Fingerprints, Bioscans and new Credit Cards
Zwipe, MasterCard Show Off Credit Card With a Fingerprint Sensor
The piece of plastic integrates a biometric sensor and secure authentication tech to protect a cardholder's data.
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Like something ripped from the pages of a science-fiction novel, MasterCard and Zwipe have announced the world's first contactless payment card—with an integrated fingerprint sensor.
With a Zwipe-enhanced MasterCard, just hold your thumb against the fingerprint ID on your credit card and wave it over a contactless payment station. When your transaction goes through, the machine beeps, and you're on your way.
"Our belief is that we should be able to identify ourselves without having to use passwords or PIN numbers," Ajay Bhalla, president of enterprise security solutions at MasterCard, said in a statement. "Biometric authentication can help us achieve this."
Today's announcement comes after a successful live pilot with Norway's Sparebanken DIN bank, which Bhalla said produced some "very encouraging" results.
"Cardholders love how easy the card is to use with the added security feature," Zwipe CEO Kim Humborstad said, adding that participating retailers also provided "exceptionally good feedback."
http://www5.pcmag.com/media/images/4...ks.jpg?thumb=yAs a result, Sparebanken DIN will "offer biometric authentication and contactless communication for all our cards since it combines convenience and security for both our cardholders and merchants," business development director Morten Danielsen said.
The card stores fingerprint data directly, without the need for an external database. Once activated via a fingerprint scan, the bank card can be used anywhere that accepts contactless payments. And without the need for a PIN entry, Zwipe cardholders can make payments of any amount, for all those big purchases.
"[O]ur challenge is to ensure the technology offers robust security, simplicity of use and convenience for the customer," Bhalla said.
By harvesting energy from payment terminals, the Zwipe MasterCard can function without a battery—just like any of the other credit cards in your wallet.
The device is set to roll out internationally next year; there is no word on when it will reach U.S.-based consumers.
Check out the Zwipe MasterCard in action in the video below.
Apple is also introducing its own form of contactless payments via Apple Pay, which turns the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus smartphones into mobile wallets. Instead of storing your credit card number, Apple Pay creates a device-only account number each time you make a transaction.
The service, which launches on Monday alongside iOS 8.1, is compatible with McDonalds, Whole Foods, Panera, and Disney theme parks, as well as Apple retail stores, with more to come.
Last year, meanwhile, saw the introduction of Coin, which looks and acts like any of the cards in your wallet, but aims to condense that pile of plastic into one device. But more than a year later, the company is still taking pre-orders for the $118 device.
