While it has taken some time, retailers big and small have slowly come around to mobile payments. Millions of shops will let you pay with your phone, but if you reside in Europe, you will soon be able to pay with your face. Prepare to meet Selfie Pay app.
The main way to pay from your phone these days is with NFC and a fingerprint. There are other options depending on your platform and preferences as well, but nobody has paid with their face to our knowledge. The aptly named Selfie Pay app will change that, and it’s set to debut in Europe for consumers that want to pay in a different manner.
Mastercard’s imitative is called the Identity Check Mobile application but is called Selfie Pay for short. It claims to offer 95% photo matching accuracy and is said to be quick at around 5 seconds per transaction. That’s once you have setup your profile and snapped your selfie although the process in generally sounds fairly simple. The app allows for prepaid pickups with geo-locations services real-time travel to your pickup stop and will work with any Android tablet or slate as well.
In addition to buying, the app listing mentions something about selling. We aren’t sure how this will work but it mentions uploading items to sell, which ads and eBay later to things. Paypal has a similar feature with local merchants or shops, so it could be something along those lines for personal sellers. As for the tech, it’s PCI compliant and uses military grade bio metric security to keep your mug and cash secure.
The Selfie Pay program is launching in Europe but will go global sometime next year. That said, the Selfie Pay app is already up and available to download for some locales (including the U.S.) if you want to check it out.