Pay with your palm: Amazon expands contactless payments in Seattle

Using technology called Amazon One, Whole Foods shoppers in Seattle can scan their palm and link it to a credit card or Amazon account.

SEATTLE – Amazon is rolling out pay-by-palm technology to several Whole Foods grocery stores in Seattle. The company claims that the new contactless payment method will be faster and more convenient.

Using technology called Amazon One, shoppers can scan their palm and link it to a credit card or Amazon account. After the initial setup, which Amazon says takes less than a minute, shoppers can scan their hand at the checkout to pay for groceries without opening their wallets.

Amazon One technology creates a “palm signature” for each user based on what the company says is the most unique identifier on their palm. The company said Palm images will be stored in a “highly secure area” created for Amazon One in the cloud, created for each customer’s Palm signature.

Contactless payment is available at Whole Foods’ Madison Broadway location and will be added to seven additional Seattle locations in the coming months.

Amazon said the new payment method will have no impact on Whole Foods employee jobs, and the payment method is just an additional option at checkout.

Amazon first launched the technology late last year, when it said the technology could be used in stadiums, office buildings, and other retailers.

Amazon previously experimented with contactless payments at Amazon Go stores in Seattle, including Amazon Go Grocery, Amazon Books, Amazon 4-Star, and Amazon Pop Up.