Back in September of last year, Amazon was rumored to be working on a new payment system for its Whole Foods stores that would allow customers to pay using their hands instead of an actual payment card.

At the time, details about the new system were unclear, and WSJ is now revealing some more details on the technology. Amazon is reportedly pushing ahead with the new system, though it will no longer limit the tech to Whole Foods.

Instead, the company is developing payment terminals that can be placed in any shop, with Amazon planning to promote the tech to coffee shops, fast-food restaurants, etc.

Amazon is also apparently working with Visa to test transactions on the payment terminals, and it’s expected to get in talks with Mastercard as well. The company has also discussed the project with card issuers like JPMorgan Chase.

The company recently filed a patent application for what could be the heart of the new system, describing it as a “non-contact biometric identification system” that is powered by “a hand scanner that generates images of a user’s palm.”

The technology here is obviously very interesting — contactless payments have already made payments incredibly easier, and being able to pay with your hand will take things to the next level. But for now, Amazon still has some other issues to figure out — including how the terminals would detect fraud.

Tagged with Amazon, Amazon Pay