Google and some other tech companies have given people a choice of not carrying their wallets while venturing out, but now Amazon is moving a step ahead. There are reports that the e-commerce giant is developing a hand-based payment system. In other words, it would turn your hand into a credit card and customers will have to simply swap their hands to make payment. The technique would enable connecting all credit card info to your palm. So you would be able to make payments by just swapping your hand. Amazon has already filed a patent for a ‘non-contact biometric identification system.’ It would feature a scanner capable of producing an image of a person’s palm.
According to reports, this technique of payment could be used at any store, not just one owned by Amazon. There are some talks with financial institutions that suggest hand-readers would be able to receive payments from hands. Earlier in September, there were some reports which claimed that the hand-scanning check-out system would be introduced at Amazon-owned stores like Whole Foods. It was claimed that checkout time would be reduced by 300 milliseconds once the system is introduced. The whole system would start with linking card details to the hands of its user. The data is expected to be stored on Amazon’s cloud and it could be tied to Amazon.com
The entire process is at a very nascent stage and the only report available so far is that Amazon is said to be working with Visa for the testing phase. It would be expanded later as talks with Mastercard are also going on. The logistics about the implementation of the technique still have to be worked. The other important aspect that needs to be discussed before the implementation of the hand-based payment system is the scope of abuse and fraud. Another important question is how enthusiastic customers might feel while sharing their biometric data with Amazon. Moreover, will shop owners like to remind customers every time they make a payment that Amazon exists and that they could use its online facility?