Amazons One’s Palm Payment Technology Takes on Apple Pay

Amazon’s palm payment technology finds its first home at the Climate Pledge Arean in Seattle. But How will it fair against Apple Pay?

Amazon is attempting to change the way we pay with its new ‘pay with your palm ‘ technology, now called Amazon One. This technology was first unveiled to the public 2 years ago with the announcement of the Amazon One device. Now, the device was given a real test run at three concession stands at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.

To use the palm payment option, shoppers simply insert their credit card and wave a palm over the scanner. Bingo, presto, you’ve purchased your items without even needing to touch a keypad, sign or receipt or even interact with a cashier.

The question then becomes, how will this affect payment fraud? High risk merchant account providers are always on the lookout for options that will limit a customer’s potential exposure to criminals and fraudulent transactions.

Of course, everyone’s palm has a unique signature much like a fingerprint so this should, in theory, have an affect on fraud by decreasing the number of criminals being able to steal pin numbers and simply walk into a store with a copy of the credit card. It’s much more difficult to steal a palm print.

The most notable contender to take over contactless payment is already in place and widely used. Apple Pay has already had tremendous success and continues to be used more and more nationwide.

Apple Pay has one thing going for it that Amazon One cannot compete with. With Apply Pay, you don’t have to bring your credit card anywhere for the purchase. Instead, your phone can handle any transactions with just a simple click of a button. Amazon One still requires that your credit card be inserted intot he reader for the transaction to be completed.

Right now, more than 85% of retailers in the US accept Apple Pay, making it a much more ubiquitous form of payment. Apple pay is also very secure. Credit card numbers are not stored on the device or on the server. Instead, each iPhone generates a unique transaction code. These new contactless payment is building steam with shoppers who prefer to avoid any contact in public, especially in more recent years.

Similarly, the Amazon Just Walk Out technology allows shoppers to enter a store, chose the items they want, and simply walk out. The technology uses near-field communication (NFC) to read the shopper’s credit card details, and then scanner determines what the shoppers bought, and then charges them for all their items when they leave the store.

The Just Walk Out technology is already in place at more than 100 stores nationwide at varying brands including TD Garden, Hudson, and Lumen Field. Amazon has confirmed that the registration for Amazon One (the palm payment system) takes less than 1 minute and already thousands of sports fans who frequent the Climate Pledge arena have signed up.

Amazon has an uphill battle ahead if it wants to compete with Apple Pay and the current landscape favors Apple’s transactions.

Ryan Kemp( Director of Digital Marketing )

I am passionate about delivering results and helping my clients succeed. With my expertise in SEO, branding, and marketing, I lead the agency’s efforts to create and implement effective strategies that drive business growth. Our all-inclusive approach sets us apart from other digital media companies and ensures that our clients receive the full range of services they need for online success. If you can think of it, we can build it!

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