Twitter, American Express let users buy with hashtag

A sign showing the American Express logo is seen outside of a restaurant in Des Plaines, Ill..(Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images)

Will that be cash, charge, or hashtag?

Credit card company American Express has announced a partnership with Twitter that allows cardholders to purchase items by simply typing in a hashtag. For those unfamiliar with Twitter, the hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by the "#" symbol.

American Express members can visit the company's website^[1] to sync their accounts to Twitter.

Here's how it works: when a user sees an item they want to purchase, they type a special hashtag. For example, American Express is offering a $25 gift card for $15 users can snag by posting the hashtag #BuyAmexGiftCard25.

Twitter users then check the Mentions tab for replies from @AmexSync that include a confirmation hashtag. Users have 15 minutes to tweet the confirmation, then their item will be shipped to the billing address tied to their credit card.

Other items American Express will offer through this service include an Amazon Kindle Fire HD, a Sony Action Cam and an Xbox 360 4GB video game console.

The partnership marks an interesting move by Twitter, which adds digital commerce among its many uses. Although many companies use the social network to reach customers, this might be the first time Twitter has been used as a way to make purchases.

Readers, would you use this service?