Elon Musk’s new payments app X Money launched a limited external beta test this week, with early screenshots showing users eligible for cash and deposit earnings.
One of the beta testers included Hollywood actor William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk in the original Star Trek series, and was invited to participate in the beta.
Several screenshots shared by Shatner show that X Money users can earn cash back on certain card purchases and earn a 6% annual return on deposits.
Another screenshot shows that deposits are held by Cross River Bank, a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and are insured up to $250,000 per person.
X Money is part of Musk’s “everything app” vision
On February 11, Musk said that X Money is going into external beta before it starts rolling out to X users worldwide. It has been in closed beta testing since at least May 2025.
However, the integration of crypto payments into X Money remains a mystery.
X Money is part of Musk’s broader vision to transform X into anything app, from payments and private messaging to AI chatbot services through Grok, creative content, personalization and more.
“This is where all the money is. The central source of all money transactions,” Musk said in February.
X, Shatner to expand beta testing
Shatner has since used the $42 Musk sent him to raise money for charity. With X’s permission, Shatner auctioned off 42 X Money beta invites for $1,000.
Each of the 42 winning entries will receive a $25 welcome gift card from X, plus the first $1 will be sent to Shatner by Musk.
After the first auction, Shatner and X opened up a second round of invitations, auctioning off another 166 beta invitations, also worth $1,000.
To be eligible, users must be US residents over 18 and maintain an active X account in “good standing.”
Shatner noted that those who sign up can receive a metal X Money debit card with their username from an X partner.
No crypto tokens
Musk’s appreciation of Dogecoin (DOGE) has sparked speculation in the crypto community that memecoin could be a part of X’s future, but nothing concrete has come of it, let alone any integration into X Money.
related to: Kraken wins at Kansas City Fed for limited access to main account
X Money marks a return to the payments space for Musk, who founded X.com in the late 1990s before it merged with PayPal.
Over the past few years, X has secured remittance licenses in over 40 US states and is registered with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network to enable peer-to-peer payments on the platform.
Magazine: Musk’s ‘AI in Space’ Plan Pays FBI Over $2 Automated Calls: AI Eye
