Amazon One turns your palm into a credit card for in-store payments

Amazon says it selected palm recognition as it is considered more private than other biometric technologies.

What you need to know

• Amazon One is the name of the retail giant's new palm recognition technology.
• People can use Amazon One to pay for their purchases at a store by hovering their palm over a device.
• Amazon One is now available at two Amazon Go stores in Seattle and will be added to more Amazon stores across the country in the coming months.

Earlier this year, a report had revealed that Amazon was working on a new payment solution that would allow customers to pay for purchases at stores using their palm as ID. The innovative technology has now been formally unveiled, and it is called Amazon One. Amazon says the solution makes it easier than ever for people to do things like pay at a store, present a loyalty card, or enter office buildings.

Starting today, customers at the Amazon Go stores at 7th & Blanchard and South Lake Union at 300 Boren Ave. North in Seattle will be able to use Amazon One as an entry option. To sign up for Amazon One, you will first have to insert your credit card in the Amazon One device. Next, hover your palm over it and follow the prompts to associate the card with your unique palm signature.

Amazon says the palm signature is created in real time for every individual using its computer vision technology. Once you have successfully registered, you will be able to enter the Amazon Stores by holding your palm above the device for a second.

Amazon hopes to add Amazon One as an option to more stores across the U.S. in the coming months. It will also be offering the service to third parties like other retailers, office buildings, and stadiums. Every Amazon One device has multiple security controls and the company doesn't store palm images on the device itself. Instead, the images are encrypted and sent to a "highly secure area" in the cloud.

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