• Inside Facebook, Thursday, November 18, 2010 3:03 PM

Is Facebook getting into the credit business? Well, the top social net is testing a "Pay Later" feature for purchasing virtual goods within social games. "Users who have never purchased Credits before can spend Credits they haven't paid for and repay the balance later," Inside Facebook reports. "Users can only repay a balance with a credit card or PayPal, not offers, gift cards, or mobile payment."

The suggestion, therefore, is that this is a ploy on Facebook's part to get users comfortable with buying virtual goods, as well as get them to put their credit card or PayPal details on file with Facebook. Those sneaky devils. According to Inside Facebook, the social net was already signed deals with all the top social game developers, including industry leader Zynga, to make Credits the exclusive direct payment method. The niche news blog suggests that the biggest barrier to users actively spending is getting their payment information on file. Beyond games, we're wondering what Facebook hopes to eventually use our credit card info for.

Read the whole story at Inside Facebook »