Now that's some Black Mirror sh*t. Amazon is reportedly testing out a new system in which customers would be able to pay for their purchases using just their hands. No, not handing over cash or credit cards, or even using phones to make the payment—just your hands. Customers would scan their hands at physical retail stores at point of sale terminals, where they would then attach their credit card information. These details would then be associated with the hand scan, so that returning customers could simply forego carrying physical forms of payment and just rely on their own anatomy.
“Amazon envisions that customers would first use the terminals to link their debit or credit card information to their hands,” The Wall Street Journal explained. “Customers might insert cards into a terminal and then let the terminal scan their hands. From then on, they would only need to place a hand over the terminal to pay at a participating merchant.” Amazon is reportedly teaming up with Visa and potentially Mastercard for the new system. Card providers JPMorgan Chase and Well Fargo are also reportedly involved with the technological venture. Amazon-owned Whole Foods is said to be the first supermarket chain to partake in the rollout for the new system.
