A one-click online payment system using Facebook and Twitter that could boost Internet sales for newspapers, music vendors and other low-priced goods and services is being tested by a major European media company, according to its developer, Reuters reported.

The Internet poses an increasingly urgent problem for newspaper publishers who want to make money from the articles they put on their websites, but who are worried they will deter visitors by asking them to take out a full subscription.

The new system, developed by a start-up company in Belgium, means Internet surfers can pay to read a single article or download a piece of music without having to fill out forms or enter their credit card details on the website.

The company, called Paycento, uses the fact that surfers are often logged in anyway with their profiles on social networking sites like Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter.

It means that visitors to a website can pay small amounts with a single click, much in the same way that they would click a 'Share' or 'Tweet' button to post an article on their social network profile.

The system works by a user having an online Paycento account, which they then link to their Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin accounts.

While the Paycento technology is not yet being used by online publishers, the company said a major European media company is testing a beta version, but declined to say which one because of a confidentiality agreement.