Current:Home > reviewsAmazon releases new cashless "pay by palm" technology that requires only a hand wave -NextGen Capital Academy
Amazon releases new cashless "pay by palm" technology that requires only a hand wave
View
Date:2025-04-27 13:22:23
Amazon is taking cashless payments to another level.
In a new rollout, the tech giant is giving customers another contactless way to pay for groceries — with their palms.
In a statement Thursday, Amazon announced that the palm recognition service, called Amazon One, will be used for payment, identification, loyalty membership, and entry at over 500 Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh locations across the nation by the end of the year.
Instead of pulling out a credit card or even a phone for Apple Pay, subscribing customers will simply have to hover their palms over an Amazon One device to pay. And if you are already a Prime member, you can link your membership with Amazon One to apply any savings or benefits to your purchase as well.
The technology is already available at 200 locations across 20 U.S. states including Arizona, California, Idaho, Oregon and Mississippi.
"By end of year, you won't need your wallet to pay when checking out at any of the 500+ U.S. @WholeFoods," Amazon CEO Andy Jassy tweeted.
But you don't just have to shop at Whole Foods to take advantage of the convenient new technology. According to the statement, many other businesses are implementing Amazon One as a payment, identification and secure entry tool.
Paying with your palm via Amazon One is a pretty great experience, and customers have been “voting with their palms” for many months now. By end of year, you won't need your wallet to pay when checking out at any of the 500+ U.S. @WholeFoods. https://t.co/fizfZIDo3P
— Andy Jassy (@ajassy) July 20, 2023
Panera Bread, for example, has adopted the technology so that customers can simply wave their hands above the device in order to pull up their MyPanera loyalty account information and pay for their meals.
At Coors Field stadium in Colorado, customers trying to purchase alcoholic beverages can hover their palms over the Amazon One device to verify they are 21 or older.
According to the company, palm payment is secure and cannot be replicated because the technology looks at both the palm and the underlying vein structure to create unique "palm signatures" for each customer. Each palm signature is associated with a numerical vector representation and is securely stored in the AWS cloud, Amazon said.
A palm is the safest biometric to use because you cannot identify a person by it, Amazon said. The tech company assured customers that their palm data will not be shared with third parties, including "in response to government demands."
In order to register a palm, an Amazon customer can pre-enroll online with a credit or debit card, Amazon account and phone number, and then complete the enrollment process by scanning their palm anywhere an Amazon One device is in use.
"We are always looking for new ways to delight our customers and improve the shopping experience," Leandro Balbinot, chief technology officer at Whole Foods Market, said. "Since we've introduced Amazon One at Whole Foods Market stores over the past two years, we've seen that customers love the convenience it provides."
- In:
- Amazon
- Amazon Prime
- Whole Foods
Simrin Singh is a social media producer and trending content writer for CBS News.
veryGood! (7)
Related
- A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
- Loyola Marymount forward Jevon Porter, brother of Nuggets star, arrested on DWI charge
- Cher opens up to Jennifer Hudson about her hesitance to date Elvis Presley: 'I was nervous'
- 'Senior assassin' trend: Authorities warn that teen game could have deadly consequences
- All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
- Murder suspect accused of eating part of victim's face after homicide near Las Vegas Strip
- Duane Eddy, 'the first rock 'n' roll guitar god', dies at 86
- Earthquakes measuring over 3.0 rattles Dallas-Fort Worth area Wednesday afternoon
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- A Major Technology for Long-Duration Energy Storage Is Approaching Its Moment of Truth
Ranking
- Will the 'Yellowstone' finale be the last episode? What we know about Season 6, spinoffs
- King Charles returns to public work with a visit to a London cancer center
- Tom Sandoval, Andy Cohen comment on rumored 'Vanderpump Rules' summer hiatus
- Do you own chickens? Here's how to protect your flock from bird flu outbreaks
- Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
- NFL power rankings: Which teams are up, down after 2024 draft?
- Fire severely damages a Los Angeles County fire station
- Forget Starbucks: Buy this unstoppable growth stock instead
Recommendation
Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
Canelo Alvarez, Oscar De La Hoya don't hold back in heated press conference exchange
OSHA probe finds home care agency failed to protect nurse killed in Connecticut
Police order dispersal of gathering at UCLA as protests continue nationwide | The Excerpt
EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
West Virginia GOP County Commissioners removed from office after arrest for skipping meetings
Campus protests across the US result in arrests by the hundreds. But will the charges stick?
Jerry Seinfeld at 70: Comic gives keys to 24-year marriage at Netflix Is A Joke Festival