Autopay is launching a pilot program for HandGo, a biometric payment solution using the palm. Purchases are authorized by placing the hand on a special scanner, and after positive verification, the funds are transferred to the seller from the card linked to the Autopay app.

Initially, HandGo by Autopay will be available at selected service points, such as the Limitless sauna complex in Sopot. To start using biometric payments, you must first register in the Autopay app and add your payment card. When making your first purchase, you scan a QR code that launches the Autopay app. Then, you scan your hand to create a pattern linked to your profile, which will be associated with this payment method. From then on, the system will store a digital hand token that allows you to make purchases (this is not a photo of your hand). The vein pattern is used to identify the user.

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As Autopay explains, hand confirmation is used solely to authorize the purchase of a service and is not a biometric payment authorization. After confirming the purchase, the seller orders the assigned card to be charged. Fintech also emphasizes that all connections are protected by TSL encryption and that the company itself meets the highest industry standards, including PCI DSS.

HandGo has the potential to revolutionize shopping, according to fintech experts, and the solution may be particularly well received in the wellness and sports industries. It is in these circumstances that the convenience of not having to carry a card, smartphone, or smartwatch seems particularly important.

Autopay emphasizes that it is the first company in Poland to offer this form of biometric shopping. Globally, palm payments have been made available by Amazon and Ingenico, among others. In this context, it is also worth mentioning Finger Vein technology, which is based on identifying users by the pattern of blood vessels in their fingers. Timid attempts to introduce this technology in Poland included identity verification tools at BPH bank branches and tests at selected Planet Cash ATMs. The Polish fintech Payvein also bases its solution on this technology.

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However, the most talked-about biometric project in the Polish market so far is PayEye. It is based on a fusion of iris and facial biometrics for payments. In the case of this fintech, the seller must also have special equipment – a terminal developed by PayEye that allows payment with a ‘glance.’ It is worth noting, however, that the device, which is PCI-certified, allows not only biometric payments but also traditional card payments. This increases its versatility, which in turn helps to overcome a significant barrier to the popularisation of such innovations, namely the limited acceptance network.