AIB now allows you to "pay a contact" by phone number if they have an AIB account

I don't think so.
You need to know their phone number and you need to know that they have an AIB account and they must have set up the system to receive a payment. Very simple - it's just confirming that the phone number on their system is yours.

Brendan
 
+1. Was paying a tradesman who is oNe of my contacts and who also has an AIB account. Money was in his account before he left the house. Great facility, just wish it applied to all contacts.
 
This will be great for paying tradesmen, plumbers, window washers, electricians. Having to get cash out to pay them is a pain. We find we are scrounging around for coins these days to pay for some car parks or small tips.
 
I got my first payment from a friend last night using that.

I had completely forgotten about it. I thought it was new.

I tried to send people money to test it, but I could not send it for some reason.

Brendan
 
I suspect that very few people know about it and so have not set it up on their phone to receive money.

I must have set it up to receive money when I started this thread.

Brendan
 
A friend who sent me money yesterday had not set it up to receive money.
He has since set it up and I have sent him a test payment.
 
Yes, it's a handy feature, alright.

I seen to recall that Ulster Bank had it for a while, but then did away with it (a Cour of years before they closed down).
 
Did PTSB have something similar a few years back?

Edit: this?
 
When I Google how to set up my number, nothing satisfactory appears in the results until this thread at least! I guess the work done to establish instant payments between the banks here might've given AIB enough understanding to do it for themselves anyway.