The new service is available through WeChat Pay for metro passengers. Starting May 21, users who have registered for the palm payment service can pay for the Daxing Airport line by waving their hand over a scanner installed at metro station turnstiles. Once the palm print is recognized, money will be automatically deducted from the user’s WeChat account.
To register, users must go to a designated machine at the station. Turnstiles that support “palm” payments are marked with a blue circle. Tencent said the technology, which relies on both surface palm print and hand vein recognition, was developed by the company’s YouTu lab.
Tencent’s goal is to bring efficiency and convenience to users. It is suitable for seniors and accessible to people with disabilities. The company will gradually deploy this technology to other facilities such as offices, retail stores, and restaurants.
The new payment method has been hotly debated on Chinese social media. Many netizens are increasingly privacy-conscious due to concerns about biometric data theft. Facial recognition payments have also been around for a few years. However, some people find it more convenient than current methods, especially when their phones run out of battery.
The service is currently only available to Chinese users with verified identities. In addition to Tencent, other “big guys” such as Alibaba are also researching similar payment technology for Alipay. WeChat Pay and Alipay together account for more than 90% of the mobile payment market in the mainland.
In the US, Amazon launched its Amazon One hand-scanning technology in brick-and-mortar stores in 2020, then expanded it to multiple locations in its Whole Foods supermarket chain.
(According to SCMP)
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