Amazon introduced a new payment method known as pay-by-palm technology at several Whole Foods locations near its company headquarters in Seattle, Washington, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.
The innovative technology, known as Amazon One, allows customers to scan their palm and link it to a credit card or Amazon account. The new payment method is supposed to make shopping faster and more convenient, the AP reported.
According to the company, shoppers can register to begin using the new system in under a minute. Once set up, shoppers will be able to pay for groceries by simply scanning their hand at the register – a process that will no longer require opening a wallet.
Amazon One: Whole Foods gets pay-by-palm tech for some Seattle stores https://t.co/KE073fr0Jb
— Margaret Anderson (@AndersmMander43) April 21, 2021
The technology was first debuted late last year and is targeted for use at venues, office sites and other retailers. So far, Amazon One has only been available at a dozen or so of Amazon’s physical stores, CNBC reported. (RELATED: Amazon Workers Were Threatened, Intimidated, Union Says As It Demands New Election)
The company noted the palm-scanning technology is “highly secure,” even more so than other biometric technologies like facial recognition. The company’s claims were in response to many privacy and security experts who have raised concerns over the company’s handling of sensitive user data.
Amazon said shoppers can ask for their information to be removed from the system at any time, The AP reported.