitter were just going to post all their user details on a public web page to make it marginally harder for hackers to get hold of this info.

    1. JDX Gold badge

      Re: Charge card plus twitter

      Though it would be fun when spam-bots re-tweet you.

  3. Code Monkey
    WTF?

    So I Twit to buy something then go down the shop and swipe my credit card? How is this better than ... just going down the shops with my credit card?

    Forgive me if this is a stupid question. I'm not much of a shopper.

  4. LinkOfHyrule
    WTF?

    Sending financial transactions through not only an unencrypted but a publicly accessible channel - what could possibly go wrong with that!?

    Why not just send people's other personal shit like medical info via twiiter too? Example...

    "@Paris - Your results are now available #std #testresults #hasgotclap"

    Jeeze!

    1. JDX Gold badge

      So what precisely is going to go wrong then? People can see what you are buying... OK fine but Amazon already have "post this purchase on FB/Twitter". But what specific security issues are there from knowing someone is buying something?

      Are you thinking people hacking into your Twitter account, or something else? Not saying there isn't a massive problem, but it would be better to hear it than have everyone jump on the "it's obviously stupid just because it's Twitter".

      1. LinkOfHyrule
        Paris Hilton

        Not obviously stupid no, I wouldn't say that. But it is stupid!

        Examples of why...

        Accounts being hacked, making a fool of yourself by tweating that you brought Findus ready-meals on valentines day, marketers using the info in your feed to spam you with targeted crap, boring people with your purchases.

      2. jonathanb Silver badge

        There is a difference between tweeting to say you've bought for example a Findus hosemeat product, and actually placing the order for frozen horse by sending a tweet to the supplier.

        1. JDX Gold badge

          Yes, but in the non IT world everyone isn't obsessed about keeping everything secret that they do on the internet ;)

          More seriously, these are likely promotional/special offers, so telling people you're buying it is a)not that weird b)quite deliberate.

          It's not like you are under any illusion it's private after all.

          It seems a bit of foolishness to me, a nice advertising gimmick but not much more.

      3. Eddy Ito

        example

        "what specific security issues are there from knowing someone is buying something?"

        In general there isn't a security issue knowing your buddy just bought a new 55" 3D TV, but it's an extension of the 'I'm off to Tahiti for two weeks' tweet that gets magnified by the combination since it effectively becomes:

        '@peeps bought new 55" TV and tix to Tahiti with my AMEX. Off tomorrow, C U in 2 weeks'.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: example

          '@peeps bought new 55" TV and tix to Tahiti with my AMEX. Off tomorrow, C U in 2 weeks'.

          Yep, pretty much. Yet another advertising scheme to match a target to a persona. A lot of people just don't mind selling themselves cheaply, and companies have used the internet to discover this quickly.

          It's not what is wrong with services like this, it is what is wrong with you for considering them.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I'm waiting for pay by tattoo

    I have an interesting 1 and 0 to show the shop keeper.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Coat

      Re: I'm waiting for pay by tattoo

      Are they in Comic Sans?

  6. It wasnt me
    Happy

    Great !

    "Credit card company American Express has launched a service that lets customers buy things using Twitter."

    Thats novel. After years of trying i've still to find anywhere that accepts their cards.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Great !

      You must never have visited a supermarket or a petrol station then?

  7. Euripides Pants
    Thumb Down

    Ooooooh...

    Like we don't buy enough shit already?

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