Skip to Main Content
PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.

Microsoft Wants Bills Paid in Outlook

No need to switch to another app, just pay directly in Outlook using Microsoft Pay.

Microsoft Outlook Payments

Microsoft wants to keep Office users inside its apps for as long as possible, and that includes Outlook. The latest feature to be added to Microsoft's email solution does exactly that, by removing the need to leave Outlook to pay bills.

Microsoft decided to streamline payments in Outlook by allowing the payment of bills or invoice to occur "right in email." So when you receive an email including a payment demand, you can simply opt to pay right then and there. Microsoft will handle the payment through Microsoft Pay, and you can continue sorting through the rest of your emails.

Support is already in place with payment processors including Stripe and Braintree. The Zuora billing service is also signed up, as are invoice services FreshBooks, Intuit, Sage, Wave, and Xero. Fiserv will also be added soon. All a business needs to do is embed a payment action in Outlook and send it to the customer.

You may not see this streamlined payment option appear immediately. Microsoft intends to roll it out in phases starting with Outlook.com customer. New users will then be added every month until it's available to all.

It will be interesting to see if users actually trust this method of payment. The convenience is clear, and as long as Microsoft keeps it simple it could prove popular.

Microsoft is also introducing Adaptive Cards as a way of enhancing Actionable Messages which were introduced last year. Basically, Actionable Messages allow any email, workflow process, or conversation to be turned into a task instantly. Adaptive Cards is a new format to present the information, which works across Outlook, Windows in Timeline View, Teams, and within Cortana.

Get Our Best Stories!

Sign up for What's New Now to get our top stories delivered to your inbox every morning.

This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.


Thanks for signing up!

Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!

Sign up for other newsletters

TRENDING

About Matthew Humphries

Senior Editor

I started working at PCMag in November 2016, covering all areas of technology and video game news. Before that I spent nearly 15 years working at Geek.com as a writer and editor. I also spent the first six years after leaving university as a professional game designer working with Disney, Games Workshop, 20th Century Fox, and Vivendi.

Read Matthew's full bio

Read the latest from Matthew Humphries