Transferring money using email

A user device, comprising:

• a processor communicatively coupled to a memory and operable to execute instructions stored in the memory;
• and
• the memory, which stores instructions for initiating a transfer of funds from a recipient account to a sender account via an email message, wherein the instructions are configured to cause the user device to:
• receive, by an email application executing on the user device associated with a sender, a user input that includes a recipient address of a recipient and a requested payment amount to be transferred from the recipient account associated with the recipient to the sender account associated with the sender,
• wherein the recipient account and the sender account are managed by a payment service system;
• generate an email message that identifies the requested payment amount and includes a confirmation link to a network resource associated with the payment service system,
• wherein the confirmation link is generated for activation in a web browser executing on a recipient user device associated with the recipient;
• and
• concurrently send the email message from the user device to the recipient user device and a server associated with the payment service system,
• wherein after receiving a first indication that the recipient selected the confirmation link in the email message, the server associated with the payment service system identifies the sender account and the recipient account, and initiates the transfer of the requested payment amount from the recipient account to the sender account.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium of a user device associated with a sender of an email message storing computer-executable instructions, the instructions comprising:

• instructions for receiving, by an email application executed by the user device, a user input that specifies a recipient email address of a recipient and a requested payment amount to be transferred from a recipient account associated with the recipient to a sender account associated with the sender,
• wherein the recipient account and the sender account are managed by a payment service system;
• instructions for generating, by the email application executed by the user device, the email message that includes the requested payment amount and a confirmation link to a network resource associated with the payment service system,
• wherein the confirmation link is generated for activation in a web browser executing on a recipient user device associated with the recipient;
• and
• instructions for sending, by the email application executed by the user device, the email message to the recipient email address of the recipient and a service email address of the payment service system,
• wherein upon receiving an indication that the recipient selected the confirmation link in the email message, a server associated with the payment service system identifies the sender account and the recipient account and initiates a transfer of the requested payment amount from the recipient account to the sender account.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium of a computer system storing computer-executable instructions for transferring funds from a recipient to a sender of an email message, the instructions comprising:

• instructions for receiving, from a user device associated with the sender, a first indication of a first email message being sent from the user device to a first email server,
• wherein the first email message includes a request for a payment amount to be transferred from a recipient account of the recipient to a sender account of the sender of the first email message,
• wherein the recipient account and the sender account are managed by a payment service system, and
• wherein the first indication specifies the payment amount to be transferred and includes a recipient email address of the recipient;
• instructions for generating a confirmation link that is encoded with the recipient email address and a sender email address;
• instructions for generating a second email message that includes the payment amount and the confirmation link that, when selected by the recipient on a recipient user device, authorizes a transfer of the payment amount from the recipient account to the sender account,
• wherein the second email message is addressed to the recipient email address;
• instructions for sending the second email message to a second email server to be forwarded by the second email server to the recipient at the recipient email address;
• instructions for receiving a second indication that the recipient selected the confirmation link;
• and
• instructions for, in response to receiving the second indication that the recipient selected the confirmation link,
• recognizing an authorization by the recipient for the payment service system to initiate the transfer of the requested payment amount;
• and
• initiating the transfer of the requested payment amount from the recipient account to the sender account.

A computer-implemented method, comprising:

• receiving, by a payment service system, a first indication from a sender user device associated with a sender of a first email message, the first indication indicative of the first email message being sent from the sender user device to a first email server,
• wherein the first indication includes a requested payment amount to be transferred from a recipient account associated with a recipient of the first email message to a sender account associated with the sender, a recipient email address of the recipient, and a sender email address of the sender;
• generating, by the payment service system, a confirmation link to a network resource associated with the payment service system, wherein the confirmation link is generated for activation in a web browser executing at a recipient user device associated with the recipient;
• generating, by the payment service system, a second email message that specifies the requested payment amount and includes the confirmation link;
• sending, by the payment service system, the second email message to a second email server to be forwarded by the second email server to the recipient at the recipient email address;
• receiving, by the payment service system, a second indication indicative of the confirmation link in the second email message being selected by the recipient on the recipient user device;
• and
• in response to receiving the second indication,
• recognizing, by the payment service system, an authorization by the recipient for the payment service system to initiate a transfer of the requested payment amount;
• and
• initiating, by the payment service system, the transfer of the requested payment amount from the recipient account to the sender account.

A system, comprising:

• a processor communicatively coupled to a memory and operable to execute instructions stored in the memory;
• and
• the memory, which includes specific instructions for transferring funds from a recipient account to a sender account based on an email message, wherein the specific instructions are configured to cause the system to:
• receive a first indication from a sender user device associated with a sender of a first email message, the first indication indicative of the first email message being sent from the sender user device to a first email server,
• wherein the first indication includes a requested payment amount to be transferred from a recipient account associated with a recipient of the first email message to a sender account associated with the sender, a recipient email address of the recipient, and a sender email address of the sender;
• generate a confirmation link to a network resource associated with the payment service system, wherein the confirmation link is generated for activation in a web browser executing at a recipient user device associated with the recipient;
• generate a second email message that specifies the requested payment amount and includes the confirmation link;
• send the second email message to a second email server to be forwarded by the second email server to the recipient at the recipient email address;
• receive a second indication indicative of the confirmation link in the second email message being selected by the recipient on the recipient user device;
• and
• in response to receiving the second indication,
• recognize an authorization by the recipient for the payment service system to initiate a transfer of the requested payment amount;
• and
• initiate the transfer of the requested payment amount from the recipient account to the sender account.