Tired of whipping out a credit card when it’s time to pay for groceries? Soon enough, you will be able to pay for your items with just a swipe of your palm. The checkout technology, called Amazon One, is being added to all 16 North Texas Whole Foods locations in the coming weeks.
Over 150 Whole Foods and Amazon Go locations already have palm payments. In Austin, some Whole Foods locations started integrating the Amazon One system in April.
Those interested in Amazon One palm payments must first visit an in-store kiosk. The machine will scan whichever palm you prefer, or both, and keeps your unique palm print in the Amazon database.
A credit or debit card must then be linked to your palm print, and you are finished. An employee will still have to scan items at checkout as usual, but Amazon One users can simply wave their hand over the scanning device to pay.
Amazon has been pushing its One program since 2021, when it offered users $10 in credit to share their palm print. However, some are concerned with the potential security and privacy risks associated with sharing such an identifiable feature.
In 2021, U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) sent letters to Amazon after the company announced it could share biometric data with third parties in the future.
“Amazon One users may experience harm if their data is not kept secure. In contrast with biometric systems like Apple’s Face ID and Touch ID or Samsung Pass, which store biometric information on a user’s device, Amazon One reportedly uploads biometric information to the cloud, raising unique security risks,” the senators stated.
Amazon One is not to be confused with Amazon Go, the checkout-less stores that opened in 2020. At these locations, a customer enters, takes the products he wants, and, thanks to the Amazon Go app, just leaves again. The app is linked to the customer’s Amazon account for billing. Between One and Go, Amazon has been testing additional options to make shopping more convenient, whether it be palm payments or checkout-less stores.
