PayPal tests mobile payments using your face for verification
A new trial in the U.K. lets people pay for items using the PayPal app, a mobile phone, and a photo to PayPal is rolling out a new trial for British consumers to see if they really can leave their wallets at home.
Recently kicking off in London borough Richmond upon Thames, the test includes 12 different merchants set up to accept PayPal payments, according to Sky News. Using the PayPal app for iOS, Android, or Windows Phone, potential customers can see nearby participating merchants highlighted on their mobile phones. They can then check in by clicking on the merchant's name and sliding a pin down the screen.
When purchasing an item, the customer's name and photo pop up on the store's payment system. An employee clicks on the photo to initiate the payment. The customer then gets a notice and receipt for the transaction on their phone.
Though only a dozen retailers are part of the test, PayPal expects that more than 2,000 merchants will be able to accept the PayPal payments by the end of 2013, Sky News added. And PayPal has grander ambitions beyond this year.
"This is another step on the journey towards a wallet-less high street, where customers will be able to leave their wallet or purse at home and pay using their phone or tablet," Rob Harper, PayPal head of retail services said in a statement reported by The Independent. We predict that by 2016 this will become a reality."prove their identity.
PayPal tests mobile payments using your face for verification