I know the headline is a bit bizarre, but you can now actually pay with your veins!
And before you ask, it doesn’t mean you can go around chopping off people’s fingers either because it only works if you have fully functional living veins!
So what is it? Well it’s a finger scanner that’s actually being used in a London bar.
By U.S. Navy photo by Aaron Schoenfeld [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
You don’t need your wallet, your Android Pay, Apple Pay or contact-less card or even any cash, all you need is the veins in your fingertips!
The scanner itself doesn’t actually scan your fingerprint, which is reasonably easy to replicate. Instead it scans the layout of the veins in your fingers, which are very unique.
The chances of someone else having the same vein layout pattern is actually 3.4 billion to one. So the scanner will be pretty sure that you are who you say you are.
The registration process is simple too. You register your card details and then your register your finger against that card and then you use that finger to go and pay.
Punters at a bar called Proud in Camden Market, North London, have signed up for a trial so that they could pay for their pints with their fingerprints.
And it’s been proven to be a reliable way of buying a round too, according to Sky News, with regulars enjoying the novelty of being able to buy a pint with their fingertips.
The scanner, known as ‘FingoPay’ was actually developed by Hitachi and uses the veins of your fingers to build up a unique map which is then used for secure payment.
Other retailers such as McDonald’s and the Co-op are also planning to follow suit according to former music industry executive and Sthaler founder Nick Dryden.
I think this just part of the evolution of payment methods that have existed since the Roman times.
The Romans came up with the cheque originally, and ever since then people having been dreaming up various ways to pay.
We’ve had carbon paper, chip and pin, contact-less cards, Android Pay and Apple Pay and now biometrics.
At least with biometrics, it’s much more convenient and you’re never going to forget your finger. I’ve got to the checkout countless times having forgotten my wallet, so this solution would suit me perfectly.
My only concern is the registration process, which you have to go through to register your card. I’m not sure how that would work in a busy bar or supermarket.
What are you thoughts? Let me know in the comments!
Cheers!